Chain Maintenance - Bikes - Cycling - Mountain Biking On Cyclist No

3/1/12 Chain Maintenance - Bikes Cycling Mountain Biking on Cyclist No.
1
1/18 www.cyclistno1.co.uk/features/maintenance/chain-maintenance.htm
Cyclist No.1 - riding bikes too much!
Home
Gear
Features
Blog
About
Contribute
Contact us
Cyclist No.1 is a not-for-profit publication

Home Features Maintenance Chain Maintenance
Chain Maintenance
30-45 Mins
Chain Tool
Chain Checker
New Chain
Chain Cleaner
Chain Lube

3/1/12 Chain Maintenance - Bikes Cycling Mountain Biking on Cyclist No.1
Easy-Moderate
Words and Photos by Richard Fox - posted 06/08/2011
4 Lie
Chain Maintenance
What you need
Chain Tool
Chain Checker
New Chain
Chain Cleaner
Chain Lube
Optional Tools
Shimano/Campag Spare Pins (if req'd)
Sram/Wipperman/KMC Replaceable Links
Chain Cleaner
How a chain works
Now there is a load of literture out there on chains which goes into far more detail than this article does. Suffice to say
its a huge topic but a good description can be found on Sheldon's website.
The vast majority of us are running chains which are 3/32" and probably most ranging from 8 to 11 speed depending on
whether they are MTB or road bikes (which obviously excludes single speeders - sorry 1/8"). Most bikes run a front
and rear mech system - the chain rings and rear sprockets have teeth into which the chain locates (gaps between the
rollers) and the rollers engage into the bottom of the teeth all held in place by the side plates. The construction of the
chain means the chain links can pivot and conform to both large and small sprockets and chainrings. The contact point
of the chain is the roller. These rotate slightly the chain rotates so that the chain can settle and lift off the teeth, but more
importantly rotates to spread the wear over the rollers and sprocket/chainring teeth and reduce friction. The inside of the
rollers and support (side plate bushing) for the bushing is where most of the significant wear takes place. Thus a
dry/under lubricated chain will induce more wear due to increased friction. The picture below shows "one link" which
includes the outer and inner plates and 3 pins/bushings.
Chain Wear
As previously indicated, this is due to constant roatation of the rollers on the bushing and the axle inside. Whilst inner
roller wear does not affect the chain function that much it does allow for the chain to mislocate over the teeth. Of of
more concern is chain 'stretch'. The chain does not actually stretch in the true sense of the word - it actually elongates by
slight wear of each of the bushings and pins as the chain links flex and straighten as the chain goes onto and off of the
sprockets. If each bushing/pin wears down by 1/50 of a mm (which is a lot!) then over the length of a chain (approx 45
links) thats 135 pivots. So 135 x .0.02mm = 2.7mm. Thus deep lubrication and regular cleaning helps to minimise this
wear.
Chain Checking
Regular checking of chain wear is important as this has a knock on effect on the rest of the drivetrain. The increase in
distance between the links means the chain no longer matches the pitch of the teeth on the sprockets / chainrings. The
load is therefore not distributed evenly and excessive wear on the rearside of the tooth occurs, accelerating sprocket
wear. Rightly or wrongly some people allow the sprockets and chain to wear together and replace the whole chainset
but in my opinion this is worse as other problems like chainsuck and chain breaks are more likely. The sprockets wear
with the "stretched" chain and can go on for sometime, but if the chain breaks or you need to change the chain, then the
new chain will have a different pitch. This will then not mesh with the already worn sprockets, chainrings and jockey
wheels and will jump under torque. For the sake of about 15 for a good chain every say 6 months is worth it with the
current price of chainsets and cassettes.
A chain checker will allow you to measure several links and get an average pitch. If the chain is stretched both locating
teeth on the tool teeth will be able will locate into the chain. 0.75% stretch is a recommended time to change the chain
but at 1% excessive tooth wear may already have occured and a over this level a new chain is likely to jump.
Also the chain should be checked for binding. Essentially one of more pivots can be seized or partly seized, most often
by mud but the internals can also be damaged. This will cause the chain to jump or not shift properly. Sometimes this is
not obvious off the bike as it may lay flat and thus can often be seen when freewheeling the bike by turning the cranks in
reverse. Most often this can be sorted out when cleaning the chain.
Lastly the chain should be looked over and the rivets examined for faults (proud, rotated, mangled or even missing).
Chain Removal
This is relatively straightforward with a chain tool. These are available as a standalone tool or in a multi-tool and are
generally very cheap.
The basics are that if the chain does not have a replaceable type system then you will have to push out one of riveted
pins to break the chain.
The threaded bolt has a toughened end which when wound in will deform the rivet and push the pin through the inner
and outer plates.
The chain can be rejoined with a pin connector which is the Shimano method of joining and splitting. The top is the old
deformed pin and the bottom is the split pin from Shimano. Campagnolo has a similar but 2 part replaceable pin sysem.
The replacement pin is pushed in with the chain tool in the same direction and when clicked into position the exposed
end is snapped off. This requires you to have a spare supply of pins. This pin is permenant and if the chain is re-broken
it should be done on a different link.
The alternative is a replaceable link system which is adopted by SRAM, Wipperman and KMC for instance.
I prefer this method for 2 reasons. Firstly the chain can be removed quicky and reassembled without tools to clean etc.
Secondly spare links can be used to repair a chain out on a ride or even to join certain chain types which are not
supplied with removable links.
SRAM powerlink on a 9 spd chain.
The removable links have pins which locate into the outer plate when clipped together and are removed by pushing the
outer plates together and pushing towards one another.
Joining is again simple and the reverse of removing.
Chain Fitting
The ideal way of fitting a chain is to measure the old against the new. There maybe slight length differenecs but the links
can be matched and the chain broken with the chain tool. Measure twice and cut once! There is a difference in the
which pin to remove depending on whether your using the replacement pin system (male to female) or the replacement
link system (male to male) as the latter will have the extra length of the removable link. A good article is available from
Park Tools as well. A chain length calulator is also available here.
Essentially the length of the chain depends on the manufacturers guidelines and the type of bike you have. You should
thread the chain onto the largest chainring and sprocket you have (not going through the rear mech) and add 2 links (one
outer and one inner plate) - this is the cut length.
SRAM suggest this as well but to measure it also under the full range of travel if it is a full suspension bike.
REMEMBER - measure twice cut once! REMEMBER, before you rejoin the chain, thread it through the rear mech
cage correctly (making sure its the right side of the guide in the middle of the 2 sprockets).
Cleaning
This is also very important as mentioned above. A new chain comes with a thick viscous and sticky grease. There is a
split in the camp whether to remove this or not - I approach it half way. If you are not using a water based product or a
wax then I use solvent on a rag and run the chain through it to remove the lude from the side plates to prevent crud
sticking to it especially in dry weather and then replace it with a light lube like GT85/WD40 in a soaked wrag. This
means the thick grease is still present inside the rollers. This can then be topped up with whatever lube you need for the
conditions.
A dirty chain will increase friction and wear and the chance of chain suck. When the chain is really dirty is needs a full
strip and clean and re-lube. If you are fortunate to have a chain that can be removed with a removable link then just
place it onto a tube of approprate solvent/chain cleaer and shake and leave to soak. This can be dried and then
relubricated.
If your not then you can buy a chain cleaning tool like this Park tool one which take a little longer but is pretty efficient.
Lubrication
This is a huge area of discussion so I will try not to go into too much detail but suffice to say that a winter (wet) lube is
less likely to get washed off due to it having a higher viscosity but will attract more dirt. A summer (dry) lube will have a
lower viscosity but depletes more quickly. There are also chain waxes which require the chain to be degreased before
appying. These can't easily be applied when the chain is wet and is better in dusty climates/summer. Although you can
get away with adding a non-water based lube on top as a temporary measure. A good summary of chain lubes is
available here.
Chain Suck
This is also a huge subject and very annoying when it occurs. Basically it occurs mostly when the chain is dirty and most
often in a smaller chainring and at high torques. It is most common in worn chains and chainrings. It is the failure for the
chain to disengage from the bottom of the chainring and jams up under the top part of the chain going forward over the
top of the chainring. A great review article is available from Jonathan Levy. It is best avoided by keeping the chain wll
maintained and replacing it before it's over worn.
Happy smooth riding!
Richard Fox - Features Contributor
Richard has been mountain biking for over 17 years,7 years on his local trails,
Dartmoor. He also regularly rides away from home usually riding each year (while
doing the mechanics for others) in various events such as the Cheddar Challenge,
Rough Ride, Soggy Bottom, Dyfi Enduro and twentyfour12.
All these years of riding (and breaking) bikes, has resulted in Richard acquiring the
wealth of experience (and the tools) to keep his, and inevitably all his riding crew's,
bikes on the trails. Richard is a Cyclist No.1 features contributor.
Maintenance in association with Cycle System
Acadmey...
Cycle Systems Academy offers a range of courses, from one day
introductory courses in Basic Maintenance, specialist courses such
as Brompton Servicing, or learning how to strip out and repair
Sturmey Archer Hubs, right through to professional industry
training in Level Two and Level Three qualifications recognised
and accredited by the Government Qualification and Credit
Framework.
Cyclist No.1 has teamed up with Cycle Systems Academy to
provide maintenance guides for the home mechanic.
Comments
M Subscribe by email RSS
Sort b oldest first
Showing 0 comments
Trackback URL http://disqus.com/forums/cclistno1/chain_maintenance_bikes_ccling_mountain_biking_on_cclist_no1/trackback/
blog comments powered by DISQS
Recent Maintenance Articles
Servicing Square Taper Cranks
How to remove, clean and replace your square tapered crankset
0 Comments
Read article
Fitting a Dual Chain Device
Richard Fox takes us through fitting a Dual Chain Device
5 Comments
Read article
Login
Add New Comment
Crank Brothers Candy Pedal Overhaul
Richard Fox takes us through servicing your Candy Pedals
0 Comments
Read article
X-Fusion Hilo Service
Richard Fox takes us through servicing your X-Fusion Hilo
7 Comments
Read article
Time ATAC Pedal Overhaul
Richard Fox takes us through checking, dismantling and rebuilding your Time ATAC pedals
3 Comments
Read article
Back to top
Search Cyclist No.1
Search here...
Get our Newsletter
We dont share our list and will only mail you regarding content on cyclist no.1...
Email Address...
Maintenance in association with...
Cyclist No.1 News
Make your Staycation a Bikecation
Ritchey TrailMasters 2012
Black Mountains 3 Day returns
The Run Rider Bristol Offroad Duathlon
Whyte bikes at the 3 Peaks
ALPKIT Big Shakeout 2011: 14,15,16 October 2011
Marin and Whyte Demo day Bristol
Whyte 2012 range highlights
Bikes Stolen at the Black Mountains
National Trust: Chilterns Sportives
View all news
1oin us Facebook
Cyclist No.1 on Facebook
On Twitter
Cclist No.1
BristolTrails Just changed the bearings in a
@Hopetech Pro 2 hub using @cyclistno1's
excellent guide. If a serial bodger like me
can do it, so can you.
4 day s ago reply retweet fav orite
cyclistno1 RT @BristolTrails: Just changed
the bearings in a @Hopetech Pro 2 hub
using @cyclistno1's excellent guide. If a
serial bodger like me can do it, so can you.
locotuning RT @BristolTrails: Just changed
the bearings in a @Hopetech Pro 2 hub
using @cyclistno1's excellent guide. If a
serial bodger like me can do it, so can you.

Site by Pixillion Digital
Copyright 2010 Terms & Conditions | RSS
Join the conversation
cyclistno1 Wow totally missed it, but Cyclist
No.1 was two years old on the 21st! Yay
us!
y esterday reply retweet fav orite
PatisserieCyc @cyclistno1 Happy Birthday!
y esterday reply retweet fav orite
cyclistno1 @PatisserieCyc thank you muchly!
Might have to celebrate with a bicycle ride
and a cake:

Chain Maintenance - Bikes - Cycling - Mountain Biking On Cyclist No

Caricato da

Informazioni sul documento

Descrizione originale:

Titolo originale

Copyright

Formati disponibili

Condividi questo documento

Condividi o incorpora il documento

Opzioni di condivisione

Hai trovato utile questo documento?

Questo contenuto è inappropriato?

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

Chain Maintenance - Bikes - Cycling - Mountain Biking On Cyclist No

Caricato da

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

3/1/12 Chain Maintenance - Bikes Cycling Mountain Biking on Cyclist No.

Potrebbero piacerti anche