OK, so is there some place that sells chain by the foot for recumbent riders, or do I just buy several "conventional" chains and pin them together?

Thats right. 3 to 4 lengths of chain should b suitable depending on the type of recumbent u hav. Dont skimp out on em either. Spend a little bit extra and you'll see the reward

Nashbar sells 8- and 9- speed tandem/recumbent chains by KMC. I bought one and it is the same length as the original chain on my Rans Tailwind. The connecting link is difficult to use, though.

That brings up a second question - is it wise to use a quick-connect link on a recumbent chain?

"is it wise to use a quick-connect link on a recumbent chain?" I've used them on every bent I've built (some have as many as five) and have never had any problems with the links.

Thanks, bentbaggerlen! I appreciate you sharing your experience. I feel more comfortable now about putting a quick-connect link on my chain (I'm really new to bents!).

I used the quick connect link when the pushed pin failed. Wouldn't go any other way ever again.

what is the difference between a 7 and an 9 speed chain? Just length? I am a tall rider 6'5 and I have a 7 spd actionbent. Would it be wise to buy an 8 speed just to account for the extra length?
Thanks
Mike

Hostel Shoppe will cut chains to any length that you need. I just asked a couple of days ago. It's a SRAM chain if I recall correctly.

9-speed chains are narrower than 8-speed chains which are narrower than 7-speed chains, etc. The cogs on 9-speeds cassettes are closer together than the cogs on 8-speed cassettes , etc.

Thanks very much Jan, good to know! Now I've just gotta figure out how long I need the chain to be! I'm taking a bike repair class, maybe the instructor will help me figure that out.

you could count the links (or measure the length) of your current chain, assuming it is about the right length.

my derailleurs spring arm is being pulled towards the pedal by a few inches, also, my two biggest cogs stretch teh chain out too far on my third chainring. I just need a little bit more. Maybe I could order just 1 normal length chain and cut it down a bit.

Nashbar must have a hard time selling recumbent chains, because they are priced at $7 for the 8 speed, and $15 for the 9 speed.

Get em while they last!

which chainring is the third one? is it a double crank?

huh? I have three front chain rings, the third is a 52t.

why use the big ring with the 2 lowest cogs? That's beyond the limits of most setups and shouldn't be necessary, anyway.

I'm nervous that i'm gonna tear off my deraileur arm, because when I shift into that gear(accidently) it locks up, and my deraileur's arm is parallel to the chain. I dunno. I guess I just want the proper ammount of chain to run my bike and all its accoutrement` without hassle.

The proper length of chain and the right rear derailler (long cage), I can get 52/34 and 30/11 to work. This is full range of 27 speeds on an Actionbent Tabpole. At 30/11, the cage is only a 1/2" from crashing into the cluster; at 52/34, I have still have about room to move the cage forward about another inch. It takes a little fine tuning. I would lock out the larger gears on the rear cluster until you get this corrected (adjust the derailler stop screw).

Hostel shoppe will sell you 11 foot chains which you can shorten to fit. They are SRAM chains and they have several levels of quality. bk