Craig SuperLink

Chris Zacho The Wheelman asked:

Quoted message said:

Who's making the original SuperLink now?

SRAM. They call it the "Powerlink."

Quoted message said:

I hear Craig Metalcraft is not, but they sold the right's to someone else.

Right, SRAM makes 'em under license.

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I don't want a snap on single use rip-off copy either.

Nah, those are stoopit.

Quoted message said:

Does anybody here know who sells them?

We've got 'em, 5 bucks.

Sheldon "Reusable" Brown +-------------------------------------------------------+
| Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has | seen and thinking what no one else has
| thought. |
| - Albert Szent-Gyorgi |
+-------------------------------------------------------+ 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 ↗

x-no-archive:yes

Quoted message said:

Chris Zacho The Wheelman asked:

Quoted message said:

Who's making the original SuperLink now?

SRAM. They call it the "Powerlink."

Quoted message said:

I hear Craig Metalcraft is not, but they sold the right's to someone else.

Right, SRAM makes 'em under license.

Quoted message said:

I don't want a snap on single use rip-off copy either.

Nah, those are stoopit.

Quoted message said:

Does anybody here know who sells them?

We've got 'em, 5 bucks.

Sheldon "Reusable" Brown

This is funny! When I asked someone about the SRAM Powerlink, he said, "Oh no, you need to get the
Craig Superlink. The SRAM link is not anywhere near as good!"

Thanks for the info.

Pat

Quoted message said:

Chris Zacho The Wheelman asked:

Quoted message said:

Who's making the original SuperLink now?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Does anybody here know who sells them?

branfordbike.comchains.htmlOpen ↗ Steve

Pat said:

x-no-archive:yes

Quoted message said:

Chris Zacho The Wheelman asked:

Quoted message said:

Who's making the original SuperLink now?

SRAM. They call it the "Powerlink."

Quoted message said:

I hear Craig Metalcraft is not, but they sold the right's to someone else.

Right, SRAM makes 'em under license.

Quoted message said:

I don't want a snap on single use rip-off copy either.

Nah, those are stoopit.

Quoted message said:

Does anybody here know who sells them?

We've got 'em, 5 bucks.

Sheldon "Reusable" Brown

This is funny! When I asked someone about the SRAM Powerlink, he said, "Oh no, you need to get the
Craig Superlink. The SRAM link is not anywhere near as good!"

I used to sell the Craig Superlink, back when they were (sporadically) available. Now I sell the
SRAM Power Link. I have not noticed any important difference betwixt the twain.

Sheldon "Same Difference" Brown +---------------------------------------------+
| Television: | A medium. So called because it is | neither rare nor well done. | --Ernie
| Kovacs |
+---------------------------------------------+ 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" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Chris Zacho The Wheelman asked:

Quoted message said:

Who's making the original SuperLink now?

SRAM. They call it the "Powerlink."

Not quite. The original is still the "Superlink".

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I hear Craig Metalcraft is not, but they sold the right's to someone else.

Right, SRAM makes 'em under license.

Forster makes them under license from Bob Lickton. SRAM does the same.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I don't want a snap on single use rip-off copy either.

Nah, those are stoopit.

Quoted message said:

Does anybody here know who sells them?

We've got 'em, 5 bucks.

Robin Hubert <[email hidden]

"Sheldon Brown" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Pat said:

x-no-archive:yes

Quoted message said:

Chris Zacho The Wheelman asked:

>Who's making the original SuperLink now?

SRAM. They call it the "Powerlink."

>I hear Craig Metalcraft is not, but they sold the right's to someone else.

Right, SRAM makes 'em under license.

>I don't want a snap on single use rip-off copy either.

Nah, those are stoopit.

>Does anybody here know who sells them?

We've got 'em, 5 bucks.

Sheldon "Reusable" Brown

This is funny! When I asked someone about the SRAM Powerlink, he said,

"Oh

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

no, you need to get the Craig Superlink. The SRAM link is not anywhere

near

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

as good!"

I used to sell the Craig Superlink, back when they were (sporadically) available. Now I sell the
SRAM Power Link. I have not noticed any important difference betwixt the twain.

Ah, but there is. SRAM Powerlinks are not made to the same spec's. as Superlinks (the details of
which I do not have handy, sorry).

--
Robin Hubert <[email hidden]

Paul J Pharr said:

The SuperLink III for 10's clicked and bound up coming off the top of the cassette. I had 2, both
started about 500 miles or less. I've been pleased with the IRD, but I run a 12t and/or 13t.

I'd venture a guess that if you use the 11t cog from a 9sp cassette, the IRD link would work fine.

Sheldon Brown said:

Quoted message said:

This is funny! When I asked someone about the SRAM Powerlink, he said, "Oh no, you need to get
the Craig Superlink. The SRAM link is not anywhere near as good!"

I used to sell the Craig Superlink, back when they were (sporadically) available. Now I sell the
SRAM Power Link. I have not noticed any important difference betwixt the twain.

Sheldon, you disappoint me. There IS a difference. The Super Link (two words) is now manufactured by
Forster Tool & Manufacturing, 1001 Fairway Drive, Bensonville, IL 60106 (forstertool.comforstertool.comOpen ↗).
From close side-by-side inspection with a magnifying glass it is indistinguishable from those
manufactured by Craig.

The big difference, the Powerlink can only be released by squeezing the sideplates together and then
sliding the pins toward each other. Sometimes grit makes this almost impossible, thus people often
have to resort to Channellocks to force them apart. The Super Link just slides apart with little
effort required, at least that's been my experience.

One source of Super Links:

lickbike.comi0338150.htmOpen ↗

jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net home.earthlink.net~jeverett3Open ↗

In article said:

Quoted message said:

So do we for 8s and 9s..what do you use for 10s?(do you sell them?) We

tried

Quoted message said:

IRD but it skips on the 11t, we are 'trying' the Connex one but don't have

good

Quoted message said:

feedback.

Peter Chisholm

The SuperLink III for 10's clicked and bound up coming off the top of the cassette.

My SuperLink III for 9s clicked like crazy on a Campy 9s chain and Campy cogset. SRAM link that
replaced it works perfectly.

I've had the exact opposite experience with my Superlink III. It's functioned fine for several
thousand miles on my 10-sp setup. I'm running a 13-26. Who doesn't wish SRAM would come out with a
10 speed chain thou'!

-pete

"Paul J Pharr" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

So do we for 8s and 9s..what do you use for 10s?(do you sell them?) We

tried

Quoted message said:

IRD but it skips on the 11t, we are 'trying' the Connex one but don't

have

Quoted message said:

good

Quoted message said:

feedback.

Peter Chisholm

The SuperLink III for 10's clicked and bound up coming off the top of the cassette. I had 2, both
started about 500 miles or less. I've been pleased with the IRD, but I run a 12t and/or 13t.

Paul J Pharr

"Robin Hubert" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<T8RJa.10049

Quoted message said:

Ah, but there is [a difference]. SRAM Powerlinks are not made to the same spec's. as Superlinks
(the details of which I do not have handy, sorry).

So- do you mean specs, as in powerlinks are *meant* to be made differently, or are the powerlinks
just held to laxer tolerances? if it was the tolerances- that woudl explain my experiences in the
last year or so. of a dozen pc-48s, all with 'identical' 8s powerlinks, four have been
groovy-easy, two have been thoguht-provoking, and six have been ridiculously difficult- maybe
impossible- to do by hand.

i thoguht i was just getting soft in my old age, but then i got another groovy-easy link yesterday.

i wrote to sram. they claimed they were all the same, but i should send them the 'stiff' links. i
will, and ill post what they say.

anthony

btw- of the 'groovy-easy' variety, i have yet to have a problem, yet to break one, yet to have a
problem using them with a variety of chains (not just SRAM). i just wish they were all easy.

"ant" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Robin Hubert" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<T8RJa.10049

Quoted message said:

Ah, but there is [a difference]. SRAM Powerlinks are not made to the

same spec's. as

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Superlinks (the details of which I do not have handy, sorry).

So- do you mean specs, as in powerlinks are *meant* to be made differently, or are the powerlinks
just held to laxer tolerances? if it was the tolerances- that woudl explain my experiences in the
last year or so. of a dozen pc-48s, all with 'identical' 8s powerlinks, four have been
groovy-easy, two have been thoguht-provoking, and six have been ridiculously difficult- maybe
impossible- to do by hand.

What I mean is that SRAM licenses the design, and builds them to their own spec's to fit their
chains. SRAM claims they are to fit SRAM chains only. Super Links, on the other hand, are made with
tolerances to fit 7/8sp chains, 9sp, and 10sp chains of various manufactures. This might explain the
tightness found on Powerlinks and some complaints of clicking from others with Super links.

Quoted message said:

i thoguht i was just getting soft in my old age, but then i got another groovy-easy link
yesterday.

i wrote to sram. they claimed they were all the same, but i should send them the 'stiff' links. i
will, and ill post what they say.

anthony

btw- of the 'groovy-easy' variety, i have yet to have a problem, yet to break one, yet to have a
problem using them with a variety of chains (not just SRAM). i just wish they were all easy.

--
Robin Hubert <[email hidden]

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

Quoted message said:

Sheldon, you disappoint me. There IS a difference. The Super Link (two words) is now manufactured
by Forster Tool & Manufacturing, 1001 Fairway Drive, Bensonville, IL 60106
(forstertool.comforstertool.comOpen ↗). From close side-by-side inspection with a magnifying glass it is
indistinguishable from those manufactured by Craig.

This is not true. The Craig link has longer ends, but more importantly, the "keyhole" detent is
ramped, making disengagement much easier. I never had one spontaneously disengage either, as some
have reported with the SRAM. I have had several recently that wouldn't close on brand new PC-48
chains that they came with, even when using pliers. One that I finally managed to close was so
stiff as to be unusable. I think SRAM "improved" the design (negatively), and has rather severe
tolerance problems.

Quoted message said:

The big difference, the Powerlink can only be released by squeezing the sideplates together and
then sliding the pins toward each other. Sometimes grit makes this almost impossible, thus people
often have to resort to Channellocks to force them apart. The Super Link just slides apart with
little effort required, at least that's been my experience.

That's been my experience as well, examining both designs under magnification revealed significant
differences. The SRAM modifications just don't work as well.

Peter Cole said:

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

Quoted message said:

Sheldon, you disappoint me. There IS a difference. The Super Link (two words) is now manufactured
by Forster Tool & Manufacturing, 1001 Fairway Drive, Bensonville, IL 60106
(forstertool.comforstertool.comOpen ↗). From close side-by-side inspection with a magnifying glass it is
indistinguishable from those manufactured by Craig.

This is not true. The Craig link has longer ends, but more importantly, the "keyhole" detent is
ramped, making disengagement much easier. I never had one spontaneously disengage either, as some
have reported with the SRAM. I have had several recently that wouldn't close on brand new PC-48
chains that they came with, even when using pliers. One that I finally managed to close was so
stiff as to be unusable. I think SRAM "improved" the design (negatively), and has rather severe
tolerance problems.

Just to clarify, in the above I meant that I inspected a Craig and a Forster manufactured Super
Link side-by-side. Your response sounds like a comparison of a SRAM PowerLink with a Craig/Forster
Super Link.

jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net home.earthlink.net~jeverett3Open ↗

I reported:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I used to sell the Craig Superlink, back when they were (sporadically) available. Now I sell the
SRAM Power Link. I have not noticed any important difference betwixt the twain.

John Everett said:

Sheldon, you disappoint me. There IS a difference. The Super Link (two words) is now manufactured
by Forster Tool & Manufacturing, 1001 Fairway Drive, Bensonville, IL 60106
(forstertool.comforstertool.comOpen ↗). From close side-by-side inspection with a magnifying glass it is
indistinguishable from those manufactured by Craig.

The big difference, the Powerlink can only be released by squeezing the sideplates together and
then sliding the pins toward each other.

I've considered this to be an improvement, making the link slightly more secure.

Quoted message said:

Sometimes grit makes this almost impossible, thus people often have to resort to Channellocks to
force them apart. The Super Link just slides apart with little effort required, at least that's
been my experience.

I've never had occasion to take either type apart in a location where I didn't have a pair of pliers
ready at hand.

I do not consider this to be an "important" difference, just a minor detail. Both are excellent
products, both give good service, and both work basically the same way.

Sheldon "Sorry To Disappoint" Brown +--------------------------------------------------+
| Pohl's law: Nothing is so good that somebody, | somewhere, will not hate it. |
+--------------------------------------------------+ 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 ↗

Quoted message said:

"Qui si parla Campagnolo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]... We tried

Quoted message said:

IRD but it skips on the 11t, we are 'trying' the Connex one but don't

have

Quoted message said:

good

Quoted message said:

feedback.

"Andrew Price" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I hesitate to proffer this (as grasshopper said to the master) but I had exactly the same problem
and my lbs guy said the side the 10sp chain links are laid on is critical - there is a sharp
(deeper) cut side of the link which must be on the outside when the chain goes round the cassette
- ie shallow cut side addresses the cluster.

After that no more skipping on the 11 - but you probably knew that...

Glad you brought that up. I had also read something like that about Wippermann snaplinks and it
remained in the back of my head. And I repeated it on the telephone one afternoon to a customer who
was in the throes of derailleur hell .

He paused for a moment and pointed out that one side of the link must necessarily be mirror image to
the other. So if you consider rivet to the front for example, the _inside_ plate will be rivet to
the rear. Always. So you can't choose any orientation of a snaplink without choosing the inverse on
the other half of that link.

So what was it that we read which started us down this path?

--
Andrew Muzi yellowjersey.orgyellowjersey.orgOpen ↗ Open every day since 1 April 1971