Determining Chain length
 

What are some of your suggestions on installing a new chain? How do I determine where to break the chain? I'd like to be able to change cogs occasionally, moving up or down in size in small increments & don't want to chain to be too short or too long.

Best,
-john

well you are only going to be able to change the cog up or down 1 tooth without changing the chain.

I would put on your smaller cog, and then (w/ the chain broken) hook it around your ring and your cog with the wheel pushed all the way back in your dropouts. Then fasten the chain there. Don't use a half link. Remember, don't push the pin all the way out when breaking the chain.

Then, when you put on a bigger cog, the wheel SHOULD be able to sit in the front of your dropouts.

I usually just take an unhooked chain and wrap it around the drivetrain to determine the proper length.

funny, I can run a 20t and 16t on the same chain.

I stand corrected. I know when I switched to a one tooth smaller cog I had to take a link out of my chain, but I guess I was already pretty far back on my dropouts. OP, you should still listen to the rest of my post haha.

use:

- ruler (metric)
- gum (bubble)
- tie (neck)
- thread (this one sucks)

sike. just put the chain up against your ring/cog (where you like your wheel) and break it ONE CHAIN LONGER than what you think it should be. if it's too lose when installing the chain, break the extra link. sometimes, though, you end up getting it spot on.