wolfchild

I went to do some trail riding today along some of the unmaintained trails that we have in our city. I was using my winter mountain bike with gears. Everything was going well ,had lots of fun and excersise. As I was coming home along one of the mups , SNAP ! ,my deraileur hanger broke. It's a good thing that I wasn't going very fast or my spokes would of been all broken as the deraileur went into my spokes. I am also glad I wasn't riding fast on the road when that happened. I was about 10 km from my home when it happened, I had to shorten my chain and ride home . Not easy to do on a bike with vertical dropouts, I hate vertical dropouts as there is no adjustement for chain tension. In an emergency it's not easy to find a magic gear ratio where your chain will be properly tensioned.

I am glad I have two other bikes besides the one that broke today. I love my fixed gear and I love my singlespeed, very simple no gears and shifters to mess with, and both of my other bikes have track ends, so chain tension is easily adjusted.

mikewille

I always have a chain tool with me, it's made a few chain and derailler
breakages a bit less disastrous. Glad to hear how it worked out for you.

frpax

I've never had a derailleur problem. Been cycling since '85. Thus, I've never carried a chain breaker. I don't do much mountain biking or trail riding, though.

hshearer

I had the same thing happen to me... it was a used bike, and I guess my LBS didn't catch the loose derailleur when I took it in to be fixed up. 20 km from home, in the woods, I had to make a singlespeed. Always carry the tools to fix your wheels and your drivetrain. You don't get far if either breaks.

Sixty Fiver

A chain breaker is almost essential when you are off roading... I have never snapped a chain on the road but off roading is a whole different matter.

Steve_Guelph

No good carrying one if you don't know how to use it. Practice on an old chain or go to your local bike store and ask them to do a demo so you can fix your bike when the time comes. I am surprised how many people I have come across in the bush pushing their bike because of a broken chain even when they are carrying a chain break on the multi tool.

Steve

wheel

Well i agree many people ride bikes, but have no clue how easy they're to fix. I make it a habit to go to the Co-op and fix my bikes, so I know how to. Today I replaced cables after 8,000 miles. I was pretty good with the brakes, but the derailleurs got me on the shifters. I forgot to shift to the low gear.

I would take the bus if that was an option.

HardyWeinberg

I use mine to shorten new chains but have not successfully reinserted pins I have popped out.

slcbob

I only use multi-tools that have an integrated chain tool. There are some nifty ones out there.

But perhaps I should always carry an eccentric BB, too -- just to not be caught off guard.

hairnet

I wouldn't bother. I managed to get one back in and that link became really loose and probably unsafe. It seemed like the pin was hardly being held in.

PaulRivers

LOL! :-)

I actually had a frame crack on me while riding...note to self, pack welding torch in under-seat bag. lol.

Other's people points are probably valid though - I imagine derailler and chain issues are a lot more common with mountain biking than road biking.

thdave

I've never broken a chain and don't carry a chain tool. It's too darn slippery! I tried once, for a half hour, to fix my son's bike chain, and failed.

ItsJustMe

Simple solution, don't pop them out. I rejoin chains all the time (I stopped using master links as I don't find them reliable at times) - when breaking the chain in the first place I just push the pin through so it's still hanging on the outer plate.

I have not experienced the problem with loose pins after reinsertion, but maybe that's because I didn't push it all the way out.

FWIW, I've got the cheapest chain tool in existence, I think I picked it up for $5 at some department store, and even with this hunk of junk fixing chains is trivial.

EKW in DC

I accidentally popped a pin all the way out a couple weeks ago when I had my chain off for a major drive train cleaning and new cassette installation. It took me 45 minutes or an hour, but I did manage to get the pin back in. The chain's run fine for about 150 miles since then, but lesson learned on not pushing the pin too far!

ItsJustMe

I always err on the side of not pushing the pin far enough - if the chain won't come apart, I put the tool back on and push it a little farther.

I don't think I'd bother trying to put a popped pin back in. I'd just take the whole link out and replace it - I shorten every new chain by a full link and at this point I have a bunch of links on the shelf. If on the road I'd just take a link out and not use the big chainring until I got somewhere I could fix the chain properly.

woodway

It's easy to buy a multi-tool that has a chain tool on it. I don't think a chain tool is a "must have" for road biking, but I would never mountain bike without a chain tool. I also carry a spare derailluer hanger and a couple of SRAM master links when Mountain Biking.

EKW in DC

That's my strategy from here on out.

I probably would not have tried to get the pin back in if it weren't a Sunday morning project at home and I had time to kill. The funny thing is, though, now that my biggest cog is a 32 and not a 34, I'm considering shortening the chain a link or two anyway. LOL How's that for irony?!

ItsJustMe

I get a spare link out of every new chain I put on. I figure in 30 years or so I'll get a whole new chain for free out of all the links I've pinned together over the years!

EKW in DC

^ ^ ^

Free chain = nice! (even if it takes 30 years)

Chief

I also carry couple of SRAM quick-disconnect links. On 2 occasions, I've been able to remove the bent link & re-connect the chain with the spare links. It made the difference between a 5 minute repair and a LONG walk home.

nashcommguy

A friend of mine and I were out 50 miles on a century. 40+ years of cycling experience between the 2 of us and neither thought to bring a chain tool. Snap...on a climb. Took us 4 hours to get home from there. Have a chain tool in the tool bag of all five of my wife and my bikes and extra links.

atoms

Beware plastic. I don't have it with me, but I bought an inexpensive chain tool a couple of years ago with a triangular plastic handle/housing. The second time I used it, I could not get it to work - the pin kept sliding off the rod that was supposed to be pushing it. It took me like, ten minutes to see that the tool itself was cracked.

It isn't cheap if it only works once!

Fortunately my upstairs neighbor had a multi-tool with a steel chainbreaker. That worked fine!