So after years of occasionally breaking a chain on bikes and re-pinning it I just found out this is not a good practice. Personally I've never had any issues. I never completely take out the pin, just slide it enough to get the chain out and then push it back in as it was, also, I never brake a chain more than once or twice and never using the same pin.
Feedback?

Only 1/8" Or old C&V roller chains that went out with 6 speed freewheels..

a derailleur chain now has flush pins, so shortening is a one way operation..
To lengthen a chain you need more quick links and an extra section of the same chain..

the act of pushing the chain making machine rivet set pin stretches the link hole it was riveted into..
so, simply pushing it, the pin, back in will after that, not be secure.





....

If it's a Shimano chain they sell special pins for rejoining links. There are different sized pins used for different speed chains, 8sp, 9sp, 10sp, etc. These are one use only and cannot be removed and replaced with a new pin in the same link. Personally, and many others here, just use a quick link and skip all of that.

I've always reused the same pin with older wider chains. And I just did it with my new shimano 11 speed chain I just put on with my other new toys for my bike. They only give you one of the pins to connect the chain with and after installing the first time and breaking the stub off, I realized the chain was too long. Being late Saturday, I wasn't going to be able to get another, so with some difficulty I was able to press that tiny thing back in.

I found a large pair of vice grips is the key to getting it started straight. Along with patience, lots of light and strong glasses if you have old eyes like me.

300 plus miles so far and no issues. If I had a lot of power in my legs I might have played it safe and waited to get a new one. I will be adding some of those pins to my spare parts though, if I ever remember them when I'm where I can get them.

Not big on master links either. They add width to the link and I'd think Shimano would give me one if they thought there wasn't any chance they might occasionally interfere with things.

look at the pin ends... they are PEENED(slightly flared by force) at the factory... this is why the pin is difficult to move at first when removing them... once pressed out by the breaker tool, that peen becomes smaller... when reinstalled, the pin is no longer securely held in place... some pins can be slightly re-peened to aid their staying put... some can not.... the margin of material is severely reduced in the narrower chains used by 9, 10, and 11 speed gear bikes... the pin may walk back out if it's not peened, and they usually do so under heavy load while climbing...

no peening done? prepare to sing soprano in church tomorrow. :-o

I would advise you to do some more research on this. I don't think you will find any chain mfg that will approve of this on 9 speed or greater. As mentioned above, you have now lost part of the pin that holds it in place. It will fail. IF you can find the now deformed pin, replace it with a proper pin or a quick link. If you can't find it, you need a new chain. Concerns about quick links are unfounded as they are included with KMC and SRAM chains and many use them with Shimano and Campy. Plenty of ways to get hurt on a bike, no need to tempt Darwin!

I've reused pins on 9 speed chains, and haven't been able to prove any ill effects of doing so. I try to mark the reused pin for later inspection, and generally don't see specific problems associated with it.

11 speed chains are quite different beasts, and I wouldn't recommend it. One can physically see the damage to the pins as they are pushed out.

I've been hearing people people from a long time ago recommend only use the pin once. Even back during the transition from 5 to 7 speeds.

As I said in my post, If I had real strong legs like a sprinter, I probably would have waited till the LBS opened on Monday.

I can't say that I will recommend it as a normal practice because the pin is so small it is very difficult to be sure you have it lined up. You could much more easily damage the pin or plate. But if I am ever in the same situation with no way to get a replacement and wanting to ride, I won't hesitate to do it again.

I do have the link marked, so I know where it is. Now that you've thrown the challenge out. I'll keep track of the miles on it.

Fun project! Maybe measure with calipers occasionally, the plates may begin to separate before they completely let go.

When I push out a pin on 11-speed Ultegra chain, the "rivet" or "mushroomed" head of the pin breaks off. There's a tiny metal donut left over. It also takes a lot of force to get the pin moving. Those mushroomed ends make a big difference, and I'd only re-use a pin as an emergency repair out in the middle of a ride. (But it's been many years since I've seen any broken chains on the group rides I do. Chains are strong.)

I'm guessing that the replaced pin will work reasonably okay with smooth, low pressure shifts, and while riding along (at least for a while.) It's the mis-timed, or half-shifts, or late shifts on a hill under load that would put the most strain on the chain.

~~~

Quick links
The links for older chains might have been wider:


~~~~

Quick links for newer 9,10,11 speed chains are no wider than the other links, have bevels to aid in shifting, and aren't detectable while riding.

For example, Sram Powerlink:


Shimano now sells quick links for it's 11 speed chains. The same design as the other 11-speed links.
bikeradar.com story

I broke a Shimano chain and reconnected it using the old pin, but only once. The lesson cost me a new chain, new derailleur hanger, and a new rear derailleur. Lucky it did not take out any spokes.

My fix was to switch to Sram chains with a quick link.

[QUOTE=Iride01;19866058]I've been hearing people people from a long time ago recommend only use the pin once. Even back during the transition from 5 to 7 speeds.

As I said in my post, If I had real strong legs like a sprinter, I probably would have waited till the LBS opened on Monday.......

I "forgot" once.
No problem for me, since I'm a weak rider.
I loaned my bike to an acquaintance (while working on his bike gratis) who made it about 6 blocks, parted the link and ate my RDER.

The SRAM PowerLink can be used on other brands of chain as long as the link and the chain are the same width ("speed"). Same for Wippermann "Connex" links. I have these on all my bikes.
Steve

I used an old 10 spd chain on my restored Raleigh Super Course 6 speed. I was in a hurry to get on the Pasadena Retro Velo ride, and couldn't wait for the new chain to arrive in the mail. I couldn't find my new break-off Shimano pins, so I reused the old pin. I've done it a few times before, with no issues. This time I made it about 4 miles into the ride, the pin worked loose and jammed in the rear derailleur, stopping the pedal action immediately. It took awhile to figure out. I started walking back to my car, and saw a big rock on the road, so I used it along with a wrench out of my seat bag as a backstop, and got the pin back in. I rode gingerly back to my car. The new chain arrived next day in the mail.

I would hope anyone reading this thread who is considering reusing pins on a peened chain note the clear, logical mechainical reason for not doing so (per posts #2 & 5) as well as the experience of those who have tried and failed (#11, 12 & 14). "No problems so far" is not a rational argument when the consequences can be damage to one's bike, an accident, or at least being temporarily stranded. The fact that some advised against reusing pins for a 7 speed chain does not make those saying that for 9-11 wrong.

Of course I'm just an old fart stuck back in an 8 speed world, so feel free to take a risk.

+1 This is your answer.

I did this with an 8-speed chain last week, because of a broken DR hanger. It's not all that scary and the link might have outlasted the chain but a new chain is $9 so, why?

That may be true in theory, but not necessarily in practice. I've reused pins in 7/8sp chains for years, never had any problems. Didn't dare to do it on 9/10/11 Shimano/Sram though, but did it many times on Campagnolo 9sp, which doesn't have replacement pins AFAIK.

A package of 6 KMC missing links is $10 shipped on Amazon. Why would someone risk being stranded?

You can look at the links and while you cannot really see the peened ones, you can see that the older style (8-speed and lower) chains are not peened. They have pin extending past the outer link and it is not hard to tell that they are just cut square. That peened pins have a slight "mushroom" to the pin end. That mushroom is right at the outer link plate so it is hard to see.

If you are looking at a link that has a pin that obviously could be driven in a little more or less and it wouldn't be an issue except for bugging OCD types, you are looking at a pin you can drive out and reuse. (That chain will also not work on a 9-speed or higher cassette and will ride up on the teeth.) I happily drive 1/8" links on my fix gear at will to lengthen or shorten chain. I try not to do the same link twice, but it happens and has never been an issue. (I've been riding those 1/8" chains and before that, old 5-speed chains on my fix gears for 100,000 miles. Plenty of time to test my theory. I also have two bikes set up 7-speed. I use quick-links or re-use the pins as I see fit. My 9-speed always gets a quick-link and I see to it I always have a new, boxed chain in case anything happens. (They don't always run well if the cogs are worn, but at least they are safe.)

Ben

Because as I said, I did this on Saturday after the bike shops had closed and wanted to ride Sunday. Geeze you guys are preachy. I'm sure you people do things I wouldn't do. I'm sure I'm "preachy" about thing you aren't. So hopefully we are even

it's not a theory.

as to the person that thinks 6-7-8 sp. chain isn't peened... press a pin out... notice how at first it was more difficult to move? that is a slight peening, just not as much as whatever chain you called "peened".... and yes, i realize that the outer plate holes are drilled to a tighter tolerance than the rollers.... the pins are straight gauge, btw.... except for that peening of the ends we're discussing...

PS... i reused pins in lesser chains for kiddy bikes... i press them out to the point where they are no longer engaged to the inner link, then i can feel when the PEENED END reaches the outer plate.... try it... makes reuse much easier since the pin remains in the outer plate.... a high quality chain breaker is needed, or the change in pressure required may be masked by the cheap threads of the cheap breaker tool....

sidenote: i had a freshly installed chain fail on a customer this summer... it was a brand new chain... the peening was insufficient... i notified the seller... they said they hadn't had any others fail, but replaced it under man. warranty... last time i talked to that seller, two more identical chains had also failed... the problem arose during manufacture... machines are not perfect, you know! the chain brand is well known.... i'm sure the offending machine got readjusted promptly.

all it takes is one pin to move a few thousandths of an inch in an outer plate... the bruising can take months to heal... in a sprint, the cuts can leave permanent scars, eh? wanna see my shins? the left one is heavily decorated!

"Shimano now sells quick links for it's 11 speed chains. The same design as the other 11-speed links.
bikeradar.com story"

fascinating! i'll have to get a couple to toss in my seat pouch! as long as i have them, i'll never need them!... knock on wood.

I expect the patent on the KMC-style master link has expired. Shimano is notoriously reluctant to license other manufacturer's technology (see threadless headsets for example) and equally reluctant to license their technology to other makers.

I have read that many of Shimano's chains are made by KMC so rebranding a KMC link would be easy if there are no patent issues.

I've taken a high powered diemaker's loupe to a KMC and a SRAM link and can't find a single difference between them. Probably the same for Shimano, all really KMC links. KMC still holds a patent on a "reusable" link so theirs is the only one branded as reusable (Except for the 11 speed, also branded one use only)