1/8" chain for fixed wheel

Zog The Undeniable said:

Question: as most of these chains are sold for utility bikes and come with a slip link for taking
them apart, is it OK to use the special link on a fixed wheel or track bike

Yes. The two-piece type of mastr link is better than the 3-piece, and neither is quite as reliable
as the regular links, but they're pretty reliable.

If you use the 3-piece type, install the "U" shaped clip with the closed end facing forward.

Quoted message said:

(I'll be limited to 1/8" chain as I can only get big sprockets in this gauge)?

Not so. See: sheldonbrown.comfixed.htmlOpen ↗

Sheldon "Three Thirty-Seconds" Brown +-----------------------------------+
| The gains in life come slowly, | but the losses come suddenly. | -- Garrison Keillor |
+-----------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772
FAX 617-244-1041 harriscyclery.comharriscyclery.comOpen ↗ Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
captainbike.comcaptainbike.comOpen ↗ sheldonbrown.comsheldonbrown.comOpen ↗

Sheldon Brown said:

Zog The Undeniable said:

Question: as most of these chains are sold for utility bikes and come with a slip link for taking
them apart, is it OK to use the special link on a fixed wheel or track bike

Yes. The two-piece type of mastr link is better than the 3-piece, and neither is quite as reliable
as the regular links, but they're pretty reliable.

Hmm. I've always preferred the three-piece master link, with a spring clip to hold on the removable
side plate. I find them easier to work with than the slide-apart kind. But I have used cheap
BMX-style chains, as well as specific "track" chains, and all have been reliable for me. On a fixed
gear, having a chain come apart is a very bad thing, even if you have a brake, since the chain can
foul in the spokes or cog, locking the wheel.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | It doesn't get any easier, you just go faster. --Greg LeMond _`\(,_ | (_)/ (_) |

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Question: as most of these chains are sold for utility bikes and come with a slip link for taking
them apart, is it OK to use the special link on a fixed wheel or track bike

I answered:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Yes. The two-piece type of mastr link is better than the 3-piece, and neither is quite as reliable
as the regular links, but they're pretty reliable.

David L. Johnson said:

Hmm. I've always preferred the three-piece master link, with a spring clip to hold on the
removable side plate. I find them easier to work with than the slide-apart kind. But I have used
cheap BMX-style chains, as well as specific "track" chains, and all have been reliable for me. On
a fixed gear, having a chain come apart is a very bad thing, even if you have a brake, since the
chain can foul in the spokes or cog, locking the wheel.

When I referred to the "two-piece" type of master link, I wasn't thinking of the "slide-apart" units
like the Sram PowerLink, Craig Superlink et al. As far as I know, those have never been made for
1/8" chain.

The type I'm thinking of has one plate with two rivets, one plate with two holes. The rivets have
grooves at the projecting ends.

The holes are a little closer together than the pins, so you need to flex the chain sideways to get
the plate on or off. Thes are easy to use, and, in my experience more reliable than the ones with
the little hairpin springs.

Sheldon "Master Links" Brown +--------------------------------------------------------+
| Westheimer's Discovery: |
| A couple of months in the laboratory can frequently |
| save a couple of hours in the library. |
+--------------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton,
Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 harriscyclery.comharriscyclery.comOpen ↗ Hard-to-find parts
shipped Worldwide captainbike.comcaptainbike.comOpen ↗ sheldonbrown.comsheldonbrown.comOpen ↗

Sheldon Brown said:

When I referred to the "two-piece" type of master link, I wasn't thinking of the "slide-apart"
units like the Sram PowerLink, Craig Superlink et al. As far as I know, those have never been made
for 1/8" chain.

The type I'm thinking of has one plate with two rivets, one plate with two holes. The rivets have
grooves at the projecting ends.

The holes are a little closer together than the pins, so you need to flex the chain sideways to
get the plate on or off. Thes are easy to use, and, in my experience more reliable than the ones
with the little hairpin springs.

Oh. OK. I have used those. ISTR one of the sliding units like a Craig Superlink, but maybe my
senility is showing.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | You will say Christ saith this and the apostles say this; but _`\(,_ | what canst thou say?
-- George Fox. (_)/ (_) |

Zog The Undeniable said:

Question: as most of these chains are sold for utility bikes and come with a slip link for taking
them apart, is it OK to use the special link on a fixed wheel or track bike (I'll be limited to
1/8" chain as I can only get big sprockets in this gauge)?

Or are they only intended to be strong enough for the local vicar to pedal his roadster down to
the shops?

TIA

1/8" chain has 3 types of joining link: -three piece link with both pins on one side and a flat snap
clip on the outside of the flat plate. -two piece link where the pins are not parallel. They are
squeezed together and the other plate snapped in place. -Izumi's link with a bolt and nut in lieu
of one pin

They are all plenty strong. I've never seen one fail.

--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Zog The Undeniable <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Question: as most of these chains are sold for utility bikes and come with a slip link for taking
them apart, is it OK to use the special link on a fixed wheel or track bike (I'll be limited to
1/8" chain as I can only get big sprockets in this gauge)?

Or are they only intended to be strong enough for the local vicar to pedal his roadster down to
the shops?

TIA

Dear Zog,

Encouraged by Sheldon Brown's wisdom, I'll add that strength isn't likely to be a concern, even on
miniaturized bicycle chains. Off-road motorcycles apply far more power in both directions on their
heavier chains (20+ horsepower forward, and enough engine braking backward to chirp the rear wheel
on pavement if you drop a gear carelessly).

They often use the 3-part master link, with the closed end of the elongated c-clip in the direction
of what we'd call pedalling. This way, anything that knocks into the clip tends to force it onto the
two pins rather than prying them off, a common problem in off-road motorcycling. The chief
equivalent in thin-wheel bicycling would be rubbing against nearby gears.

The clip part really just holds the removable plate onto the u-shaped fixed plate with its two pins.
Together, the two plates are as strong as an ordinary link (you can't pull the pins through them).
And barring remarkable chain misalignment or a crash banging something into that specific link, the
elongated c-clip is more than strong enough to secure the removable plate against side forces.

They're actually more likely to have problems on multiple-gear systems (where they work fine) than
on a system where there's not much sideways thrashing and no climbing back and forth from one gear
to another.

They're intended to let the vicar blast out of mudholes well over the rear hub in the International
Six Day Trials, so unless they're very poorly designed when scaled down for bike chains, you should
be fine with 3-part master links.

As for the two-part ones, Jobst has some posts on those and how to get them apart. (It seems to be
trickier than lubricating the parts with profanity and wrestling the elongated c-clip off with some
needlenose pliers.) The 2-part master links seem to be a purely bicycle-oriented design.

Be glad that you're not dealing with half-links, which use cotter pins and still crawl the face of
the earth near older motorcycles. See you at the tea party, vicar!

Carl Fogel

ggg-<< Question: as most of these chains are sold for utility bikes and come with a slip link for
taking them apart, is it OK to use the special link on a fixed wheel or track bike (I'll be limited
to 1/8" chain as I can only get big sprockets in this gauge)? >><BR><BR>

1/8 inch chains with a master link ARE track chains...

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(2)440-3535 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

"Vir bonus, dicendi peritus". - Quintilian On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 19:55:03 -0600, A Muzi

Quoted message said:

1/8" chain has 3 types of joining link:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

-two piece link where the pins are not parallel. They are squeezed together and the other plate
snapped in place.

Can you cite any models and makers for this type of link? Any chance there's a photo of one in your
wonderful album of exotic bike bits?
-------------------------------
John Dacey Business Cycles, Miami, Florida Now in our twenty-first year. Our catalog of track
equipment: eighth year online. businesscycles.combusinesscycles.comOpen ↗

Sheldon Brown <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

If you use the 3-piece type [of master link], install the "U" shaped clip with the closed end
facing forward.

Is that "forward" on the top run of chain (where it is under tension), or "forward" on the bottom
run of chain (where most people are doing their installation)?

John Thurston Juneau, Alaska

Qui si parla Campagnolo said:

ggg-<< Question: as most of these chains are sold for utility bikes and come with a slip link for
taking them apart, is it OK to use the special link on a fixed wheel or track bike (I'll be
limited to 1/8" chain as I can only get big sprockets in this gauge)? >><BR><BR>

1/8 inch chains with a master link ARE track chains...

Thanks for the replies. I've now got a Taya 1/8" chain with a two-piece master link (not the old
"circlip" style link like on my old Mum's roadster).

Sheldon, the 22T sprocket was only 2UKP from eBay and I couldn't resist it since I'm limited to a
52T chainring. It's an old 1980s sports bike where the 42T ring can be unbolted but the 52T is
swaged in place, presumably because it'll never wear out anyway - it's steel.

John Thurston said:

Sheldon Brown <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

If you use the 3-piece type [of master link], install the "U" shaped clip with the closed end
facing forward.

Is that "forward" on the top run of chain (where it is under tension), or "forward" on the bottom
run of chain (where most people are doing their installation)?

The idea is that you don't want a brush against something to dislodge the snap clip. So, the closed
end should lead as the chain goes around, forward when on the top run of the chain.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | And what if you track down these men and kill them, what if you _`\(,_ | killed all of us?
From every corner of Europe, hundreds, (_)/ (_) | thousands would rise up to take our places.
Even Nazis can't kill that fast. -- Paul Henreid (Casablanca).

John Dacey <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Vir bonus, dicendi peritus". - Quintilian On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 19:55:03 -0600, A Muzi

Quoted message said:

1/8" chain has 3 types of joining link:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

-two piece link where the pins are not parallel. They are squeezed together and the other plate
snapped in place.

Can you cite any models and makers for this type of link? Any chance there's a photo of one in
your wonderful album of exotic bike bits?

I can't answer for Sheldon, but every Schwinn-branded chain that I installed ('way back when) used a
snap-type two piece link. Much easier to work with than the hairpin type link. I think these were
originally made by Sedis.

Jeff

John Dacey <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Vir bonus, dicendi peritus". - Quintilian On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 19:55:03 -0600, A Muzi

Quoted message said:

1/8" chain has 3 types of joining link:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

-two piece link where the pins are not parallel. They are squeezed together and the other plate
snapped in place.

Can you cite any models and makers for this type of link? Any chance there's a photo of one in
your wonderful album of exotic bike bits?
-------------------------------
John Dacey Business Cycles, Miami, Florida Now in our twenty-first year. Our catalog of track
equipment: eighth year online. businesscycles.combusinesscycles.comOpen ↗

Here are a few photos: 2-part master link: bunchobikes.comchain2.JPGOpen ↗ 3-part master link:
dansmc.comclipdirection.jpgOpen ↗ Powerlink: sheldonbrown.compowerlink.gifOpen ↗

someone said:

Quoted message said:

-two piece link where the pins are not parallel. They are squeezed together and the other plate
snapped in place.

John Dacey <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Can you cite any models and makers for this type of link? Any chance there's a photo of one in
your wonderful album of exotic bike bits?
-------------------------------

ive seen these on generic or cheap chains. taya comes to mind, but im not sure. last time i
installed these, they were labeled in big capital letters as one-time-use snap links. the
instructions read that once installed, they shoudl be left there, and a chain tool used to break the
chain in the future. some of the packages i got contained a number of master links so that you coudl
use a new one everytime.

so- are these reusable? or are reusable ones labeled as reusable? i always just (re)used a sram 8spd
link and tucked the 2 piece ones somewhere for another day.

anthony

Quoted message said:

A Muzi said:

1/8" chain has 3 types of joining link:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

-two piece link where the pins are not parallel. They are squeezed together and the other plate
snapped in place.

Quoted message said:

John Dacey said:

Can you cite any models and makers for this type of link? Any chance there's a photo of one in
your wonderful album of exotic bike bits?

With good intentions, I was just interrupted a lot yesterday. Here's a page on that:

yellowjersey.org1'8.htmlOpen ↗

--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April, 1971

"Bis dat qui cito dat". -Publilius Syrus

A Muzi said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

-two piece link where the pins are not parallel. They are squeezed together and the other plate
snapped in place.

Quoted message said:

John Dacey said:

Can you cite any models and makers for this type of link? Any chance there's a photo of one in
your wonderful album of exotic bike bits?

With good intentions, I was just interrupted a lot yesterday. Here's a page on that:

yellowjersey.org1'8.htmlOpen ↗

Thank you very much for this resource (and to dianne_1234 for the photo at
bunchobikes.comchain2.JPGOpen ↗).

I've never had occasion to use one of the two-piece masterlink types, nor do I know a current chain
model that includes one. I can't help but notice that the link in your photo doesn't seem to match
the chain it joins. Is the two-piece link still found on any contemporary chain models? If no, can
you speculate why not?

-------------------------------
John Dacey Business Cycles, Miami, Florida businesscycles.combusinesscycles.comOpen ↗ Now in our twenty-first
year. Our catalog of track equipment: eighth year online
-------------------------------