Ultegra chain pin

[huskerdont]

Some will scoff at my ignorance, but perhaps this will help some others. I replaced my first Ultegra chain over the weekend (4500 miles!). Instead of having a quick link like I’m used to, it came with an extra pin, but the pin was twice as long as a normal pin and was tapered, obviously for easier insertion. I just couldn’t figure out what to do with it once inserted–did the end twist off? Did Shimano sell a special pin-cutting tool? Was I supposed to use a tiny, tiny hacksaw? There were no instructions included. I almost just used an old pin like you do when you break a chain in the field. However, as usual in these cases, youtube came to the rescue. You just grab the end with a pair or pliers and break it off. Not something I would have risked without first seeing it online. I don’t know what people did before the Internet.

Topic

[bentbike33]

@huskerdont 166563 wrote:

Not something I would have risked without first seeing it online. I don’t know what people did before the Internet.

Didn’t the chain come with the usual Shimano instruction sheet in 8 languages?

[huskerdont]

@bentbike33 166564 wrote:

Didn’t the chain come with the usual Shimano instruction sheet in 8 languages?

There was a sheet with many languages but it did not discuss the pin.

[bentbike33]

@huskerdont 166565 wrote:

There was a sheet with many languages but it did not discuss the pin.

Oh. The sheet that explains the pin is probably only available in a pack of spare pins (which you should probably score for emergency roadside repair).

[trailrunner]

@huskerdont 166563 wrote:

You just grab the end with a pair or pliers and break it off. Not something I would have risked without first seeing it online. I don’t know what people did before the Internet.

We read rec.bicycles.tech and Sheldon Brown’s website.

Note that you can use a SRAM or Connex link on your Shimano chain instead of the pin. Makes it a lot easier to take off and give it a good cleaning.

[trailrunner]

@huskerdont 166565 wrote:

There was a sheet with many languages but it did not discuss the pin.

I think Shimano publishes different versions of the instructions for dealers, OEMs, and consumers, with varying degrees of detail. I checked the Shimano site (via google) and found two sets of instructions that both showed how to break off the pin. I’ve actually found the Shimano instructions were sometimes helpful, and I’ve accumulated a shoebox full of them over the years.

[huskerdont]

When I bought a chain Monday to have in the parts box as the next spare, I did buy a pack of the pins.

[huskerdont]

@trailrunner 166569 wrote:

I think Shimano publishes different versions of the instructions for dealers, OEMs, and consumers, with varying degrees of detail. I checked the Shimano site (via google) and found two sets of instructions that both showed how to break off the pin. I’ve actually found the Shimano instructions were sometimes helpful, and I’ve accumulated a shoebox full of them over the years.

If youtube hadn’t shown me, I was going to the Shimano site next. It’s possible this particular box was just missing the full instructions. There was just a little sheet in this one that was mostly cautions.

[Crickey7]

They break apart pretty easily with a pliers. Just twist.

[hozn]

So what’s the advantage to a Shimano chain. I have always wanted a quick link, so I have never actually used one. But there must be some reason why people buy them. Price?

[TwoWheelsDC]

@hozn 166580 wrote:

So what’s the advantage to a Shimano chain. I have always wanted a quick link, so I have never actually used one. But there must be some reason why people buy them. Price?

I think price is the only reason I’ve ever picked SRAM over Shimano or vice versa, but admittedly I’m not the kind who would be able to tell the difference or care enough to research why I should buy one over the other.

[huskerdont]

@Crickey7 166577 wrote:

They break apart pretty easily with a pliers. Just twist.

Um, already done, long ago. That was the point.

[huskerdont]

@hozn 166580 wrote:

So what’s the advantage to a Shimano chain. I have always wanted a quick link, so I have never actually used one. But there must be some reason why people buy them. Price?

This bike came with a full Ultegra (11-speed) group set, so that’s what I decided to replace it with. Since I got 4500 miles on it compared to at most 3000 on other bikes with Sram, I thought I’d go with the same thing.

I’m not saying that Ultegra necessarily lasts longer; this bike happens to be the one that never gets to go out and play in the rain, and I imagine that has a lot to do with it.

[trailrunner]

@hozn 166580 wrote:

So what’s the advantage to a Shimano chain. I have always wanted a quick link, so I have never actually used one. But there must be some reason why people buy them. Price?

Supposedly the best shifting with Shimano components will come with a Shimano chain. There’s a lot of details in Shimano chains, cassettes, and chainrings, to the point that now chains are directional. Does this really matter? All but one of my bikes have Shimano drive trains, and I’ve used Shimano, SRAM, and Wipperman chains and haven’t had a complaint about my shifting. I don’t have the latest and greatest, so maybe we’ve reached the point that a Shimano chain really needs to be used on a Shimano drivetrain.

As far as wear or longevity goes, I don’t think there’s an advantage one way or the other. Actually, with a replaceable link, I’m more likely to take my chain off and give it a good cleaning, which increases the life of the drivetrain. When I was at my peak, which was when I only had one road bike, I actually had two chains that I would rotate – one would be in use, and the other would be cleaned. One odd thing that I found out during this time was that SRAM chains didn’t like Simple Green. I would soak one of the chains overnight in SG, but I noticed that the side plates started to crack. I don’t think that was necessarily a shortcoming of SRAM, but it did demonstrate that SG was harsher than I thought, and I stopped using it.

The pin in the Shimano chain has always been a bit of a hassle, but Shimano probably has some reason for using it (strength, performance, saves weight). Way back when (>20 years ago?), I think Shimano actually used replaceable link, and there was a lot of bitching and moaning when they started using the pin. That might’ve been when they went to 8 speed, or 9 speed.

BTW, if you are out on a ride and your chain breaks, you don’t necessarily need to have an extra pin with you (which also means you don’t have to carry pliers with you). Just fix the chain as you normally would, and that should be good enough to get you home. Shimano would warn against this, but meh. Another option is to carry a reusable link. The reusable links also have a finite lifetime, which I discovered during a ride.

[huskerdont]

This is the first time I’ve put on a Shimano chain. All previous ones have been Sram. One other thing I noticed is that I was able to use the old cassette (also 4500 miles) even though the chain had worn past the 0.50 point. With Sram chains and cassettes, I have never had a new chain not skip on the old cassette if worn that far.

Once again, not saying that Shimano Ultegra is necessarily better. Just a slight bit of evidence of a difference, personally, from what I’ve experienced before.

[Author]

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