1/8" chain. To master link it or not?
 

So I went and changed my fixie drivetrain (cog/crank/chain). And this new KMC 415 chain that i got has a masterlink.

So it got me thinking.. should i use it? Any pro and cons? I suspect the masterlink is not like all the other links so it may develop a click due to uneven wear, or it may come undone.

Point is .. I have a chain tool and know how to use it, and did all my chains with it especially for fixed gear/single speed. So any advice against pushing back the pin for a 1/8" kmc 415. Any pros for having a masterlink? (for a fixie.. idk.. if the chain breaks i need a chain tool and some spare links anyway to get going.. so repairabilitywise is no benefit)

on KMC Z7 or Z8 chains i save the power-links, but don't use them. on the Sram PC-1 SS/Track chains i throw those extra bits away. the only time i use a power-link is on my KMC 10SL chains, and only because i'm pretty sure i need them or something similar.

Absolutely!

Make sure it's lubed and it won't. You're more likely to develop a click or otherwise stiff link from a reinstalled pin.

Nope, they're not hard to install properly.

I've got a chain tool and know how to use it, too, but masterlinks are a wonderful thing.

Master links have been SOP on 1/8" and wider chains for about as long as there have been chains. The ONLY reason derailleur chains didn't and don't is that maser links historically had greater outside width. This is a non-issue for a single speed chain, but became a problem as rear sprockets were packed closer together to increase the number of gears. Modern derailleur chain connectors solve that issue but old habits die hard.

I too know how to use a chain tool and still enjoy using master links with my 1/8" chains. It makes the chain quicker and easier to install and remove. I've run some badly into the ground and never had a problem with the master link being more worn out than the chain.

But do what you like, you can certainly be fine without one too.

The single speed drive train got a Masterlink many years before there was any quick-link for derailleur chains at all ..


( I used 1/8" master links to make my Chain Whips more able to work without coming apart under hard efforts.)

3/16" chain is rarely (if ever) used on bicycles any more (for almost a century). These days you'd see 3/16" chains on thins like lawn mowers or go carts. I suspect you meant to say 3/32", aka derailleur chain.

To the OP, many single speed and fixed wheel bikes use 3/32" chain these days, so it may be fine. But of either the chainring or rear sprocket are 1/8" you MUST use a 1/8" chain. OTOH - if both sprockets are 3/32" you can use either a 1/8" or 3/32" chain.

I (accidentally) bought a 3/16" chain a while ago. It was a major PIA because it didn't fit in my chain tool. I had to push the pins in and out "by hand." I eventually got sick of it and junked it. That's what I get for seeking out a gold chain...

To be clear, for the OP, the 415 (and the 910) are most definitely 3/16", not 3/32".

http://kmcchain.us/wp-content/upload...NP-262x240.jpg

Yes, I carefully avoided saying it wasn't bcause I didn't want to bother looking up the spec.

In which case the OP should carefully consider whether he needs or wants this chain vs. a lighter and for all practical purposes equally strong 1/8" chain. Of course if he has 3/16" sprockets he has no choice.

I see. So you corrected me without actually saying I was wrong. :lol:

As I said, I suspected you meant to say. The rest was for the benefit of the OP and a reminder about matching the chain to his needs.

So you politely corrected me, or vaguely, or without full commitment?

Or was your suspicion wrong?

Semantics can be fun, no? Yes?

J/K

Yes, it's all about semantics. When I say I suspect, I mean exactly that, just an unverified suspicion, or gut reaction. OTOH- when I know someone is wrong, I'll try to find a polite way to point that out, starting off with something like "with all due respect..." followed with a correction of some sort.

I also get corrected often enough, and am not bothered by it. I'll either acknowledge the correction (maybe chalk my error up to lack of coffee), or use the opportunity to reassert my position, and possibly expand on it. It's a forum, and dialog isn't an issue. I'm a believer in Brandeis's philosophy that more speech is better than less.

Half inch Pitch , 1/8" width , next narrower chain is 3/ 32nds" instead of 4 /32nds "

1/8"= 2/16ths , 3/16ths is wider than bikes use though maybe some Gas engine kits do that.

that extra 16th would be adequate for a 1 speed wider than the chainwheels , add weight of course..

may lack clearance with other parts it goes past.

do as you wish dont expect peer support to fawn over the choice. :rolleyes:

Sorry i got the product info out of the internet. It's 1/8", full bushing from kmc. i got it in a sealed transparent plastic bag, but no other info. So i picked a product number for a full bush chain from kmc (it's printed on each link "kmc" and no other info). Sorry for confusion, it's not 3/16, it's 1/8 (measured), drivetrain is 1/8 and it fits.

As for the masterlink.. i skipped it. looked too flimsy, it's the bendy type
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=453926

It's not, but you know best -- you're an engineer. :p

Well, for one the hole in the plate is way bigger than resting groove (it has to poke trough the bigger diameter pin and the plate will rest in the groove on the pins, but the actual contact is closer to one point for each pin and only in tension). So any weird compression-sideways motion will act weird as it has a bigger hole.. there is no support on compression, only in tension.
And the link with pins will have to flex to be installed. The flex may damage the link (i know the flex is small but so is the link.. so a bending producing a 0.2mm deflection of the pins, compared to 12.7mm length, is quite much. It surely is well within the elasticity of the material, but any mishandling will get over critical points quite easy)

It does not inspire me confidence to be as strong as any link in the chain and act the same as any link in the chain (due to the problematic one point contact of the groove-plate, and the parallelism of the pins that is altered in order to install)

My mind was set not using this type of masterlink anyway.

I was curious about the uses of a masterlink on a fixed gear bike. Imho it has close to none

Item shown in n.17 is short a Piece.

1/8" master links are 3 pieces, 1 side has 2 pins, the other has 2 holes, then a spring clip like a narrow horseshoe

is pushed over the pins with grooves in their ends , sticking above the side plate. 3

see http://cdn.modernbike.com/256/main_IG2126178854.jpg

I know that type, but this is not missing any piece.
This is the masterlink.. it's called SnapOn link http://www.kmcchain.eu/cms/bijlagen/...SnapOn_GB1.pdf
The chain is grabbed both hands with the pin plate in the ends, bent inward to make the pins closer, put the top plate with two holes in it, release pressure so the hole from the plate rest on the grooves in the pins (the holes from the plates are a tad smaller than the pins position, because the outer edge of the hole should rest on the narrower groove - and thus the two-point contact).

It is a poor design from my perspective.

Ask around in the Single-speed/Fixed-gear forum -- you might be surprised to see how many of them use masterlinks, even brakeless. Regardless of your amateur opinion of masterlink designs, they are a mature technology and practically bulletproof. You certainly aren't compelled to use them, but it'll take more than guesses to invalidate real-world results.