I once again come to the cycling community for sound advice, direction, and a chance to be made fun of (which is just fine by me).
Ok, I was riding today and for the very first time, I broke my chain. I thought "No problem, I have a chain tool, I'll be out of here in no time." So I thought. Here is the dilemma that I was up against. Once you take out the link rivet from the link, how the heck do you get it to stay in place so you can get the chain tool cranked down on it? I had two of my friends trying with two little twigs to hold it up while I tryed to crank down the chain tool. We could never get it lined up properly so I could get the chain tool on the rivet. Was there something that I was missing??? Any fun filled advice would be greatly appreciated. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Do share.
Oh, after about 40 minutes of wrestling with it and trying to carefully balance the rivet on the chain while cranking down on the chain tool, I was able to fix the chain and ride back to the car. I also need a new chain that has a master link in it. My current chain that came with the bike did not have a master link.
Ok, I think I just found out what I did wrong. I will share with you all, but I would still like hear any of your war stories with chains on the trail. The problem I had was that I popped the rivet all the way out. Live and learn.
*To repair a broken chain, remove the broken link completely and replace it with a spare (always carry a few spare links). If you do not have a spare link, you can usually remove a link or two with no real problems and reattach to the rest of the chain. As in installing a new chain, use the tool to push the rivet past the rollers but not past the far side plate. Continue turning very carefully, a little bit at a time, until the roller can be pulled free, but with the chain rivet still in the far side plate. Install the new link by turning the chain tool around and driving the rivet through the new roller and side plate. Then use a delicate touch to position the rivet directly even on the side plates. It should stick out slightly from each side plate. NOTE: A Shimano chain may require the use of a NEW RIVET PIN to repair or replace a chain. The old pin is rendered useless once it is moved from the side plate. One time I repaired a Shimano chain 5 times in a 1/2 mile until I realized this. When I got a new chain, I was careful not to get Shimano as you must also carry their spare replacement rivet, which is a problem you don't have to deal with using most other chains.
It is normally four turns of the handle (revolution) to push the rivet to such a point so it can be used again. Test on an old piece of chain. I normally carry a few Shimano link pins. Much easier than using twig tweezers!!!!
