buying a chain

Patter said:

Jumping in at the deep end here :P I need to buy a new chain (or a
few inches worth of links) for my bike, but I'm not quite sure how to
identify which chain I need from the various ones at wiggle etc

It needs to fit a 10-speed road bike (5 rear sprockets), what else
would I need to find out?

Nothing. You need a 6, 7 or 8 speed chain (they are the same chain) 9 speed
is slimmer and 10 speed is slimmer still.

Unless you have a recumbent or something unusual, a standard lenght chain
(114 links?) will be more than enough. You may need to shorten it (probably
will actually) so make sure you have a chain splitter tool, and if you use a
connecting pin to join it up again, it will be a lot easier to get it on and
off again for maintainence.

Tom
--
Return address is dead. Real address is at
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Patter said:

Jumping in at the deep end here :P I need to buy a new chain (or a
few inches worth of links) for my bike, but I'm not quite sure how to
identify which chain I need from the various ones at wiggle etc

It needs to fit a 10-speed road bike (5 rear sprockets), what else
would I need to find out?

As per previous reply, a 6/7/8 speed chain will work (the count is the
number of rear sprockets).
SRAM as suggested maker, and a package which includes a "powerlink" will
help putting the chain on the bike (and taking it off again in future).

However, if your bike is suffering from lack of maintenance, there is a fair
chance the old chain has "stretched"[1]. A consequence of that stretch is
that the chain then wears out the sprockets (both front and rear). As a
result, a new chain doesn't fit properly and skips/jumps like crazy until it
wears enough to fit (usually when you are trying to heave the thing
up-hill, so not very safe!).

So, measure your old chain carefully with a decent ruler. Measure 12 inches
worth of chain (chains have half-inch link centres), centre of link pin to
centre of link pin. If its more than 1/8th inch over the 12 inches, then the
sprockets will be worn and may need replacing as well. You should be able
to measure the lower chain run on the bike between the bottom of the
crank-ring and the rear derraillieur mechanism.

[1] They don't really stretch, the link pins wear and thus the plates drop
into the worn bit, and the distance between the pins increases.

- Nigel

--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

Tom said:

Nothing. You need a 6, 7 or 8 speed chain (they are the same chain) 9 speed
is slimmer and 10 speed is slimmer still.

Doesn't a 5-speed sound more ... appropriate?

--
Stephen Patterson :: [email hidden] :: http://patter.mine.nu/
GPG: B416F0DE :: Jabber: [email hidden]
"Don't be silly, Minnie. Who'd be walking round these cliffs with a gas oven?"

Nigel Cliffe said:

Patter said:

Jumping in at the deep end here :P I need to buy a new chain (or a
few inches worth of links) for my bike, but I'm not quite sure how to
identify which chain I need from the various ones at wiggle etc

Quoted message said:

It needs to fit a 10-speed road bike (5 rear sprockets), what else
would I need to find out?

As per previous reply, a 6/7/8 speed chain will work (the count is the
number of rear sprockets).
SRAM as suggested maker, and a package which includes a "powerlink" will
help putting the chain on the bike (and taking it off again in future).

However, if your bike is suffering from lack of maintenance, there is a fair
chance the old chain has "stretched"[1].

Shirley a 10 speed racer owned by someone with qapparently little
knowledge of maintenance could easily be a low mileage steed with a
chain that has simply rusted into inflexibility in which case the cogs
may well be fine if the liftetime (of the rear cogs if they have ever
been replaced) is less than a couple of thousand miles then it is
likely that the OP will not need to worry unduly about this. Of course
the PP's advice on measuring is useful but could be overkill for the
OP

best wishes
james

Quoted message said:

On Aug 29, 7:40 am, "Nigel Cliffe" <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

However, if your bike is suffering from lack of maintenance, there
is a fair chance the old chain has "stretched"[1].

Shirley a 10 speed racer owned by someone with qapparently little
knowledge of maintenance could easily be a low mileage steed with a
chain that has simply rusted into inflexibility in which case the cogs
may well be fine if the liftetime (of the rear cogs if they have ever
been replaced) is less than a couple of thousand miles then it is
likely that the OP will not need to worry unduly about this. Of course
the PP's advice on measuring is useful but could be overkill for the
OP

IME with lots of them, most second-hand poorly-maintained 10-speed "racers"
have done enough miles for the sprockets to be too worn to work with a new
chain.

Certainly it's worth trying the new chain with the old cogs (easier & more
reliable than measuring old chain), but it would be no suprise if it didn't
work.

~PB

In article <[email hidden]>, Nigel Cliffe
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

So, measure your old chain carefully with a decent ruler. Measure 12 inches
worth of chain

ITYM measure 12 full links (24 half links) - if he measures 12 inches of
chain it's always going to measure 12 inches.

Patter said:

Tom said:

Nothing. You need a 6, 7 or 8 speed chain (they are the same chain)
9 speed is slimmer and 10 speed is slimmer still.

Doesn't a 5-speed sound more ... appropriate?

Not many 5-speed bikes around any more so they don't bother marketing chains
for them. One described as 6, 7 or 8 speed will be fine.

~PB

Patter said:

Doesn't a 5-speed sound more ... appropriate?

Yes, and if you can find one, go ahead and buy it.

6, 7 and 8 speed chains are exactly the same as the chains that were sold as
5 speed but as so few people own a 5 or 10 speed bicycle nowadays (other
than you and me) they no longer bother to advertise them as 5 speed.

Tom
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