I'm in a spot.
I have bike i'm 99.999% finished building up. Rain bike with fenders.

It has track ends.

Since i'm going with fenders, i'm trying to keep the axle as close to the back as possible for easy access (ie changing flats without f.cking with the fenders).
The cog/ring combo i have gets me pretty far back-- too pretty far back:



My options:
Easy but stupid:
deal with it and hope the chain doesn't stretch much (feasible; it's the d.i.d. racing pro, which i hear lasts for a billion miles)
Doable but a pain:
take two links out and end up in the middle of the track ends, which means i'll have to unscrew both fender mounts to replace a flat (they're honjos)
Hot/Not Hot:
use a half link which would get me just under 1/2" from the end, which is still close enough to be OK for flats.

if i go with the last option, can you recommend a decent 1/2 link? i've heard bad things about them in general (all from here, surprise surprise), but don't really know what the problem could be. do they come apart? do they miss teeth on the ring? are some better than others? why the beefing?

what about this?

my vote is ride it and see how bad the stretch is. If it stretches too much then go the half link route. I have not used any half links so I can't really give ya any suggestions. I had the same dilemma for my newest rain bike and ended up just taking my chances and have it half way in the drops. One more option would be try a slightly used chain in good shape that's already stretched and see where it ends up. my understanding is that it replaces 2 links meaning one in and one out with one link. so it would move you in one total link.

Scroll down just a bit for the 3/32 half link. Mine works just fine!


https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/chains.html

This was my initial idea, but the more i thought about it and saw the design of the dropout, the more i realized that if it happens to stretch too much i'd be in for a pretty gnarly crash.

i literally have ~2-3 mm before the ends taper up.

1/8", should've specified.

how long (in miles) have you ridden it?

i hate half links

I'd either use half links or remove enough links to get into a safer spot in the dropouts. And then invest in one of the more durable anti-puncture tire you can find and maintain optimal tire pressure. I wouldnt risk having your rear wheel slip out - that seems more dangerous than half links and more of a problem than removing your fender on the rare occasion.

Iv been using half links for years on my bmx and recently on my fixed bikes and have never had one break on me. I use only 1/8" chains though and generic half links with no issues. If your running a 3/32" chain, that might be a different story seeing as the chain is a bit thinner.

I would say use the half link. Should do just fine.

what kind of fenders are you planning to use?

As mentioned here in another thread, with SKS fenders (p35 for example) they have these "Secu-Clips" that normally go on the front fender for safety in case something like a rock or twig gets jammed under the fender, it un-clips. You can get a couple extra and use them on the rear fender as well - that way you can just yank the stays out of the clips quickly with no tools needed, when you need to get the wheel out.

izumi halflink/master link. order it from a shop that stocks eai. i use one and have had no problems whatsoever.

honjos.


yep, doing that now. my boy has izumi ones at his shop.

ah, nice.. hey just curious what kind of frame are you building up?

Looks like a Motobecane Jury?

I don't care what chain you use, it'll stretch a little...

I used to use generic 1/8" half link on my SS-MTB.
There is no problem unless you mess up chain install ...

You could change your gear ratio.
You also could go with a full length (and weight) BMX style full half link chains.

Like this one from Shadow Conspiracy:

Correct. Here's a pic from last week (phone camera, kinda crappy):



I'll post another one when it's finished. looks pretty hot with the fenders, pedals, bars, etc.