Originally Posted by Rocke
I am home from the hospital where I have spent a good deal of time recovering from an accident as a result of a chain failure. I am searching for some rhyme or reason that it failed, and am looking for others who can help shed light on a very dark spot in my cycling. I ride a Colnago C-50 with Campy Ultra group. My chain has a little over 3000 miles on it, but is within limits on streach. (I had slated replacement this next week...) I am fanatic about maintaining the machine and use Dumond Tech lube before riding, wiping down any excess. My friends work their machines until they skip. fail or slip, but I try and replace parts before events occur. The chain snapped while accelerating in traffic, and I hit a car and went down. I have read posts indicating people re-using pins etc. I would recomend following the manufacturers instructions to the letter. It will be months before I am recovered, and I am very lucky. Any ideas why?
Blessings.
What brand and model was the chain?
Some brands and models are more robust than others, and less likely to fail. They have better quality control, and use more-consistent, higher-end materials.
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Another thing I have noticed is that some of these equipment failures are related to weight savings. Bikes are often engineered to be as light as possible, while still maintaining some margin of safety (for riders up to a certain weight at least).
Sometimes, in the interests of lighter weight, the margins of safety are not as wide as they could or should or otherwise would be.
I think it is worthwhile to have wider margins of safety, both in equipment and in other aspects of riding (stopping distances, proximity to cars, speed, cornering, allowing for contingencies, etc. -- many of us have picked up the habit of riding on the edge, or at or near the limits. It is safer to ratchet it back a notch or two, in the interests of wider and more reliable safety margins).