lostforawhile

I'm getting this supersport ready to go back on the road, and upon inspecting the chain, it's in horrible condition, and needs to go, my understanding is the newer off the shelf chains have shorter links and wont fit the earlier cogs correctly, I need a source for the proper chain, and possibly the correct length, I'm running an original derailer, and all original other parts on this 71 suprsport, this is the one with the derailer hanger on the frame, not the hub center mounted one like on the 72, it looks like they put some oddball length and wrong length chain on this, the chain has a lot of sag, I have no way to take it to a shop, as thats a 100 mile round trip, I also have a good quality tool for breaking and installing the chain links

wrk101

Chain length? Sheldon Brown article details it well.

Chain for 5 speed rear? I use KMC Z30 or Z33, available on line (if you buy other stuff to negate shipping penalty) for under $5 ($4.57 at Niagara).

A lot of sag often = need to clean derailleur, not springing back adequately.

Best be flushing freewheel, replacing hub bearings and grease while you are at it.

And once you replace the chain, I frequently find the freewheel to be worn to the point that replacement is necessary.

PatTheSlat 

This is not the case, pretty much all bike chains since the early 1950s have been 1/2" pitch. Your best bet would be to go with the KMC Z30/Z33 if you don't mind using the chain tool to put it on, or the KMC Z51 or SRAM PC-830 if you want something with a quick link (I personally usually spend the extra dollar or so to get a chain with a quick link).

However, if your chain is sagging, it is likely that the tensioner part of the rear derailleur is all gunked up and not working properly. A couple pictures would likely help us diagnose this further.

Also, I believe this should be in the regular Classic & Vintage forum, not appraisals.

FastJake

Any normal 3/32" wide multi-speed chain will work. Stay away from 9-speed or 10-speed chains though, they are more expensive and may be too narrow for your older sprockets.

+1 You need to diagnose the problem better, sagging chain does not mean the chain is bad. Something else is going on. The bike probably just needs a good overhaul...

lostforawhile

i have no idea how it got where it did, it was intended for the regular forum

lostforawhile

the bike was beat to hell before I got it. it's slowly coming back, this chain has seen far better days, I'll throw it in the parts washer, but it looks like some of the links are actually bent, the derailer even sprung back is at the limits of it's travel backwards and the chain is still sagging, the guy I bought this from was a drunk and an idiot, he had a yard full of bikes and pieces and could barely stand up. He was trying to show me how great it was and riding on flat tires, and with no bearings in the headset, you get the picture, chains are cheap, I'll just replace it. I just wanted to make sure I had the correct type