I have an Electra Cruiser Lux 7d. It has a chain 128 links long. I have changed the chain ring and cassette by 4 teeth so I could shorten the chain by that amount. I want to buy a new chain but I don't find any that length. They are usually 114 to 116 links long, so will I need to buy two chains?


When using a chain breaker can you just push the pin back in and put together a proper length chain with no master links and is a proper strength? I use to work at a Stihl dealership and I made chains to length. There was a special tool to swage the master link in place. The same thing for 6 foot plus long Mercedes timing chains. The chain I would like to get is a Connex 808.


Any help will be appreciated......calfee

On a modern chain once you push a pin out the swaged part gets sheared off and pushing the pin back in will result in a failure-prone connection; there is not material left to swage it again. Just get a proper master link; KMC, SRAM and Wippermann, if not others, make them. A firm which caters to the recumbent and tandem bike trade will have bulk chains from which they will cut long pieces, but you will of course still have to close the chain. Or you can just get two chains and use two master links to piece in a few links; the shortened chain will have enough links for you to do this many times so you will just need one new one.

Yeah that is what I figured. I was trying to avoid the two master link thing. I found a recumbent place that sells chain by the foot but it was 9 spd chain and I have an eight speed.

9 speed chain will work fine on 8 speed. Most people do not do that because 9 speed chains are about 15% more expensive for a comparable chain, but in your case it may make sense.

My dad has a recumbent with really long chain, he too buys it from the LBS by the foot. Its 9 speed chain and has no issues with his setup. He has some 156 links...crazy

I got some extra Links @ LBS to add to the lengths that came out of the Box.

If they save a section from shortening it , as required for other Customers ..

yea bulk chain rolls are available 50 & 100M.


35+ years ago But No Longer,, chains have gotten thinner..

Possible if you buy a Premium riveting chain tool, [ Rohloff sells One] , that Re Upsets the pin rivet head wider
to tighten it up in the Link plate Hole (stretched by pushing it out)

I'm not sure this is what you meant, but just to be on the safe side... By what amount? If you changed your chainring & cassette by four teeth, that doesn't mean to remove four links from the chain. There's not a 1:1 correlation between links and teeth.

Unless you've done the math (e.g. finding the circumference of the chainwheels old and new, determining the amount of said chainwheels engaged with the chain, and figuring the difference), I'd recommend buying a chain a few links longer than you think you need, then measuring it in place and shortening it to fit.

Shimano chains can be rejoined with their replacement pins. This would eliminate the two master links (although I would still use one for the final chain joint).

You should only have to buy two chains once, btw. If you only need ~14 links off the second chain, you still have ~100 links to use for the next and subsequent chain replacements.

Buy it by the foot

Bulk KMC X9.93 Chain : TerraCycle, Exquisite Recumbent Parts & Accessories