In this video, we'll walk through how to identify any damage to your chain and how to fix it so you can get back on the road.
We'll cover the most common ways your chain can become damaged
and give you the knowlege you need to be ready for any unforseen mishaps.
Hi, I'm Ben with Park Tool.
To be clear, these repairs can get you back to civilization but anytime you break your chain out on a ride,
you should always replace it with a fresh chain once you get home.
You'll need a chain tool, or multi-tool with built-in chain tool,
to remove damaged links and to reconnect the chain if you're not using a master link.
You'll also need a connecting rivet or master link to reconnect the chain.
Consult your component manufacturer to ensure you choose a compatible connector.
A common chain issue is a tight link.
A tight link will not rotate freely,
and it's generally caused by lack of lubrication, corrosion or a poorly installed chain.
A tight link can easily be identified by back-pedaling and watching the chain as it passes over the cog.
The tight link will not hinge around the cog as you back pedal, thus revealing itself.
Once you have found the tight link, simply grasp the chain with the tight link in between your hands and flex the chain laterally.
This will open up the plates and resolve the tight spot.
Next we'll go over a broken chain.
In all cases, we need to get rid of any damaged links and re-connect the chain.
Ideally you'll have a master link or connecting rivet on hand,
but if you don't, keep watching, and we'll show you an alternate method of joining the chain.
Let's look at master link chains first.
We see the break occured at this rivet, damaging these outer plates.
We press out both rivets to remove the damaged plates.
Then we reconnect our chain using a master link.
Pay attention to any directional arrows on the masterlink and ensure they follow the direction of chain travel.
To engage the master link, make sure it's on the upper row of the chain,
apply the rear brake and apply force to the pedals.
What's nice about a master link chain is that the length remains the same even after the fix,
so you'll have all of your gears for the ride back.
But remember, if you do end up having to remove any links, your chain is now shorter,
and you should avoid shifting into your largest cogs and chainrings.
If we are using a chain with a connecting rivet, we'll first break the chain at the damaged link.
We need to remove the damaged link along with a set of adjacent inner plates.
Drive the appropriate rivet all the way out of the chain and remove the damaged segment.
This allows us to reattach the ends of the chain using our connecting rivet.
Install the connecting rivet and drive it into the chain using the chain tool, until it matches the depth of the neighboring rivets.
Break off the pilot tip of the connecting rivet.
If you don't have a master link or connecting rivet on hand, It is possible to reuse a rivet as a last resort.
Break the chain at the damaged link,
and push out a second rivet just enough to remove the damaged segment of chain.
After you have removed any damaged links, reconnect the chain using the rivet you have pushed out,
and push the rivet back in until it matches the depth of the neighboring rivets.
Again, this is a temporary fix, and the rivet's strength has been significantly compromised.
Another symptom is a twisted chain.
Chains can get caught in different parts of the drivetrain, causing the chain to twist and bend.
When a chain twists, it will no longer mesh with the teeth of the cogs
and when this happens, you have to fix it or risk further damage to your drivetrain.
First, identify any links that are bent or twisted.
If the twist is isolated to a single link, remove it along with an adjacent set of outer plates
and reconnect your chain as shown before.
There are instances where the chain can have a compound twist, or twist that occurs in multiple links.
If this happens, you may have to remove a large section of the chain,
and potentially be required to make your bike into a single speed. We'll cover that process next.
Sometimes when a chain breaks it can wrap itself around other drivetrain components
and cause a lot more havoc than you'd expect.
In this instance, our chain has broken and damaged the derailleur.
Our fix in this case is to turn the bike into a singlespeed.
When your bike sustains this much damage, it's a good idea to check all parts of your drivetrain before attempting a fix.
In our case, we've discovered a twisted chain,
so we'll make sure to remove any damaged links from the chain when we turn our bike into a singlespeed.
We don't have a connecting rivet or masterlink,
so we'll need to be sure and push one rivet out only as much as we need to in order to separate the chain.
Once the chain has been broken, separate it from any pieces of the derailleur it's tangled up with.
Next, find the combination of gears that will give the best chainline and chain tension.
We wrap the chain around the middle chainring and pick a rear cog somewhere in the middle with good chain line.
Now we make sure we can get acceptable tension by lining up the rivets and plates -
remember, an inner must connect to an outer.
It won't be perfect.
However, this combination is not going to work.
Even with the smallest possible chain size, there is far too much slack in the chain.
We move one cog down and try again.
Now the tension is adequate.
We'll remove this pin completely, and join the chain by pushing our other pin back into the chain,
or if we had a masterlink or connecting rivet, we'd use those.
The conversion is complete. Make sure to assess the full extent of damage when
Make sure to assess the full extent of the damage when you get home, and make any repairs necessary.
That does it for this on the ride repair help video.
Remember, if you've shortened your chain, you'll want to stay out of your largest gears
and you're going to also want to replace your chain with a fresh one once you get back to your house.
So good luck getting back home, and thanks for watching