Inept Commuter Given Mechanical Aid

[rcannon100]

Same spot. Virtually the same story. My chain jammed. So gray beard stopped and taught me a few things I did not know about chains. And 50 other people offered to help. I am always amazed when I stop how many people offer help!!!!

[Rootchopper]

Well, I crashed there a month ago on the same bike. I think there’s a jinx on that connector.

[brendan]

Huh, broke a rear shifter cable at the parking lot crossing there. Last broken chain (on the MVT) was farther south next to the airport, though.

I keep cables and proper-sized quick links (along with tubes, levers and patches) in my kit now.

Brendan

[mrkenny83]

I got my first flat tire there

[GuyContinental]

@brendan 20134 wrote:

Huh, broke a rear shifter cable at the parking lot crossing there. Last broken chain (on the MVT) was farther south next to the airport, though.

I keep cables and proper-sized quick links (along with tubes, levers and patches) in my kit now.

Brendan

Good call on the quicklinks- I see lots of folks with chain tools but no links or pins. All you can do then is shorten the chain.. whereas a quicklink can really save your bacon and maintain most of the strength of the chain (for folks that don’t know a Quicklink / Missing Link snaps in place to replace a broken link- buy one or two next time you are in a bike shop or just pick them up on amazon- LINK Just make sure that you get the right size…)

[KLizotte]

@GuyContinental 20147 wrote:

Good call on the quicklinks- I see lots of folks with chain tools but no links or pins. All you can do then is shorten the chain.. whereas a quicklink can really save your bacon and maintain most of the strength of the chain (for folks that don’t know a Quicklink / Missing Link snaps in place to replace a broken link- buy one or two next time you are in a bike shop or just pick them up on amazon- LINK Just make sure that you get the right size…)

Very instructive. As a newbie, I gotta ask this question: what causes the chain to break? More to the point: as a woman riding around the area and not stressing the bike very much, what are the chances this is gonna happen to me?

[brendan]

@GuyContinental 20147 wrote:

Good call on the quicklinks- I see lots of folks with chain tools but no links or pins. All you can do then is shorten the chain.. whereas a quicklink can really save your bacon and maintain most of the strength of the chain (for folks that don’t know a Quicklink / Missing Link snaps in place to replace a broken link- buy one or two next time you are in a bike shop or just pick them up on amazon- LINK Just make sure that you get the right size…)

If you’re lucky, you can fix your chain so that it’s the same length and just as strong as it was. The links these days are so good (as strong as standard outer plates and pins) some manufacturers include them with chains to make for easy and novice-reliable installation. And they allow off-bike cleaning, though KMC’s 10-speed quiklinks that are included with their chains aren’t reusable, there are some 10-speed links that are reusable.

If you do have a more serious chain issue and you have to pull off links due to bent plates, broken pins, rollers, etc. (or some got lost during the chain damage) remember that the quick links replace two facing outer plates and the attached two pins only. Look at the situation first before deciding which side(s) and how far in to remove pins. Learned that one from experience.

And once you get home after your scheduled and only briefly interrupted ride , it’s a good time to check your transmission for wear and possible replacement. I carry the links (and other more touring-ish repair items) because I really really dislike having to head home early. Plus sometimes I’m pretty far from home and don’t want to have to call in a automotive rescue.

Brendan

[GuyContinental]

@KLizotte 20149 wrote:

Very instructive. As a newbie, I gotta ask this question: what causes the chain to break? More to the point: as a woman riding around the area and not stressing the bike very much, what are the chances this is gonna happen to me?

In 20+ years of hard riding (with some racing) I’ve broken maybe half a dozen chains and half of those were user error (improperly installed pins). But I’m completely OCD about chain maintenance. If you keep your chain clean and lubed it should last until it stretches (YMMV but I get 5K out of an ultegra cassette & chain).

How do they break?
1. Neglect- lack of lube causes excess wear that can degrade the pin and wall connection. Also, corrosion can seize up a link so that the pin breaks rather than rotates
2. Weird lateral stress- chains aren’t really meant for side loading. Running a super big cog on your big ring can cause stress that usually destroys your derailleur but could weaken the side of a link (a “long cage” derailleur is meant to offset this but you are better off switching your front ring to the middle than trying to use the inner cassette cogs)
3. Monster power + inferior metal- I did this once on a MTB SS (with a robust SS chain) I cranked so hard that the chain pin simply sheared. I’d like to think that it was all me but it was probably a mechanical fault somewhere in the link. I nearly broke my kneecap in the process since I went from 100% resistance to 0% in about 1/100 of a second. That was bad.
4. Too much stretch- if you overuse a chain you get more play in the interior of the links; more play leads to more lateral movement; more lateral movement leads to #2.
5. Impact damage- Not an issue with road riding (well not usually…) but I ripped a drivetrain (RD + chain) off a MTB catching it on a small tree. I’ve heard of folks losing chains after hard falls.
6. Too many powerlinks/quicklinks and the like- as much as I love these things I’d retire a chain if I had more than two. They simply don’t have the same tolerance as an integrated link.
7. User error- Make sure that you understand how a pin or new chain needs to be installed and don’t do something silly like trying to re-use a non-self piening pin (I can vouch for the fact that it probably won’t work)

So- is it a problem given your riding? Probably not but like all things it depends on the Bike gods- I carry a quicklink, lube nearly every ride (Prolink) and use a chain gap tool replacing both the chain and cassette when necessary. My knee-thing scared the heck out of me and took me out of action for several months, I’d rather never break a chain (in action) again.

[KLizotte]

GuyContinental,

Thanks so much for the very useful info. In retrospect, I am amazed that I biked for 25 years without knowing how to change a tube (and remarkably never got a flat tire on the road); I certainly didn’t lube or clean the chain(!). I brought the bike to the LBS every spring for a tune-up and that was it. To my knowledge the chain nor cassette was ever replaced. Sometimes ignorance is bliss….

The big mystery to me now is all the folks I see biking out there with nothing more than a saddlebag (sometimes not even that) and their jersey pockets for storage. I can only guess that they only carry an inner tube, air canisters, keys, ID, and phone. Most don’t seem to carry a lock or more emergency repair stuff. When I was looking to buy a road bike, all the guys at the LBS looked at me like I was nuts when I said I wanted a road bike I could put a rack on (I hate backpacks).

[GuyContinental]

@KLizotte 20162 wrote:

GuyContinental,

Thanks so much for the very useful info. In retrospect, I am amazed that I biked for 25 years without knowing how to change a tube (and remarkably never got a flat tire on the road); I certainly didn’t lube or clean the chain(!). I brought the bike to the LBS every spring for a tune-up and that was it. To my knowledge the chain nor cassette was ever replaced. Sometimes ignorance is bliss….

The big mystery to me now is all the folks I see biking out there with nothing more than a saddlebag (sometimes not even that) and their jersey pockets for storage. I can only guess that they only carry an inner tube, air canisters, keys, ID, and phone. Most don’t seem to carry a lock or more emergency repair stuff. When I was looking to buy a road bike, all the guys at the LBS looked at me like I was nuts when I said I wanted a road bike I could put a rack on (I hate backpacks).

You’d be amazed what fits in my tiny saddlebag- tube, air cylinder, levers, tool set (with chain tool), 2 quick links, patch kit, spare headlamp (in winter) and $50 (in case all else fails- I can take a cab). It’s all about the careful packing. In my jersey is just a phone, a snack and sometimes a shell. I hate bags won’t ride with them if I have the choice but then again, unlike some of you I max out at 3-4 commutes a week so I have the luxury of a suitcase at work.

[brendan]

@KLizotte 20162 wrote:

The big mystery to me now is all the folks I see biking out there with nothing more than a saddlebag (sometimes not even that) and their jersey pockets for storage. I can only guess that they only carry an inner tube, air canisters, keys, ID, and phone. Most don’t seem to carry a lock or more emergency repair stuff. When I was looking to buy a road bike, all the guys at the LBS looked at me like I was nuts when I said I wanted a road bike I could put a rack on (I hate backpacks).

Even on the road bike, I have the three jersey pockets on the back and…four additional pockets in my REI mountain biking aka double shorts (lycra liner + chamois inner, standard baggy shorts outer).

Usually full of crap which I occasionally need.

On the cargo bike, I’m usually outfitted to fix my own as well as other people’s bike issues…

Brendan

[KLizotte]

I could probably fit everything in pockets and be fine but my frame is tiny and there is no room to put a lock :mad:. And being a girl I have to make frequent potty breaks 😡

I’ve also bailed out a number of cyclists with my Topeak pump because their canisters failed. Best to carry a pump if you can too if you ask me.

[vvill]

I’ve never used CO2/canisters. I usually just carry a pump although the last three rides I’ve done I haven’t had any inflation device (I need to figure out a way to attach my pump easily on my folding bike).

[Rootchopper]

The cause for me was user error. I am pretty good about cleaning my chain regularly and I don’t mash the gears. I have tens of thousands of miles of riding under my butt and I have broken 2 chains. I bought the chain took after the first break and have only used it once to help someone else. Often times breaking a chain can result in a stiff link.I used the chain tool to fiddle with the pin in homes of freeing up the link last night. It didn’t work and from the looks of the broken link I didn’t get the pin all the way back in place.

I carry all kinds of stuff with me. Spare tubes, tire levers, a Topeak pump, multitool. I can’t put patience in my saddle bag. It’s why I quit golf (and the fact that I suck at every club in the bag.) You have to forget the bad shot you just made and address the situation with a calm head. I looked at the broken chain and all I can think about is “I’m late!”

I guess I need to pack some Zen.

[brendan]

@vvill 20168 wrote:

I’ve never used CO2/canisters. I usually just carry a pump although the last three rides I’ve done I haven’t had any inflation device (I need to figure out a way to attach my pump easily on my folding bike).

I’ve never quite understood the appeal of canisters. If you manage to not get it right the first time (need to patch twice, etc.), you’re SOL. Or you brought two canisters…which is starting to get into the weight class of a pump…

Brendan

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