Cycling Equipment · Public discussion

Easiest chain to break

Started by Doug Goncz · · Last activity · 8 posts · 822 views

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Cycling Equipment
Published
30 November 2003
Last activity
2 December 2003
Original author
Doug Goncz
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  1. The difficult to break chain on my Peugot mountain bike will eventually have to be removed for
    cleaning. It was a bear. Needle nose pliers helped.

    Does anybody make a pliers type tool that breaks a chain in two seconds flat? Not the kind that
    shoots the pin out, at a cost of around a hundred dollars, but something that is made to break the
    same chain at the same place with a special link many times easily.

    I need _three_ chains on this bike. One drive, one rear wheel to electric motor, one left side
    stoker's crank to electric motor. In version 1, the last two are in use alternately. In version two,
    they'll be in use at the same time.

    I like to keep my chains clean and have a front fender wtih OEM flap (a Planet Bike) and an
    immersible screen washing can from Harbor Freight with lid. I use oil in the solvent can and when
    the solvent evaporates, the chain is nearly dry. It works well. My cogs stay clean.

    I'd like to try multiple vacuum cycles to "wash out" the spaces that actually do the work.

    I can forge the tips of a pair of long nose pliers to do this job with a torch and small anvils. If
    you try this yourself, don't heat them so hot they bend with pliers. They are "hot short" at that
    temperature and are about as strong as cast iron, leaving work riddled with defects.

    To read about my senior project at ODU, Go to Google Groups and enter dgoncz along with any or some
    of these words: ultracapacitor electric bicycle motor generator fluorescent energy display

  2. " Doug Goncz " <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    The difficult to break chain on my Peugot mountain bike will eventually


    have to

    Quoted message said:

    be removed for cleaning. It was a bear. Needle nose pliers helped.

    Does anybody make a pliers type tool that breaks a chain in two seconds


    flat?

    Quoted message said:

    Not the kind that shoots the pin out, at a cost of around a hundred


    dollars,

    Quoted message said:

    but something that is made to break the same chain at the same place with


    a

    Quoted message said:

    special link many times easily.

    Since you only mentioned pins, I'm assuming you don't know about SRAM chains and their PowerLink
    connecting system/method/dealie. It's immesurably easier than pins, no tools needed, and at least in
    my experience, SRAM chains outlast everything else.
    sram.comfaq display.asp

    Quoted message said:

    I need _three_ chains on this bike. One drive, one rear wheel to electric motor, one left side
    stoker's crank to electric motor. In version 1, the


    last

    Quoted message said:

    two are in use alternately. In version two, they'll be in use at the same


    time.

    Quoted message said:


    I like to keep my chains clean and have a front fender wtih OEM flap (a


    Planet

    Quoted message said:

    Bike) and an immersible screen washing can from Harbor Freight with lid. I


    use

    Quoted message said:

    oil in the solvent can and when the solvent evaporates, the chain is


    nearly

    Quoted message said:

    dry. It works well. My cogs stay clean.

    I ride my bike through hub-deep mud, but the occasional top-tube-deep river usually leans things
    off fine 🙂

    Quoted message said:

    I'd like to try multiple vacuum cycles to "wash out" the spaces that


    actually

    Quoted message said:

    do the work.

    I have an old toothbrush and a pile of old t-shirts. You win.

    Quoted message said:

    I can forge the tips of a pair of long nose pliers to do this job with a


    torch

    Quoted message said:

    and small anvils. If you try this yourself, don't heat them so hot they


    bend

    Quoted message said:

    with pliers. They are "hot short" at that temperature and are about as


    strong

    Quoted message said:

    as cast iron, leaving work riddled with defects.

    One time I re-aligned a wrecked front derailleur cage with Channel-Locks and Vice-Grips. It works
    flawlessly now, and since it isn't "riddled with defects" I win that round.

    Chris

  3. In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] ( Doug

    Goncz ) said:

    The difficult to break chain on my Peugot mountain bike will eventually have to be removed for
    cleaning. It was a bear. Needle nose pliers helped.

    Does anybody make a pliers type tool that breaks a chain in two seconds flat? Not the kind that
    shoots the pin out, at a cost of around a hundred dollars, but something that is made to break the
    same chain at the same place with a special link many times easily.

    How long does it take you to break a chain with a regular tool? Certainly more than 2 seconds flat,
    but the trouble and expense of speical tools is hard to justify if you are only doing it 2X per
    month or so.

    Quoted message said:

    I need _three_ chains on this bike. One drive, one rear wheel to electric motor, one left side
    stoker's crank to electric motor. In version 1, the last two are in use alternately. In version
    two, they'll be in use at the same time.

    This is a "mountain bike?" Are we talking about two bikes here?

    Quoted message said:

    I like to keep my chains clean and have a front fender wtih OEM flap (a Planet Bike) and an
    immersible screen washing can from Harbor Freight with lid. I use oil in the solvent can and when
    the solvent evaporates, the chain is nearly dry. It works well. My cogs stay clean.

    I'd like to try multiple vacuum cycles to "wash out" the spaces that actually do the work.

    I'm having doubts about the usefullness of this. Do you have some way of getting good lube back into
    those spaces?

    Quoted message said:

    I can forge the tips of a pair of long nose pliers to do this job with a torch and small anvils. If
    you try this yourself, don't heat them so hot they bend with pliers. They are "hot short" at that
    temperature and are about as strong as cast iron, leaving work riddled with defects.

    Sounds like a SNAP to me.

    Tom Gibb <[email hidden]

  4. Chris said:

    Since you only mentioned pins, I'm assuming you don't know about SRAM chains and their PowerLink
    connecting system/method/dealie. It's immesurably easier than pins, no tools needed, and at least
    in my experience, SRAM chains outlast everything else.
    sram.comfaq display.asp

    That PowerLink is harder for me to break the chain than using the chaintool. Who wants to get their
    hands all greased up. I suppose you could put latex gloves on.

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

    Quoted message said:
    Chris said:

    Since you only mentioned pins, I'm assuming you don't know about SRAM


    chains

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    and their PowerLink connecting system/method/dealie. It's immesurably easier than pins, no tools
    needed, and at least in my experience, SRAM chains outlast everything else.
    sram.comfaq display.asp

    That PowerLink is harder for me to break the chain than using the chaintool. Who wants to get
    their hands all greased up. I suppose you could put latex gloves on.

    Here's an idea: wipe the chain around the power link with a rag before opening it. Voila! No greased
    up hands. Even if you do get a little bit of grease on your hands, what's the big deal? The actual
    operation of opening the link takes all of about 5 seconds, far faster than messing with a
    chainbreak tool.

    Rob Strickland

  6. ( Doug Goncz ) may have said:

    The difficult to break chain on my Peugot mountain bike will eventually have to be removed for
    cleaning. It was a bear. Needle nose pliers helped.

    Does anybody make a pliers type tool that breaks a chain in two seconds flat?

    There are many extremely compact and easily operated chain breaking tools; none of the ones I have
    require more than 15 seconds to break a chain, and that's been fast enough for me. None is a
    pliers-type, but I'd expect to need a compound lever action to be required if a pliers-type were to
    be successful, and this would make the tool larger and heavier than many would prefer.

    Quoted message said:

    Not the kind that shoots the pin out, at a cost of around a hundred dollars, but something that is
    made to break the same chain at the same place with a special link many times easily.

    Assuming that your bike uses regular multi-speed bicycle chain, SRAM's Powerlink seems
    made to order.

    Quoted message said:

    I need _three_ chains on this bike. One drive, one rear wheel to electric motor, one left side
    stoker's crank to electric motor. In version 1, the last two are in use alternately. In version
    two, they'll be in use at the same time.

    If this is using single-speed chain, the task of locating a disconnectible link will be a little
    more of a challenge, but they do exist.

    --
    My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail. Yes, I have a killfile. If I
    don't respond to something, it's also possible that I'm busy. Words processed in a facility that
    contains nuts.

  7. "Robert Strickland" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:


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

    Quoted message said:
    Chris said:

    Since you only mentioned pins, I'm assuming you don't know


    about SRAM

    Quoted message said:

    chains

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    and their PowerLink connecting system/method/dealie. It's


    immesurably

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    easier than pins, no tools needed, and at least in my


    experience, SRAM

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    chains outlast everything else. sram.comfaq display.asp

    That PowerLink is harder for me to break the chain than using


    the

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    chaintool. Who wants to get their hands all greased up. I


    suppose you

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    could put latex gloves on.

    Here's an idea: wipe the chain around the power link with a rag


    before

    Quoted message said:

    opening it. Voila! No greased up hands. Even if you do get a


    little bit of

    Quoted message said:

    grease on your hands, what's the big deal? The actual operation


    of opening

    Quoted message said:

    the link takes all of about 5 seconds, far faster than messing


    with a

    Quoted message said:

    chainbreak tool.

    I can open a chain with a Park shop tool faster than I can find the PowerLink on a dirty chain.
    Also, PowerLinks typically do not open easily on dirty chains, which is what my chains are riding
    mostly in the rain this time of year. -- Jay Beattie.

  8. Werehatrack said:
    ( Doug Goncz ) may have said:

    Does anybody make a pliers type tool that breaks a chain in two seconds flat?

    There are many extremely compact and easily operated chain breaking tools; none of the ones I have
    require more than 15 seconds to break a chain, and that's been fast enough for me. None is a
    pliers-type, but

    How about a really big rock? That ought to break a chain, or just about any other drivetrain part,
    in 2 seconds flat; and, it is free and can be found anywhere where the OP would ride his MTB.
    --
    Rick "Master of obvious, bad jokes" Onanian

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