Squeeze Link Chain Master Link Tool
 

Everyone should have one of these, and at $4 it's an amazing bargain!

Squeeze Link

Clever design and certainly cheap enough. I made my own out of a pair of super cheap needle nose pliers I had laying around by grinding the sides of the tips thin enough to fit inside the chain links and then filing a round groove sideways across the tips to grab the link pins.

Very clever design, talk about doing more with less. Inexpensive, and small enough to add to the tools in your seat bag

No picture. What does it look like? When mine won't open with mu fingers I use a pair of pliers diagonally to open them.

Will this tool work with only Sram Powerlinks? What about KMC links? I agree that it looks like a very nifty tool. I especially like its small footprint.

That's clever and compact! Looks like it wouldn't be hard to make your own, but I don't mind rewarding this guy for coming up with them. :thumb:

The OP included a link to a demo video, much better than a picture

I've gotten by for years with an ordinary pair of pliers, and sometimes some rubber gloves. I've got enough Stuff that if I don't need a one-job wonder tool, I'll do without.

My only reservation about that tool is that it is so small you could easily lose it. Perhaps you could drill a small hole in it so that you could carry it on your keychain

So that's how you get them SRAM to link off...


Grate... And the price is just right too..

Maybe they will be some multitool maker that will add that to their assortment in their Bundle of tools

.. like my picture of the Ultimate Wenger swiss army Knife , I found online..

TO THE OP--Yes, is it for all quick-links, or just SRAM?

I just use my needlenose. Works fine.

As bicycle chains are all 1/2" per link, what do you think?

Assume nothing--when in doubt, ask.

To the OP--

What is the weight? I'm thinking it would be of interest to weight-weenies; and I just know they're gonna ask me . . .

I bought two of those, one for the seat bag on both road bikes. I also made one for the shop out of an old electrical tool. The tips were already thin enough to go inside the chain so all I had to do was file a small circle on the insides for the chain links. Really works good, but I wouldn't want to carry it with me on the bike. The squeeze link tool is perfect to put in the same little bag I carry my CO2 tool and cartridges.

I like my chain link pliers, but this is clever as a portable tool. I find it quite hard to do this job with regular pliers.

I've been thinking this over, and for the life of me I can't think of a situation where I would actually need a quick-link remover on the road with me. What ever goes wrong with chains? except that maybe very occasionally they break, in which case this tool would not be needed since the chain is already separated.

I want one for the seat bag. Very nice.

Could you possibly post a pic of how these pliers look now?

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=432793

About 1" x 1", and very light for you weight weenies!


Kelley e-mailed me the following:

"Please note that the tool is designed for use on a 9 speed chain. It will not collapse the link (squeeze it) unless you also squeeze the sides while inserting the tool. Because the master links have a machined grove to hold the sides in place, which means to open the link you have to press the sides together with your thumb and forefinger while pressing the tool into the link."


I've heard from others who bought a Squeeze Link, and it will work on 10 speed chains but it's a tight squeeze. As for SRAM only or all master links, I don't know. You'll have to try it. The $4.00 price includes shipping, so I'm sure he's not getting rich from selling these.

I bought one and it worked very well on my 9-speed touring bike with a KMC link.

I'm hoping that they come out with a 10/11 speed version for my road bike. I tried it on a 10-speed chain and it was too wide/thick as I expected.

I did that too.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=432809

FWIW: SRAM 9 sp quick links don't snap closed and lock. I can easily undo them by hand. SRAM 10sp and 11sp quick links are locking and much more difficult to remove.