Quick link: time to replace?

[philvantwo]

Why have 2 chains and swap them over after 250-300 miles? Makes no sense at all to me.

[andrew_s]

Why have 2 chains and swap them over after 250-300 miles? Makes no sense at all to me.

a) So that you can clean the other chain properly.
b) You get double the miles per cassette/chainring.

[gxaustin]

a) So that you can clean the other chain properly.
b) You get double the miles per cassette/chainring.

As a matter of interest, how often do you replace your chainrings and cassettes?
Mine seem to last more or less indefinitely.
Also, I can clean my chain properly in about 30mins - chain off, degrease with white spirit, lubricate with hot wax/gear oil mix and put back on.

[PJ520]

I once had a SRAM link come apart while i was riding. What i think happened was as follows: I was shifting up from the small ring to the middle ring under slight load, the ramps on the middle ring pushed one side of the link forward while the derailer cage pushed the other side of the link backward and the thing came apart. It's happened once in perhaps 50K miles and i had a spare so it's not a thing I give any thought to.

[Thornyone]

Bad assumption: I suggest you read my earlier post again. You almost certainly have just ordered a non-reusable SRAM QL.

These are called 'powerlock'.

I would gather from your earlier posts that this is not what you wanted.

You can get both Powerlock and Powerlink in 8s and 9s, eg

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/chains-spares/?brand=sram

cheers

Following your link to the SJS website I see that they offer a four unit gold 9 speed “Powerlock”. However, magnifying the photo reveals the text on the packaging to read “Powerlink”! It seems a bit of a minefield and I’ll be interested to see what my Amazon retailer supplies!

Dave

[Thornyone]

a) So that you can clean the other chain properly.
b) You get double the miles per cassette/chainring.

As a matter of interest, how often do you replace your chainrings and cassettes?
Mine seem to last more or less indefinitely.
Also, I can clean my chain properly in about 30mins - chain off, degrease with white spirit, lubricate with hot wax/gear oil mix and put back on.

How often one replaces chainrings/cassettes must depend to a large extent on mileage, type of bike, rider weight, load carried, terrain, weather etc. One job I almost never do is clean a chain. I use White Lightning wax lube, “dry” a wet chain after a wet (rain) ride (kitchen towel) then relube (the solvent in the lube seems to help displace water). I have effective mudguards and no longer ride on salted roads. I have got 7,000 miles out of 2 alternated chains but almost certainly replace before I need to because I don’t want the need to arise in the middle of nowhere and I also like really slick shifting.

Dave

[CJ]

I once had a SRAM link come apart while i was riding. What i think happened was as follows: I was shifting up from the small ring to the middle ring under slight load, the ramps on the middle ring pushed one side of the link forward while the derailer cage pushed the other side of the link backward and the thing came apart. It's happened once in perhaps 50K miles and i had a spare so it's not a thing I give any thought to.

Thanks, I was skeptical that such a thing could ever actually happen, but you've found a plausible mechanism. However it sounds a sufficiently rare and flukey ocurrence that I'll not worry about re-using quick-links regardless of what the manufacturer says.

I fit new quick-links in new chains, but always keep the old ones as spares. They're so small and light I always have one or two each of the most common types (Shimano 8,9 & 10) in my puncture kit. They get used on the broken chains of companions or strays I come across at the roadside. A worn quick-link is much better than attempting to re-rivet a chain that's not meant to be, since it can easily be replaced with a new quick-link, later for complete reliability, whereas the re-rivetted rivet looks just like all the rest until it falls out.

[PJ520]

The Park tool pliers for undoing quick links are the best thing since sliced bread, not much use on the road mind unless you're the kind who takes a track pump in a backpack (Yes I've seen it done.). For that I use the trick of putting the link at 2 o'clock on the big ring, moving the bottom of the chain up a tooth so the link stands up and whacking one side of the link, before today I've used a large pebble for said wacking.

[Brucey]

Following your link to the SJS website I see that they offer a four unit gold 9 speed “Powerlock”. However, magnifying the photo reveals the text on the packaging to read “Powerlink”! It seems a bit of a minefield and I’ll be interested to see what my Amazon retailer supplies!

Dave

I hadn't spotted that! It will indeed be interesting to see what turns up!

It seems that there is mass confusion regarding this, eg

https://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=101843

-and it may be that I have added to it; I've always been careful to buy powerlinks rather than things advertised as powerlocks in 8/9s but maybe I needed have bothered to be so careful....

cheers

[gxaustin]

I've just noticed that Tredz are selling a SRAM PowerLink Gold 9 Speed for a mere £106.95 - that's for one
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.SRAM-PowerLink ... _60240.htm

[RickH]

I've just noticed that Tredz are selling a SRAM PowerLink Gold 9 Speed for a mere £106.95 - that's for one
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.SRAM-PowerLink ... _60240.htm

It says £4.11 for me.

Were you accessing the site using an iPad? I've heard of places upping prices if they detect an Apple product accessing their site as those folk are obviously willing to pay more for stuff!

[gxaustin]

It says £4.11 for me.

So it does. How strange. It was on my lap top - but I did notice that the site didn't much like "Chrome". Maybe that is something to do with it.

[CJ]

I use the trick of putting the link at 2 o'clock on the big ring, moving the bottom of the chain up a tooth so the link stands up and whacking one side of the link, before today I've used a large pebble for said wacking.

Me too, on the road AND in the workshop. Can't see the point in buying yet another special tool when skill and a hammer do the job so well.