Breaking a chain repeatedly for cleaning?
 

I have an Izumi "Super Toughness" chain on my Pake and I decided to ditch the masterlink. I was wondering if it was safe to keep breaking the chain via chain tool every time I wanted to clean it, if so should I keep pressing out the same pin or move to a different one each time? I called the LBS and they said to stick with a masterlink because every time you break a chain it weakens the pins and leads to failure. Is this true?

Also, could I run this KMC masterlink on my Izumi track chain without any issues? I realize it's obviously going to be the weakest link in the chain due to quality differences, but does anyone here think it'll be an issue down the road?

http://www.amazon.com/KMC-410N-CL-Ma.../dp/B000C126WM

Don't take the chain off the bike. Just wipe the grime off with a rag and oil it.

I agree, detailed chain cleaning is way overrated. I also (this is a little controversial) don't replace chains during the life of the rear cog; I always change them out together. I currently have ~10,000 miles on my current pair. I've found that if I use all of the gears back there instead of sticking to a "favorite" gear it lasts longer.

Edit: I believe your LBS is correct and it's best to stick to the masterlink.

Wrong forum.

This. Don't be a try-hard.

Why?

I never use a master link either. Ever.

Now you're just lying and I hate it.

Ha! I'm not.

Crap. Really?

Hey man...just because I don't use them doesn't mean no one else can. I just happen to think they're a pain (just like shaving and brushing my hair). :lol:

It seems so much easier to just use them, what do you find a pain about them?

Scrod speaks the truth, and he's missing part of a finger to prove it.

Actually, it regenerated! I'm a lot more careful when cleaning my chain now.

I don't use it too, but then again I don't break my chain that often. I usually clean it monthly without breaking and once in a while when I see that there's too much gunk between links or it's making noise.

Anyone else find it funny that his chain is worth almost as much as his frame?

If you want to clean your chain that much you should probably get a chain cleaner tool thinger you can use without taking it off the bike. They're like 30 bucks.

Well, I got the frame brand new for around $150 and the chain for $70. It's still a little less than half the price of the frame, though, but I see what you mean lol :P

I like to thoroughly clean my chain because of all the grit that forms on the teeth of the chainring/cog and I hate knowing that it's grinding the teeth down.

And on top of that I'm just very anal about cleaning stuff; I usually take the chain off from my KTM 450 SMR every week and soak it for 15 minutes in Simple Green or kerosene, rinse off completely with water and hit it with a brush until it's near-perfectly clean, then dry and lube.

the thing is you're washing away any lube built up inside the rollers and a quick lube job doesn't really work so well without letting the lube sit, wipe excess, re lube, repeat. Wiping the chain is good enough, take a brush to it if you want. soaking and flushing is overkill, especially for a wear item that will get nasty pretty quick anyway.

I would never be that OCD about my chain.

I'm pretty lazy about my chain... if the drivetrain gets noisy i'll spray some lube on it, and I'll just get a new one once a year in the spring.

I lube my chain once every few months, but mainly because I always forget I need to lube my chain when I go to the co-op. Chain neglect.

You might if you paid $70 for it. :eek:

meh. I paid nearly that much for my 10 speed chain (before I discovered el cheapo budget KMC chains). Wipe it every 100-200 miles, relube, wipe excess. dont worry so much about it

I'd never do that either.