Chains by Mike T.
Page contents -
1. Powerlink
2. Chain wear and its measurement
4. Chain lubing and a new magic chain lube formula!
The PowerLink - an ingenious way of joining and un-joining your chain.
In the past we used to use a chain tool to join our chains. This meant pushing the joining pin through the outer link plate which stretches the plate hole a little bit every time. Plus - new chains have their pin ends "peened" or mushroomed-over to prevent the plate popping off the end of the pin. Pushing the pin out and back in removes this peening which therefore creates a potential weak spot.
The Power Link does away with this problem. It gives us a mechanically strong joint every time we join or re-join our chain. For trailside chain repairs, carry one or two Power Links plus you will need a regular chain tool to remove any broken link.
Power Links ARE re-usable but a new one should be used with every new chain. Here's how to remove the link -
Removing the Power Link
To take it apart first get the chain off the chainrings to remove derailleur tension. Make a loop of chain, about 7 or 8 links long, with the Power Link in the middle. Hold on to it with your fist. Your other hand is free. Using just your index finger and your thumb, lightly touch the flat side plates of the Power Link. The two plates should move in a small amount, almost imperceptible. Now gently push the two riveted points (where the pin is riveted into the plate end) towards each other.
The pins should slide towards each other, and allow you to release the pins through the larger holes in the side plates. This is so easy, you won't believe it's the way to release the Power Link.
I've found that getting bits of dirt out of the holes in the plates makes the job a lot easier and spraying the link with WD-40 will help clean the area. On the trail, pick out any muck the best you can.Here I am showing you how to do it -
This is for a right-handed person.
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Get the chain just like this with the slotted hole and movable pin to your right.
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Thumb on the fixed pin and finger in the middle of the link
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Squeeze verrrrry slightly and bring the fingers together
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TaaaaDaaaaaa! What was hard about that? To be honest it's going to take a few minute's practice and when you finally get it you'll go "Duhh that was easy!" |
Now just pull the link apart.
Joining the PowerLink
Bring the two (male) ends of the chain together. Insert the two ends of the connecting link Press the two halves together. Lock the connecting link by pulling the chain outward. Easy eh?
Oh yes, lube the PowerLink before using!
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Shimano Chains
Please note - new Shimano chains come with a special non-reusable joining pin. These pins are available for you to buy if you need to remove and re-join your chain. They are expensive and take a fair amount of skill with a chain tool to use. This is unofficial - Sram Powelinks work on Shimano chains (I'm living proof along with many other people). The Powerlink, for roadside and trailside chain repair is far simpler than the Shimano chain pin. I carry two Powelinks with me on all rides.
When we talk about chain wear someone always mentions "chain stretch" and lots of people picture an ape of a guy with enough power to actually stretch metal. This doesn't happen. Chains grow in length because of minute amounts of wear between all the component parts of the chain. When we have a chain of 100+ links and about five times that many parts then we have a great chance for even the smallest amounts of wear being magnified and easily measurable.
A worn chain will quickly wear all other parts of the drivetrain - cassette teeth and chainring teeth. If the parts are too worn when we replace the chain it will skip over the teeth of the old cassette and we will feel and hear a bang-bang skipping as the chain rides up and skips to the next tooth. It might only do this in one gear - the one you use the most (and the most worn). If it's really badly worn (see the pin above and the explanation below) then the chain will actually skip on the chainrings - usually with bad consequences. You might go over the handlebars.
It has been proved that measurable wear of under 1/16" over a 12" length of chain is acceptable and will not cause undue wear on other components.
The pin shown was taken from the worst worn chain I have ever seen. It was worn to 3/8" over the length of a new chain in a span of 12". The wear was so bad that the chainrings as well as the cassette had to be replaced.
Measuring Chains for wear
To decide whether our chain needs replacing or not we can do a simple measurement that takes a few seconds. As stated above, all the little imperceptible wear points all add up into something we can see and measure easily. All we need is a steel ruler or tape. Try to measure as accurately as you can and start AT the front edge of a pin and measure TO the front edge of a pin 12" away. Like this -
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Ahhh you waited too long and I'll bet money your gears skip and you'll have to replace the cassette.
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With measurements around the 1/4" mark you will probably have to replace the chainrings too. Sorry! The 3/8"measurement on the left produced the badly worn pin shown above. It's the worst chain I've ever seen. |
In Summary - Rules of Thumb -Chain worn between -
Zero to +1/16" - You're ok.
+1/16" - Replace chain. If no gears skip you're ok. If it skips then the cassette is toast.
1/16" to 1/8" - Replace chain and cassette. New chain will skip on worn sprockets.
1/8" to 1/4" - Replace chain, cassette and chainrings. Check all chainrings for hooked teeth first.
Of course there are many ways of cleaning your chain but I'm going to give you the one that works well for me. Sure you can buy the fancy chain cleaning devices or remove the chain and scrub it in a pan of solvent but this is too slow and tedious in my opinion. I like to do it quick & often.
Method 1. My fave.
Here's what I do if the chain is very dirty with mud or sand - get a garden hose and place the nozzle touching the top of the bottom run of chain with the nozzle pointing down. Now blast the chain while backpedaling by hand for a couple or three revolutions. If the chain is very oily, first brush on your favorite bio degreaser with an old toothbrush or something similar like a Park gear brush (verrry handy!). Let the degreaser sit for a while and then give it the hose blast treatment.
Next, soak a piece of rag in WD-40 and grab the bottom run of chain with the rag. Back pedal the chain through the rag. This helps remove any stubborn dirt and displaces the water. Do not let your wet chain sit before this step! It will rust.
If the chain is still dirty - and a bit of dirt is ok - then feel free to repeat the above steps. If your chain is not too dirty just do the WD-40 bit on its own. This is the step I usually perform.
Method 2. Works great.
Remove and drop the chain in an old plastic pop bottle filled ½ full of your favorite solvent. Put the cap back on and shake vigorously. Remove the chain with a bent wire and let it drain and dry. Re-install & lube.
Big Tip.
Have TWO chains and switch them around often so you always have a clean, re-lubed one ready to go.
Lubing - find the Powerlink and using it as a reference point, place one drop of your favorite lube on each roller. Make sure you keep going until you reach the Powerlink again.
Warning!! I'm a Firefighter by profession (now retired after 31 years) and gasoline should NOT be used as a cleaning solvent! It is extremely flammable and the vapors being heavier than air can creep unseen along floors until they reach pilot lights in water heaters and furnaces. If you must play Russian Roulette then use gasoline outdoors away from any ignition source but what are you going to do with the dirty gasoline? Huh?
There are many types of chain lube on the market and their makers make claims that their lube is the most wonderful lube ever invented. These lubes come in two basic types - dry and wet. The dry types, advertised as not to pick up dirt, are usually of a waxy substance. The wet types are usually made of an oil-based product and advertised to penetrate to the inner parts of the chain better. I'm not going to argue which is better as there are good and bad points to both types of lube. It usually comes down to user preference.
I've tried most of the lubes on the market of both types and all of them fail to please. They seem to fail in two main areas - the don't last long (some of them less than ONE ride) or they pick up lots of dirt. There are two things common to BOTH types of lube though - they are expensive and you don't get much for your money.
I have now found the ideal lube for ME and it meets my criteria for a good lube. I'm never going to switch. This is the end of my search.
This magic lube fills two basic needs - it lasts more than one ride and it's very inexpensive. None of the fancy lubes can make those claims. Here's what it is -
It's a home-brew concoction of simple, readily available, inexpensive products that you will find at Wal-mart or other such stores.
I use a 50/50 mixture of synthetic motor oil and mineral spirits. Get a liter of each and now you have two liters of chain lube for less than the cost of one dinky bottle of the latest magic lube. Mix them in an old jar with a lid and pour some into one of your old chain lube bottles so you have the benefit of a drip spout.
The mineral spirits is just a paint thinner (or oil diluter in this case) which thins the engine oil so that it can penetrate into the insides of the chain. It then evaporates leaving the original oil behind. As chain lube is only any use when it's inside the chain and picks up too much dirt when it's on the outside of the chain, here's how I lube my chain.
1. Clean the chain as above. With a dry rag, remove as much of the WD-40 as possible.
2. Drip one drop of lube per roller on the top of the bottom run of chain. Try to spread it across the roller from side-plate to side-plate so that it has a chance to get down inside the chain.
3. When you've gone around the whole chain, run the chain backwards through clean dry rag to try to remove as much lube as possible from the outside.
4. Let the lube dry overnight and repeat step 3 before your next ride.You will notice some dirt buildup on the derailer jockey wheels. Grip these with a WD-40 soaked rag and pinch them between finger & thumb while backpedaling. This will get rid of the guck.
This is as simple and cheap as chain cleaning and lubing gets. When it IS easy and cheap we tend to do it more often - THIS, in my opinion, has more effect on chain longevity than any magical wonder product.
For much info on the Dreaded Chainsuck try this site -
"Chain Suck: In a Nutshell" by Jonathan Levy
Here is some more reading for you on chains -
