SRAM Powerlink - what's the trick?

"Mike K Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Some months ago I bought a SRAM chain, and a Powerlink. On
Saturday I needed to remove the chain to do some
maintenance. I pushed, pulled, twisted and prodded the
Powerlink for a good 20 minutes, I even tried pliers.

Eventually with grimy hands, a foul temper, and much
uncharitable language I gave up and got out the trusty
Park link extractor.

Is it me? Is there an easy trick to this, or is the
Powerlink really the Work of Stan?

Anyone got a step by step picture guide they can point me
to to show to really do this?

Thanks,

Mike

Grip each end of the powerlink between the thumb and index
finger of each hand. Squeeze thumb and index fingers
together while at the same time pushing each hand toward the
other. The link should just open up. If it's dirty then
brush the link with a stiff brush.

Andy. (powerlink user for years)

"Andy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:2Vmzc.421$lC3.350@newsfe3-gui...

Quoted message said:

Grip each end of the powerlink between the thumb and
index finger of each hand. Squeeze thumb and index
fingers together while at the same time pushing

each

Quoted message said:

hand toward the other. The link should just open up. If
it's dirty then brush the link with a stiff brush.

Yes, I've always found them quite easy to open up and much
preferable to hassling around with a chain link extractor
pushing rivets out and in. All it requires is pushing the
two ends of the link towards each other so the sides slide
across, with enough force to get the pins to come out of the
part of the plate that locks them in.

For some reason the last instructions I looked at suggested
'bending' the link but I could never get it to pop out
trying that method. I found all you have to do is basically
the opposite of what you do when you join it in the first
place. It does definitely help if the link is clean though!

Rich

Mike K Smith said:

Some months ago I bought a SRAM chain, and a Powerlink. On
Saturday I needed to remove the chain to do some
maintenance. I pushed, pulled, twisted and prodded the
Powerlink for a good 20 minutes, I even tried pliers.

Eventually with grimy hands, a foul temper, and much
uncharitable language I gave up and got out the trusty Park
link extractor.

Is it me? Is there an easy trick to this, or is the
Powerlink really the Work of Stan?

I know it doesn't help much to tell you this, but if it
leaves you prostrate with exhaustion and with crippled
fingers you're doing it wrong. When you get it right it's
effortless.

--
Dave...

Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live. -
Mark Twain

Mike K Smith <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Anyone got a step by step picture guide they can point me
to to show to really do this?

as it happens, yes.

pog.org.ukchain.jpgOpen ↗

Pinch the chain so the ends of the powerlink are exposed.
Apply gentle force to opposite corners of the link. Use
pliers if hands don't cut it

best wishes james

Andy said:

Grip each end of the powerlink between the thumb and index
finger of each hand. Squeeze thumb and index fingers
together while at the same time pushing each hand toward
the other. The link should just open up. If it's dirty
then brush the link with a stiff brush.

This is what I thought I was trying to do on Saturday. You
pinch with the thumb and finger directly across the pins,
and push in parallel to the plates, or across the corner?

Dave Kahn said:

I know it doesn't help much to tell you this, but if it
leaves you prostrate with exhaustion and with crippled
fingers you're doing it wrong. When you get it right it's
effortless.

So we can safely conclude I was doing the wrong thing
on Saturday.

james said:

Mike K Smith <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Anyone got a step by step picture guide they can point
me to to show to really do this?

as it happens, yes.

pog.org.ukchain.jpgOpen ↗

Pinch the chain so the ends of the powerlink are exposed.
Apply gentle force to opposite corners of the link. Use
pliers if hands don't cut it

So the force should be applied diagonally across the link
rather than parallel to the side plates?

Richard Goodman said:

I found all you have to do is basically the opposite of
what you do when you join it in the first place. It does
definitely help if the link is clean though!

When I joined it in the first place I ended up using pliers
and applying a fair amount of force. The link was a bit
dirty, but not choked with dirt when I started. By the end
most of the dirt was transferred to my hands.

There obviously appears to be a knack to this, no-one has
mentioned that any major force should be required either to
close or open the link.

I'll have another go when I have some time on my hands. For
now the bike is working just fine, so I'm not going to
tinker with anything. 🙂

Mike K Smith said:

Quoted message said:

Pinch the chain so the ends of the powerlink are exposed.
Apply gentle force to opposite corners of the link. Use
pliers if hands don't cut it

So the force should be applied diagonally across the link
rather than parallel to the side plates?

I've not tried the corners method. I find keeping it all
inline and just pushing links together while compressing at
the same time works. Then wiggle the links free after
they've slid. Spraying first with WD40 might help if it's
really gunked up.

Quoted message said:

There obviously appears to be a knack to this, no-one has
mentioned that any major force should be required either
to close or open the link.

There is a knack but still a fair bit of finger force is
required to open. I've never found the need for plyers,
though. Closing should be a total doddle: helps to have the
chain slack, though (hook if off the chainrings).

I like these links so much that I don't want to ever go back
to using chains without them. It's so easy to remove the
chain just to clean it. Something I would have never have
bothered to do before.

~PB

Pete Biggs said:

I like these links so much that I don't want to ever go
back to using chains without them. It's so easy to remove
the chain just to clean it. Something I would have never
have bothered to do before.

Go on, rub it in. :-)

--
Dave...

Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live. -
Mark Twain

Mike K Smith said:

Some months ago I bought a SRAM chain, and a Powerlink. On
Saturday I needed to remove the chain to do some
maintenance. I pushed, pulled, twisted and prodded the
Powerlink for a good 20 minutes, I even tried pliers.

Eventually with grimy hands, a foul temper, and much
uncharitable language I gave up and got out the trusty
Park link extractor.

Is it me? Is there an easy trick to this, or is the
Powerlink really the Work of Stan?

Anyone got a step by step picture guide they can point me
to to show to really do this?

The trick is to *squeeze the side plates of the link
together* while pushing from each side. Then it pops apart
quite easily. If you don't squeeze, nothing happens.

Instructions are on the SRAM website, anyway.

sram24.comChain all MTB 08 02.pdfOpen ↗

Mike K Smith <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

james said:

pog.org.ukchain.jpgOpen ↗

So the force should be applied diagonally across the link
rather than parallel to the side plates?

it is exagerated in the pic. The point is that you need to
push each side plate in the opposite direction (as you know)
and in order to do this with pliers that is pretty much the
way you need to do it. I have never found the links as easy
to open as other correspondents say they have but then I was
never aware of the requirement to push the side plates
together when sliding them so perhaps I have not been doing
it quite right either

best wishes james

Zog The Undeniable said:

The trick is to *squeeze the side plates of the link
together* while pushing from each side. Then it pops apart
quite easily. If you don't squeeze, nothing happens.

So squeeze the sideplates together (across the width of the
chain) while simultaneously pushing them together along the
line of the chain.

That's different from what I was doing, sounds like the
trick I was missing.

Quoted message said:

Instructions are on the SRAM website, anyway.

Excellent. I lost the piece of paper which came with the
link.

Thanks!

Mike

On Wed, 16 Jun 2004 11:22:46 +0100, Mike K Smith

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

So squeeze the sideplates together (across the width of
the chain) while simultaneously pushing them together
along the line of the chain.

That's different from what I was doing, sounds like the
trick I was missing.

Mike,

I had the same frustration with a SRAM link as you last week
and ended up resorting to a chain tool as well, so thanks
for starting the thread; I was missing the info that you had
to squeeze them as well.

cheers, tom.

Tom Jackson said:

I had the same frustration with a SRAM link as you last
week and ended up resorting to a chain tool as well, so
thanks for starting the thread; I was missing the info
that you had to squeeze them as well.

So I wasn't the only one! Thanks Tom.

Mike