First, I figure this might be good education for some, so "try" to stay on the topic of chains failing


The KMC "Z" chain on my Motobecane bit it... bad. While cranking up a hill, a link plate broke at the pin, causing the chain to split, upon inspection, several others were cracked. I had taken the chain off and cleaned/scrubbed with paint thinner a couple times over the last couple months and had just taken it out of a vinegar bath (the 2.5 ph will clean up rust and leave pretty clean after a good rinse, scrub and lube).


I'm curious how others have had chains fail. Most of my previous failures were do to me breaking and putting the chain together without a master link, using a cruddy chain tool that damaged the chain.

You don't need to do this.

Chains fail because of two reasons

1) Improper assembly
2) Wear

How about some tips on proper assembly?

Good chain breakers?

How to judge wear?

How much corrosion is too much?

Etc, Etc, Etc?

Or just delete this thread?

I guess I'll go back to posting jackass bikes and stop trying to contribute.

I also use a mineral spirits soak to clean my chains. I actually keep a spare in a jar of mineral spirits and swap them out on all 3 of my bikes once a month. For any of my bikes, the chains I've had the worst luck with are KMC, specifically with their cheapass masterlinks not shutting properly. The rest of the chain has been fine, and I've never had one fail (which is amazing, considering my weight), but I change out KMC masterlinks for SRAM Power Links, and I use SRAM chains on my geared bikes.

Good chain breaker: Park Tools
How to judge wear: Chains should measure 12" even at center-to-center of pins. If it's more than 1/16" from the center of a pin for 12" of chain, it needs replaced.
How much corrosion is too much: ANY.

Hard to replace chains daily in the winter.

I used to "service" my winter bike's chain every spring by taking it off and tossing the rusty lump in the trash...

Worked for 3 seasons with about 10x more miles.

This chain only had only seen a couple hundred miles over the winter, had been lubed regularly and cleaned a couple times... Didn't expect it to fall apart. Oh, well... at least I didn't rack my nuts or faceplant.

Anybody have their NJS masterlink loosening up?

Usually loosening up is from not torqueing it up correctly the first time. But too tight, the link binds and doesnt move, too loose and apparently it loosens up.

If a new masterlink is used each time a chain is taken off and degreased/lubed, would the chain still be prone to failure? Sometimes I like to detach the chain when it gets particularly dirty and gritty.

i had a link bend out at the pin joint once– probably due to improper assembly. otherwise i've just replaced chains once they're worn...

I had failure on a brand new KMC chain I bought just a couple weeks ago. I was trimming the length when I pushed the pin the rear plate just cracked into 2 pieces. It came with more than enough links to replace the broken part so I just replaced it and its been ok so far for a $6 chain. I also dip my chains in paint thinner to remove grime and grease, then rinse and lube. As far as chain wear I know they make a small gauge you can buy that will tell you when the chain has stretched past its safe point by measuring the length between links.
https://www.parktool.com/products/det...t=5&item=CC-2#

two chains have bronken for me

BOTH HAD VINEGAR BATHS.

DO NOT USE VINEGAR!!!

I have had 3 chain failures in the last 25,000 km...

Two were on my mountain bike... one was with a new SRAM chain where the master link blew apart, the second was with a new Taya chain (I was testing it) that came apart under extreme load. During this time I noted numerous failures on SRAM chains (master links) and even wrote them to say that I suspected that there was an issue with a certain batch of chains.

When this issue with the SRAM chains happened I abandoned using their master links for a time and just pinned them and had no problems.

I had one chain failure on my fixed gear after I bent yet another chain ring and am sure the lateral stress blew the chain apart... the chain was also at the end of it's useful life. After that I also started using steel chain rings as alloy rings weren't handling the torque I was laying down on climbs.

In many cases I have assembled chains the old fashioned way by pinning them together and at other times have used the provided master links and had no issues regardless of whether I was using KMC or SRAM chain.

I have never liked Shimano chain.

in the bmx world master links are a no no your asking to break one.. use a chain breaker instead othe wise your asking for trouble.. fixed riding is pretty hard on chains...

or you could get one of these bad boys....

what the fk is that?^^^
looks intense

READ THIS CAFEFULLY PEOPLE...

USE A MASTERLINK....it is included for a reason

When you get a new chain, cut it to the right length, by removing a single pin with the chaintool, then install the masterlink. You should never remove a pin, then drive it back in...that can damage (crack, bend, distort) the side plate, increasing the liklehood of catastrophic failure. You may not see the damage, but that does not mean there is no damage.

THATS WHY CHAINS COME WITH A MASTERLINK. THE MASTER LINK IS AS STRONG AS ANY OTHER LINK UNDER TENSION.


Don't take advice from BMXers. First of all, most of them are as ill informed as many of the fg/ss folks out there and just repeat crap that they hear. Furthermore, whats good in BMX is not necessarily good for other cycling. BMXers probably avoid master links because of BMX antics such as chain grinds, which exert lateral forces on the chain, which the master-link is not intended to withstand. Unless you are grinding your DT, the master link will not fail. I've used every kind of masterlink made, and not one has ever failed....never...not in 35,000+ miles, even with the cheapest chains money can buy.

that's a wippermann IG8 the most sexy chain out there.

What's your gearing on that bike and did you have to use two chains? It seems they come a little short from what I understand.

my mate at the bike shop sorted it out for me.. i think he needed to pinch 1 link from another chain...
it's a little noisy verses a njs racing chain but... forget about having to adjust it once a week or blowing it out down a hill and every one that see's it will be like 'wow thats one hell of a chain...'

it's too short because it's a bmx chain, those kmc's are THE color chain of choice for the ill-informed everywhere, they suck for fixed gear, buy a f-ing real chain, you'll thank yourself later.

I use this KMC710

Something is wrong if the chain is showing corrossion on a daily basis in the winter. The vinegar bath may have caused some initial issues that just can't be fixed with a good oiling.
I ride all winter through the sand/cinders/deicer and salt (finally!) that gets used up here, and just a weekly cleaning with mineral spirits, a good drying, and re-lubrication with Finish Line Wet (the green, high viscosity stuff) has kept my chains in excellent working condition.

stop over lubricating your chain
never submerge it
spend the extra ten dollars for a decent chain
don't ride with your chain so tight
avoid forcing pins back into the chain

This thread is utterly packed with bad, conflicting advice.

Yep, it sure is. Different chains need to be treated differently. Some require special pins every time you break them (Dura-Ace), some come with master links that work well, some come with master links that suck...So: It's a good idea to read the instructions that come with the chain.

My experiences:
After 15 years of hard riding and reliable chains I've recently had a rash of broken chains on my mountain bike. Multiple chains, some LX-level Shimano, one a Dura-Ace, and the latest was the high-end SRAM. I use a Park chain tool, and have (until this rash of problems) a flawless chain install record so installation shouldn't be the problem, BUT:

I finally figured out the common problem: mushroomed chain breaker pin. When I would retract the chain breaker the pin would catch on the outer plate, pulling it out a bit and probably deforming the hole. After the chain was re-joined, the rivet wouldn't press-fit into the outer plate securely, and after a bit of use the chain would break at that spot. The last time this happened I used the chain tool on my Crank Brothers multi-tool which has a new pin in the chain tool (excellent multi-tool BTW) and haven't had a problem.

Long story short: make sure the pin in your chain tool isn't mushroomed from use. The good news is that they're cheap and easily replaceable. I'm going to buy 3 today.

This has been one of my favourite chains for a long time... I think I am using this chain on 7 bikes right now and have not had any issue.

Average road on average day from November-March.

https://www.msi.umn.edu/%7Ekadlec/pic....29.04_032.jpg

Since our city is built across a hill, they use plenty of sand and salt... there are still piles of salt on some of the roads from this last winter.

Think I'll try cleaning chain daily next winter, see how that goes.

tashi - what exactly do you mean by a mushroomed pin? I've slightly bent a pin before, but have never seen a mushroomed pin.