Cycling UK Forum

Not worked with a Shimano 10-speed chain before but was prepared for the snap-pin (much prefer SRAM quick links).

First problem, the snap-pin snapped before I could drive it in (bent chain tool - new one ordered for my birthday). After much fiddling managed to drive in a bare pin which then misaligned on the way out and bent the link plate.

Start again, fetch good reading glasses, remove damaged link, add spare link from the previous chain sizing then fiddle with spare pin to get chain joined.

Hooray! all done. Collect packaging to throw away and notice a little diagram telling me the chain is unidirectional - and yes mine was on the wrong way. Mental note, read the instructions next time. Go to bed, start afresh the next day.

Split chain carefully, leaving pin attached, reverse chain, drive in link with old but un-bent chain tool, breathe a sigh of relief.

Moral of the story, get a decent chain tool and stick to SRAM chains, or is this just part of life's rich pageant?

Off to cheer on-the women's tour

Toodlepip

The special Shimano pin should only be driven in once. If you’ve now done it twice, you may as well have used any pin. The strength will have been compromised and the chain may break when, for example, you change gear at the chainrings under higher than usual load.

Or use KMC chains, which also employ a nice easy quick link

Don't bother with the pins use a "quick-link".
Same or similar to :-
https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/kmc-10k- ... #pid=26286

These suit Shimano, KMC or Sram 10 speed.

It says easy to fit using special tool. Special tool is not really needed as discussed on the forum previosly.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=122155

This suits Campagnolo 10x chains:-
https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/kmc-10c- ... #pid=25276


N.B. Other makes and suppliers are available.

from what you have said it sounds like you have two joints made in the chain that may not be up to snuff. I would suggest that they are both located and replaced with quicklinks.

cheers

I did check the new links very carefully, they look indistinguishable from the others so locating and replacing could now be tricky. Thanks for the advice though - I shall definitely avoid Shimano chains in future.

I'd use more quick-links but compared to the cost of a complete chain they always seem ridiculously expensive

Stradageek wrote:I did check the new links very carefully, they look indistinguishable from the others so locating and replacing could now be tricky. Thanks for the advice though - I shall definitely avoid Shimano chains in future.

I'd use more quick-links but compared to the cost of a complete chain they always seem ridiculously expensive

I re-used a pin before as a "temp" fix and soon forgot about it. It was brought to my attention when the chain snapped honking up a hill on the way to work making my meat and two veg tender for a while, a mistake I will NEVER make again.

You’ve just got to make sure everything is straight and level, before you start driving the pin in, and keep it straight and level ( which is the tricky bit) until the pin is fully in. It takes more practice than you’d think, and pins breaking before they’re in, is a fairly common occurrence. Quick links are much easier, and are much better than they were when they first appeared on the market. Shimano are starting to use quick links, rather than pins now:

chris_suffolk wrote:Or use KMC chains, which also employ a nice easy quick link

I agree. I've had 2 new Shimano chains snap on me, so went to KMC and have had no probelms since. I cannot comment on Sram

Hi

I shall definitely avoid Shimano chains in future.

Why? Avoid their joining pin, maybe?
As above; use a KMC re-usable link...

I've had 2 new Shimano chains snap on me

KMC make chains for Shimano, which? I don't know. The only chains that I've ever snapped have been SRAM, and I now use only Shimano with a KMC link so I think that statistically our snappage-rates are misleading
Regards
tim-b

As if to emphasise my point on the cost of quick links, look at the original price for this discounted item

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/sram-powerlock- ... 1252370222

Thanks for the comments guys, I will definitely stock up on quick links

Cheers

Hi,
Above 8 speed use and will fail one day magic quick dummy link
Below 9 speed use your glasses................always.
Ouch poor grammar

Stradageek wrote:I did check the new links very carefully, they look indistinguishable from the others so locating and replacing could now be tricky. Thanks for the advice though - I shall definitely avoid Shimano chains in future.

I'd use more quick-links but compared to the cost of a complete chain they always seem ridiculously expensive

If you can't identify and replace the re-joined links the chain is now unsafe. I would seriously ditch it and chalk it up to experience.

Chain pins are peened i.e. Slightly flared at each end to stop the side plates popping off them. When you split a chain with a chain tool the flared part of the pin is sheared off. If the same pin is used to re-join the chain the side plate is not securely held any more and the chain is much more likely to snap. The narrower the chain the more likely it is to happen so 10 speed is toward the sharper end of things.

The chain is likely to break in a situation when it will throw you off balance the most, that is when it's under heavy load and/or during an awkward gear change.

under a powerful magnifying glass I would expect to be able to identify a link that had been re-riveted. Clues might include

- that the rivet heads are not set evenly or normally
- that the overhanging part of the rivet head has been damaged where it has been pushed through the chain

in addition pushing the suspect rivet back out again (i.e. from the far side) will be ridiculously easy by comparison with a previously untouched rivet, so you could simply try every rivet in turn using the chain tool.

There are only about a hundred rivets to inspect; half that if you can remember if it was a right or left one on the outer side plate.

cheers

Hi,
Tried it many times on bikes with original chains.........................some you can't find?