got one of these from ben's, then spent the next 2 and a half hours making myself insane trying to install it. wtf.
it comes with a masterlink, but instead of being open on one end like most clips, it just has a small hole at one end of the slit. how are you supposed to get this thing on?

i tried doing it without the masterlink, but since it's bigger than a standard chain, it wouldnt fit in my chain tool properly, making it a gigantic PITA to try and relink. i wound up using the clip from my old chain, which snapped about 50 feet into my first ride. not sure if i just didnt have it on properly, or if clips are really that chain specific.

anyone got any hints? the chain is rad and i'd like to buy another one (mine got bent after it snapped) but dont wanna waste my money if im not gonna be able to get the GD thin on.

thanks.

do you have a picture of the master link? I installed one of those in the past but don't remember the specifics involved. I dont recall any major issues, though.

I normally use a Park CT-3 if that helps.

this is relevant to my interests for i have wanted this chain.

hold on, let me get a pic of the clip.

i couldnt find anything on the web about this, but they did mention that shimano uses pins that 'mushroom' out at the ends, which explains why it was so unbelievably difficult to get them back into the chain.

don't use the master link?

read the original post about why he had problems when trying to not use the master link?

i apologize for the **** picture, this is the best i can motivate myself to do right now.


on the right end of it, theres a hole big enough for the entire pin head to slide into, but i dont know what he hell im supposed to do next? once you get one pin in, you can slide the link down (there are groves in the pins) but you cant secure the other end at all.

trust me, i tried not using the masterlink. the pins are 'mushroomed' at the ends, so once you've pushed it out of one of the plates, it's damn near impossible to get back in. i actually ended up breaking out the dremel and opening the back of the hole just a tiny bit, so it would create a 'cone' for the pin to slip into, making it easier to get in. still wound up bending the plates every time. i even had to dremel out my chain tool (topeka multi tool) just to get the chain itself to fit into the damn thing.

are you sure there's not other parts to the master link?

dremel on a chain? scary. dont do that!

believe you just put the |_| pin in then bend the chain a bit to move the pins closer and pop that right on.

i mean, there's the backside, that has the pins in it, like every other masterlink, but yeah, that's it. just the two pieces. thats all that was in my bag anyway.

ha, i knew the dremel thing would freak people out. trust me, it was the most minor thing ever. i just opened up the hole on the backside of the plate a fraction - basically just rounded down the sharp hole, so i could try and get the pins to push back through it. without doing that, it just kept bending the end of the plate instead of pushing through it.

that sounds right. Can you just pop the first side of the |_| pin in, and then flip the part in your hand around 180 to slip the other side in and then pull it tight?

Yup, just confirmed, it is a "bend and secure" masterlink.

Just pop the |_| link in then flex the chain a bit so the pins move towards each other and pop the plate on.

same theory as this:

https://sram.com/_media/techdocs/Chain_PC1_08_02.pdf

sonova*****.
ha. that totally worked. unfortunately i used the backside from my old chain (i lost the shimano when it snapped) to test this, and now i cant get the *@*$ing thing off, so i'll have to buy another chain from the LBS, to use until my new shimano one arrives. i love flushing money down the toilet for nothing. awesome.

thanks for the help guys.
on the bright side, while the chain is heavy as hell, it rides really quiet and smooth. way nicer than my KMC. at least for 3 blocks anyway. for anyone thinking about it, as long as you know how to get it on, go for it.

I installed that chain on my friend's bike. I used a park tool chain popper. I looked at which side appeared to be mushroomed and pushed out the pin from the other side. Adjusted for proper length and pushed it back in with the popper. That chain normally comes longer than what you need for a fixie, so you can practice with an end link and a chain popper.

https://www.parktool.com/products/det...at=5&item=CT-2 go and buy this