Do you have to buy the tool to remove the links once the chain need to be open again, or can you use a breaker tool on KMC chains, I use the 6/7 speed Z72 for my vintage bikes, thanks

Do not break any chain that comes with a master link by removing a pin except to shorten it. The pins are not intended to be reused on any narrow chain. You may be able to open the master link with a makeshift tool, but I find the Park one works really well. Not very expensive and worth the price many times over.

i am not familiar with the KMC Z72, but i do use the KMC Z7 (i think it's a 6-7-8 speed chain). it has bushings AFAIK, and i use a regular old school chain breaker to join, break, add, remove links. no problems in thousands of miles on the chain. use is SS only. so there is plenty of hurt put on the chain when climbing mt diablo (queen stage of Tour of California). i have busted one chain (different make/model) when, as mentioned, i reused one of the links, i'm pretty sure it was a bushingless, more modern, style chain.

BTW, i don't use the special link that comes with the chain.

The park tool squeezes rollers together so the quick link comes apart ,..

Maybe you can manage that with ordinary slip jaw pliers, IDK your resourcefulness.

chain breakers press out the pins from the chain. so thats a different thing.

if standard 6 then older 3/32 chains with the pins protruding , may be OK
7 in the space of 6 made the flush pin part of the width reduction .

I tried needle nose,snap-ring,and a bunch of others....much better to buy the mlp-1 Park tool. I run the KMC missing link on Shimano Dura Ace and Ultegra chains. You can also use the KMC tool-more expensive

When they are considering candidates for Nobel Prizes, the Bicycle Prize should definitely go to the guy who invented the master chain link. Sweet ain't even the half of it. Huey, each to his own, but damn those things work great.

If your carefull you can break and put together a typyical KMC z chain with a standard chain tool. The master links will often come apart with just needle nose pleirs if not heavley used. Plus you can bust the master out with a chain tool and just replace it with a new master link.

Interesting answers, two complete opposite's, you cannot reuse a pin removed with a chain tool , and you can do it? my problem is , I need more then 116 links for my derailleur /crankset set up, got a couple of KMC's I want to use one for extra length?

Can you buy a replacement pin. That would be the safe bet. Or just use two master links.

KMC doesn't offer replacement pins, only Shimano and Campy do. Even if KMC actually makes some of Shimano's chains, they do not provide the same joining pin with their own chains.

To the OP: If I interpreted your question properly, you do not use a chain breaker on a master link ever! You can use one to push out a regular pin to shorten a chain but you must rejoin the chain using a master link (or a specific pin on chains that have them). To lengthen a KMC chain, you need two master links.

third base!

you are right. you can, if the chain is an old style chain designed with bushings. and you can't if it's a more modern, like within the last 20 years modern, style chain. both are still manufactured. the latter much more prevalent.

the question is: is the KMC Z72 chain designed with bushings for the pins or not? and you CAN always use a master link (of the right dimensions) with any of them if you want to. i don't because i am often adding and subtracting links and if adding links multiple master links are necessary and if subtracting links a chainbreaker is needed anyway. it's just a hassle for me. for others? not so much. YMMV.

i have found it difficult to tell which is which just by looking at pics. the advertising from KMC neglects to make a point of it. you can contact them of course and ask. i know the KMC Z7 IS designed with bushings. BTW so is the SRAM PC-1 (a 1/8" chain designed for single speed applications). there are others. weinman makes one i know. they are usually very, very inexpensive. an attribute i admire in a chain.

...here is KMC's website, where they explain this and tell you which chains are which, in terms of your question. Use the pulldowns to find the products.

I dont think anyone specifically answered your question. You need a chain tool to remove links. You DONT need the tool to remove a KMC master link. If I understand that you need to join two pieces together for a special setup, you will have to use a chain breaker to remove a pin to get your short section then use two master links to join them.

The advice to not reuse pins applies to newer chains that use pins to rejoin chains and not master links.

I hope this clears it up.

-SP

I needed a tool. I didn't need the quick link specific tool, but my 2 most recent chains it was stubborn the first time and would not come loose with just hands alone. Had to use channel locks.

While I'm not clear on the actual question, there's this:






woodcraft

Senior MemberJoin DateApr 2012LocationNor CalPosts303Mentioned0 Post(s)Tagged0 Thread(s)

Quick link pliers-

Some old wire strippers and a few minutes on the grinder

(In hints and tricks thread at top of this page)

5-6-7-8 speed chains can use the pin again.

9-10 speed chains cannot, they are thinner and each time a pin is removed, you must use a new pin to join it back together. Google this to see more. It's totally different. They are long and get the front broken off, the holes in the side links are different. There is even a recommended travel direction the link should go. The Shimano web pages will have this somewhere. I have Shimano technical books that explain. Also a new Shimano chain will have instructions.
There is a copy of the directions somewhere on the interwbz. The Park tool site may have a good explanation.

One can purchase a master link for all of them. Much easier.

No. Shimano 8-speed chains (HG-XX or IG-XX), often advertised as 7/8-speed or even 6/7/8-speed, require a specific joining pin (or an aftermarket master link) and should NOT have a standard pin reused. Older, wider 5 and 6-speed chains can reuse their pins.

Sorry, Double post.

KMC here. It sounds like the OP needs to lengthen the standard chain length we offer. Although not officially recommended by us, you 'could' use two MissingLinks to join two pieces of chain together. For Z7 chain, you need MissingLink with code CL573R. Please do not reuse the pins.

Also, Z7 and Z72 chains do not have bushings; very, very few ( I don't want to say none...just in case) multispeed chains nowadays have bushings.

OK Papa ADo have you ever busted a chain?

Papa ado is KMC rep.....