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H, I'm pretty new to bike maintenance.
This weekend I tried breaking my chain to clean it. This went well up until I accidentally popped the chain pin out and as a result had to remove a link. This chain came with the bike and AFAIK was well fitted before. It's a near-new hybrid commuter road bike. It still rides OK.
My question is, should I be at all worried that my chain is now about 1.5" shorter? How much leeway would be typical in a new bike? What rules of thumb exist around chain length?
"Never run with a chain that is too short, except in an emergency." (from Sheldon Brown's Derailleur Adjustment page). If a short chain ends up on the big chainring and big sprocket at the same time, then the derailleur will probably get damaged.
To avoid damage, there should be at least one full link of overlap when the chain is put around the big chainring and big sprocket (with the rear derailleur bypassed). Unless the chain was too long to begin with (which is unlikely), you should get a new chain. You can also by a single link instead of getting a whole new chain, and if you get a replacement master link, it will be easier to disassemble your chain for cleaning in the future.
