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.

 

[Nvreloader]

Spokewrench
Nice Conibear (imitation of the original), spent many of hours setting them for marsh rabbit (Muskrats), averaged 50-60 per day, several times. The 330 will get your attention when THEY bite.
Tia

 

[spokewrench]

Spokewrench
Nice Conibear (imitation of the original), spent many of hours setting them for marsh rabbit (Muskrats), averaged 50-60 per day, several times. The 330 will get your attention when THEY bite.
Tia

Gray squirrels, AKA tree rats. It's 4 feet off the ground on a 2x4 leaning against my wall, 30 degrees from vertical. It seems like squirrels are the only animals around her that will go up a board like that. They look for a way in, where they can breed, cause terrible destruction, and bring their offspring out to destroy apples and pecans, taking one bite and discarding the rest. I believe black snakes are effective, but people around here kill all snakes.

 

[Nvreloader]

SW
I figured that it was some type of critter, seeing the bottom jaw was pegged to hold it in place, I was thinking of Barn rats...lol
If I lived around there, there would be a shortage of tree rats, my favorite critter to thump, my Aussies would go crazy treeing them.

 

[PCeBiker]

Oh FFS !!!,..

I decided to grind down the tip of my multi-tool so it would fit into the Missing Link,..

I was grinding away for twenty minutes when I finally realized that it doesn't need to fit into the link if I fold the chain over like in the picture I posted. Duh

The problem was that the chain wants to fall together on itself with the pins offset so the chain gets in the way. The Missing Link is flopping around and it's hard the grip the thing with the pliers held crooked,..

So,..
I stuck a small Allen key down inside the link. It stabilized everything and I could easily hold the chain steady while I grabbed it with my pliers held off kilter,..

So I managed to figure out a way to get the link off with the tools that I always have with me.
I just have to take the chain off the chain wheel and tie up the derailleur to get enough slack in the chain to fold it.


And as an added bonus, I now have ultra-thin needle nose pliers for all those hard to reach places.

 

[spokewrench]

Give a rat a furry tale and people think he's adorable. I shot and ate one in high school, but the amount of meat was disappointing. Similar experiences helped me in Biology. I'd finish a dissection in 5 minutes.
A neighbor in his 90s used to keep our squirrels under control. When there were too many in his apple trees, he'd kill half a dozen in a couple of minutes with his shotgun, right here in town. After he died, gray foxes protected us for a couple of years. I saw one go up a tree trunk faster than a squirrel. When we were again overrun, I used the Conibear and a high-voltage trap to kill 16 in a few weeks. I also got a couple of chipmunks, whose holes can damage foundations. We need predators!

 

[spokewrench]

I was grinding away for twenty minutes when I finally realized that it doesn't need to fit into the link if I fold the chain over like in the picture I posted. Duh

The problem was that the chain wants to fall together on itself with the pins offset so the chain gets in the way. The Missing Link is flopping around and it's hard the grip the thing with the pliers held crooked,..

So,..
I stuck a small Allen key down inside the link. It stabilized everything and I could easily hold the chain steady while I grabbed it with my pliers held off kilter,..

So I managed to figure out a way to get the link off with the tools that I always have with me.
I just have to take the chain off the chain wheel and tie up the derailleur to get enough slack in the chain to fold it.


And as an added bonus, I now have ultra-thin needle nose pliers for all those hard to reach places.

Amazon.com

Three years ago I bought this on an e-biker's recommendation. Not long afterward, I replaced my mailbox. The nuts and bolts holding it on had been rusting 30 years. It looked like a job for an angle grinder or hacksaw blade, but they would have damaged the frame. A shot of Free All cleaned up the rusty connectors so well that I could mostly unscrew them with my fingers. In fact, I greased and re-used them.

If corrosion was preventing you from popping the link, that stuff could have made a big difference. Who wants to carry an aerosol can in a bicycle tool kit? The liquid container is a gallon.

I bought a couple of those links so I could remove a pin to soak my chain because I couldn't believe that my lube had kept it as clean as it looked. I figured I had pliers that could pop open a link. To pop it closed, I thought I'd put a nail through the link on each side and pry the nails apart. It took more force than that, so I bought the special pliers.

 

[il Munduato]

The KMC ones can be very tough, especially on first use so I tried some knockoffs and haven't had any issues in many thousands of miles.
Risk Quick Link
Mucho easier and take the amount of force one would expect.
So cheap... no reason to reuse.

 

[PCeBiker]

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

Wrong lube.

I've been waxing my chain in hot wax, and I'm Really Liking It !!

Being as I finally got my chain apart, I waxed it again,..

This time I didn't get all carried away with washing it three times, including brake cleaner and acetone, and just washed it in the sink with hot water and dish soap to get the dirt out. (no oil to dissolve)

Then I dried it on the stove to boil off the water,..

Then into the sauce pan with the hardened wax from the previous treatment,..

Melt the wax, simmer on low for 10 minutes, remove from heat, let stand for ten minutes, season to taste, and it's ready.

It only took 20 minutes to wax my chain this time.
I do it twice a year.


I don't like oily lubes because it's fricken messy. It gets all over your pant cuffs and dirt sticks to it and gets caked all over your derailleur.
If you ever drop your chain, your hands are a fricken mess by the time you get it back on the chain ring.
The grit that sticks to the oil works its way into the chain and grinds away at it.

I messed around with my chain for an hour taking pictures and my hands didn't get dirty.

 

[spokewrench]

I've been waxing my chain in hot wax, and I'm Really Liking It !!

Being as I finally got my chain apart, I waxed it again,..

I don't like oily lubes because it's fricken messy. It gets all over your pant cuffs and dirt sticks to it and gets caked all over your derailleur.
If you ever drop your chain, your hands are a fricken mess by the time you get it back on the chain ring.

The trap might look oily, but it doesn't get dirty. It's a dry lube from Canada. I started using it because I didn't like getting oily grime on my hands and trouser cuffs.

 

[PCeBiker]

The KMC ones can be very tough, especially on first use so I tried some knockoffs and haven't had any issues in many thousands of miles.
Risk Quick Link
Mucho easier and take the amount of force one would expect.
So cheap... no reason to reuse.

I actually bought a few knockoff links but I was nervous about using them because I thought they might break or fall apart, but like you say, they're cheap, and they're tiny, so carrying a few spares with me is no big deal.

I found this on the KMC website,..

I don't know what the difference between the two are, but I should be fine with my 8S Missing Link for both my e-bikes.

And I found these,..

I would only need the opener. Closing them is easy.

But being as I just took the grinder to my $75 multi-tool and figured out how to use it, I'm just going to use it to open a link if it's really stuck.

 

[il Munduato]

I actually bought a few knockoff links but I was nervous about using them because I thought they might break or fall apart, but like you say, they're cheap, and they're tiny, so carrying a few spares with me is no big deal.

I found this on the KMC website,..

View attachment 186548View attachment 186549


I don't know what the difference between the two are, but I should be fine with my 8S Missing Link for both my e-bikes.

And I found these,..

View attachment 186552View attachment 186553



I would only need the opener. Closing them is easy.

But being as I just took the grinder to my $75 multi-tool and figured out how to use it, I'm just going to use it to open a link if it's really stuck.

I've yet to have one fail and my bikes are 750w and 1000w mid drives. They outlast the chain.
But like you said I do carry a pair of spares in my tool bag just in case.

Can't go through all that to wax a chain. I use Boeshield T9 which is basically wax in a solvent. After applying you let it set in and then wipe off the extra solvent. It's still a little messy but it's super easy. Twice a year seems sparse even for a good wax.

The eye dropper of WD40 is an emergency tool. Sometimes you need a little lube and it's very slippery as well as penetrating to help get things apart in a pinch.

 

[Nvreloader]

The problem I had was attempting to lock the quik link closed, regardless how I tried I couldn't get it to lock. I finally used a small tapered screw driver that just fit between the rollers, set it on top of a adjustable end wrench slot and tapped it with the chain breaker, then it locked closed very Easley.
I can open the QL with the link pliers very easy, but had problems closing it to lock.

 

[mschwett]

The problem I had was attempting to lock the quik link closed, regardless how I tried I couldn't get it to lock. I finally used a small tapered screw driver that just fit between the rollers, set it on top of a adjustable end wrench slot and tapped it with the chain breaker, then it locked closed very Easley.
I can open the QL with the link pliers very easy, but had problems closing it to lock.

Standing on the pedals with your hand on the brakes and the front tire up against a wall will usually close a fussy quick link - but most of the time, if they’re that hard to close, they aren’t quite aligned right.

as to all the shenanigans to get those links open, probably time to switch chains, lube, quick links, or all of the above. Have never had those problems on 11 or 12 speed shimano and kmc chains. It does take a bit of force sometimes but certainly never enough to bend a tool!

 

[PCeBiker]

I can open the QL with the link pliers very easy, but had problems closing it to lock.

Standing on the pedals

All I have to do is pull on the chain to lock my QL's
It's opening them that's always been a problem.

,.. It does take a bit of force sometimes but certainly never enough to bend a tool!

To be fair, both my pliers are just stamped metal and they're not hardened,..



One pair I made out of a crappy pair of C-clip pliers, and the other pair is a tiny four dollar piece of junk,..

The little pair is kinda Kool because it is nice and small, and two sets of QL's clip into the handle.

Good luck getting the KMC QL's off the handle though without a proper QL tool.

The KMC opener tool is almost $35, and the Park Tool push-pull, all-in-one tool is $27 (it shows each hand wrapped around the handle)

 

[PCeBiker]

To be fair, both my pliers are just stamped metal and they're not hardened,..

One pair I made out of a crappy pair of C-clip pliers,..

I actually bought a better set of C-clip pliers so I thought I'd try them,..

The straight pair opened up at an angle, so it kept slipping off the pins,..

The bent pair stays square with it opened up, and it works fine!!
It would take one hell of a squeeze to bend or break that pliers.

 

[il Munduato]

Standing on the pedals with your hand on the brakes and the front tire up against a wall will usually close a fussy quick link - but most of the time, if they’re that hard to close, they aren’t quite aligned right.

as to all the shenanigans to get those links open, probably time to switch chains, lube, quick links, or all of the above. Have never had those problems on 11 or 12 speed shimano and kmc chains. It does take a bit of force sometimes but certainly never enough to bend a tool!

Might be something to do with the KMC 6,7,8 sp quick link...
The one that came with my KMC e8 chain was ridiculously hard to close.