Oops,..

[PCeBiker]

I washed my bike today and noticed this,..

I removed my chain a month or so ago to clean and lube it and didn't string it through the derailleur correctly when I reinstalled it.

I almost never pedal but I did notice some drag when I spun the crank backwards.
I just thought my drive train was a little seized up from not being used.

I did a pretty good number on the retaining tab,..

I tried to remove the Missing Link in the chain and it wouldn't budge.

I couldn't squeeze the handles hard enough to pop the link open, so I put pieces of pipe on the handles for more leverage and ended up bending the handles on two pairs of chain link pliers,..

I've struggled with those damn things every time I've tried to pop them open (at least ½ dozen times), so I used the only method that works to open it,..

You have to line up the jaws of the adjustable pliers so they push on the outsides of the link at an angle.
You can't just squeeze the whole link.

I'd suggest to everyone that if you think that you're prepared to open a quick link in the field, you should see if you can open it.
They say you can reuse the links but they wear out if open and close them too often, but you can't reuse them if you have to use a bolt cutter or angle grinder to get them off.


I guess that I'm going have to carry my adjustable pliers with me on my ebike if I ever expect to remove my chain?

 

[PCeBiker]

These are the links I'm using,..

I bought the links for my first e-bike that has an 8-speed chain and my new e-bike has a 7-speed chain so I used the links that I had.

I guess it was a smidgen loose, and then it got scraped through that tab which may have had a lot to do with why it was jammed, but I've always struggled to get them opened.

This was the first time I bent my tool though.

I wonder if I could break the Park Tool version or the chain link tool?

 

[il Munduato]

Next time spray lube it and hit it with a heat gun.

.... and yeah, route it correctly

.... and .... and... I carry a little eye dropper bottle with some WD40 in my bike tool kit. 1 with isopropyl alcohol too

 

[spokewrench]

I removed my chain a month or so ago to clean and lube it and didn't string it through the derailleur correctly when I reinstalled it.

I almost never pedal but I did notice some drag when I spun the crank backwards.
I just thought my drive train was a little seized up from not being used.

I guess that I'm going have to carry my adjustable pliers with me on my ebike if I ever expect to remove my chain?

Wrong lube. I use my chain lube on a steel trap that's in the weather year round. Rust used to bind it up. Now it doesn't rust or bind, month after month.
Five years ago I bought a jacket with a big brass zipper that would jam. Graphite fluid for locks worked but didn't last. My chain lube, applied with a cotton swab, worked and lasted. A few weeks ago I ran the jacket through the laundry. I figured I'd have to reapply the chain lube, but I didn't.

I take the precaution of pedaling a few miles a day to keep the chain joints free in case I have to pop a link.

If you have chain trouble in the field, you could do what I did when I cracked my seat post hitting a speed bump at 24 mph. For some reason, I couldn't pedal very well without the seat to stabilize my butt. Then I remembered I had a hub motor for emergencies like that. I stood on the pedals and throttled home. Just remember not to ride without your battery and you should be okay.