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I have a toddler bike that has lost one of the side plates to a chain link.
Should I replace the whole chain or can I just get a new side plate for the missing link?
If I should replace, the whole chain is only 58 links (1/8" wide). Most of the chains I see on Amazon are 116 links or so. Can I just buy one of those and split it in half?
Thanks!
You can't only get the side plate and even if you could, trying to fix the link that way would be very hard and would not be sturdy.
There are a few things you could do:
If the chain had some slack, you could just remove the broken outer link and an adjacent inner link and reattach the chain. Other questions exist here that cover how to properly size a chain if you are interested.
Missing link exists for single-speed chains that could directly replace your broken link (e.g. KMC CL368).
Bike shops cut lots of chains in a week and they could have left over sections that they could probably give you to fix your chain.
You could also buy a new chain and trim it to your original chain length.
To break/reattach a chain, you would need a chain tool compatible with 1/8" chains such as the Park Tool CT-3.2. Other less expensive brands are also available.
I regard fixing a broken chain as a way to get home amd then replace it. Most causes of chain damage will stress more than one link, and patching the chain leaves other weakened links vulnerable.
A few new links in a stretched chain can turn confuse future measurements of chain wear.
Now in a little kid's bike, chain wear is unlikely to be significant - they just don't ride far enough. But the forces are also too low to stress a chain very much so it's rather odd that the plate fell off (from both ends) in the first place
How did you get the chain off? If it's loose enough to just push it off track, it's probably too loose and could stand to lose a link. But I don't ride toddler bikes so I don't have a lot of experience with those and the overall chain length may be too short. A mechanic will want all the pieces in the same place, or they risk multiple visits. A mechanic will also have a bunch of spare links around that have like zero monetary value but come in really handy sometimes.
Find a GOOD bike shop. Not just a big one, or the one with the most expensive bikes in the window (run away), but one that sells used bikes and probably has some hippies working there. Bring the whole toddler bike in and explain the situation to the mechanic. They can probably fix in in 5 minutes. If they are nice enough, they might even do it for free. (but even hippies gotta eat, so they might still charge you. don't be offended)
Alternatively you can purchase a new bike chain, a bike chain tool (make sure and get one that's the right size for the chain), and watch some youtube videos and spend probably an hour of your own time trying to make it right. Working with bike chains takes a little bit of experience, and a little bit of voodoo. You might not get it right on the first try. Or the second try. And if you don't know how to do it correctly, you'll just keep messing up forever. So don't have too much hubris.
