15 votes
Accepted

Should the chain diverge that much?

Yes that's completely normal. You have one chainring and it has a fixed position. You have 11 gears on the rear, and only one of those could have "perfect chainline" All the rest are ...
Criggie's user avatar
  • 124k
14 votes
Accepted

For a broken chain on a child's small bike, do I replace the whole thing or just a single link?

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, ...
olliebulle's user avatar
  • 4,111
14 votes
Accepted

Does dry dust and dirt stick worse to bees wax or WD40?

My name is Criggie and I'm a Waxxing addict. Oil is quick and easy to put on - you can rejuvenate a chain in 15 seconds. Downside, it goes black with road dirt over time. By comparison wax is a much ...
Criggie's user avatar
  • 124k
12 votes
Accepted

Can't switch to biggest sprocket after the upgrade

Have you set the low limit (L) screw correctly? Sounds like it is restricting the RD on its way to the innermost cog while tension and indexing are just fine. Here is a good tutorial: https://www....
DoNuT's user avatar
  • 4,431
10 votes

How to determine chain length on a Brompton?

There is no one standard Brompton chain length; there are 4 different ones for the various sanctioned drivetrains. For nonstandard Brompton drivetrains, I've had good luck using the longest length ...
Nathan Knutson's user avatar
10 votes

Are fluorocarbons in chain lubricants a real environmental issue?

The European Environment Agency has declared that PFAS are an emerging chemical risk. As indicated in this page, the effects of this components is not yet entirely understood, but there negative known ...
Rеnаud's user avatar
  • 19.6k
10 votes

Is it safe to use two masterlinks?

During the pandemic in 2020, people were on lockdowns and clamoring for entertainment. Seth of the YouTube channel Berm Peak Express collaborated with Competitive Cyclist to demonstrate that a SRAM ...
Weiwen Ng's user avatar
  • 31.3k
10 votes
Accepted

Is it safe to use two masterlinks?

Assuming an well adjusted drivetrain, it's not more "unsafe" than using one: the strength of a chain is defined by the strength of its weakest link. If you use two master links, one will be ...
Rеnаud's user avatar
  • 19.6k
10 votes
Accepted

Is there any reason why my 21-speed bike has 118 chain links?

There is no standard for chainstay length. Bikes of a given type tend to cluster around certain very common chainstay length choices, but there can be outliers in eitehr direction. Thus there is ...
Nathan Knutson's user avatar
9 votes

Is it safe to use two masterlinks?

I have personally ridden my recumbent with 6 master-links in the chain and it works fine. This is a ~270 link chain, and three were simply from assembling it from three normal-sized bike chains. Then ...
Criggie's user avatar
  • 124k
9 votes
Accepted

New chain coming off under torque

Put a fork in it - that chainring is cooked. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/chain-wear.html Your chainring has the classic "shark fin" tooth shape (note the slope of the teeth on the sprocket ...
Andrew Henle's user avatar
  • 10.5k
8 votes

For a broken chain on a child's small bike, do I replace the whole thing or just a single link?

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 ...
Chris H's user avatar
  • 58.5k
8 votes

Single speed chain tensioner comparison

You should never use a sprung tensioner when you have a choice. They add fragility and complexity. They exist only to allow single cog drivetrains to work with dropouts that don't allow chain tension ...
Nathan Knutson's user avatar
8 votes
Accepted

Can I use WD-40 or WD-50 to clean Cube bike chain?

It is a debatable topic but due to its properties, you can indeed use it to degrease/clean your chain. However, I would only use it for that, "classic" (*) WD-40 is not a good lubricant, ...
DoNuT's user avatar
  • 4,431
8 votes

A 9 speed quicklink fits an 8 speed chain, and feels secure, but is it?

9 speed should be thinner than 8 speed, so I imagine that if it clicks closed you're good to go. Nominally 6/7/8 speed chain is 7.1mm wide, and 9 speed chain is 6.7mm. Is it possible your chain is ...
Criggie's user avatar
  • 124k
8 votes
Accepted

Assembling cut off brand new chain links into one single chain

In theory yes, in practice unlikely it is worth it. For chains targeting 8 gears of less, the pins are reuseable, but for modern chains of 10 speed or higher, you need replacement pins. The cost would ...
mattnz's user avatar
  • 50.2k
7 votes

Assembling cut off brand new chain links into one single chain

Yes, but lets work the costs - A single chain costs me $55 (SHIMANO 105 11-Speed Road Chain CN-HG601-11) and has 114 links. This chain will last ~3000 km because I wax. My bike only needs 108 links ...
Criggie's user avatar
  • 124k
6 votes

What is this complete bicycle chain guard or chain protector in the photo?

These chain guards (or "kettingkast" in Dutch) are standard on single speed or internally geared hub bicycles in The Netherlands. The traditional ones are made from "lakdoek", ...
Brendon's user avatar
  • 61
6 votes

For a broken chain on a child's small bike, do I replace the whole thing or just a single link?

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 ...
Christopher Hunter's user avatar
6 votes
Accepted

Chain Falling Apart

I believe your chain is counterfeit. The other answer and the various comments thoroughly debunk the heating claim, so I won't elaborate on that here. Firstly, as I mentioned in my comment under your ...
MaplePanda's user avatar
  • 15.5k
6 votes

The chain mystery

I don't see any magic here - the chain fell off the chainring and because the derailleur was unscrewed, it dropped to the bottom. Then the derailleur got twisted a couple of times around the cable and ...
Paweł's user avatar
  • 741
6 votes

The chain mystery

The chain can be untangled by carefully inceasing the diameter of loops you see till the adjacent loops join, simplifying the pattern. Contra-intuitively these loops cannot be removed by just trying ...
nightrider's user avatar
  • 7,711
6 votes

Shop replaced my chain, bike had less than 400 miles

400 miles is really on the lower end of what to expect from a chain on a modern bike. Not sure what the Endurace 8 features but I get 4000-5000 kilometers out on my 105 groupset, I would give myself a ...
DoNuT's user avatar
  • 4,431
6 votes
Accepted

How to immerse wax a chain?

There are actually two parts to the answer: thoroughly degreasing the chain, and actually waxing it. It feels like the first part is harder, at least cognitively. Degreasing It's considered best ...
Weiwen Ng's user avatar
  • 31.3k
6 votes

9 speed chain on 8 speed derailers to reduce chain rub

When I spin the pedal it seems like the chain is not moving straight e.g. in certain points of the revolution the chain comes closer to the front derailer cage to the point of barely touching. You ...
Kaz's user avatar
  • 2,730
6 votes
Accepted

A 9 speed quicklink fits an 8 speed chain, and feels secure, but is it?

I was curious as to why it fitted, so I took some measurements. These were in the middle of the plates - the nominal width is at the rivets so would be expected to be larger. This is a KMC 9X 9-speed ...
Chris H's user avatar
  • 58.5k
6 votes
Accepted

Chain Links remain raised (i.e. sticky link)

The chain is "pinched" such that the friction in this one joint is greater than the force applied by the chain toward straight. The effects are a periodic "clonk" as this goes ...
Criggie's user avatar
  • 124k
6 votes

Is my chain length correct?

From the photos it looks like you can and should make it shorter. Most chain tools come with a chain hook which is really handy not only for shortening and closing the chain but also for seeing how ...
Michael's user avatar
  • 26.8k
6 votes
Accepted

Is my chain length correct?

You could make that chain shorter, but its not overly-long, so while it errs on the slightly too long, I wouldn't bother with chain length changes. There are two very minor positives about having a ...
Criggie's user avatar
  • 124k
6 votes

Does a magic link or Powerlink require removal a regular chain link first?

The usual term in English is quick link. Powerlink may be a trademark. Nevertheless, that or magic link would be understood. With a quick link, you join two ends that are made from the inner links. ...
Weiwen Ng's user avatar
  • 31.3k

Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible