Chain fiddle...

[Boothy]

Easy,

I'm knocking together a cheap ride for a mate, picked up just a bog standard shimano front mech from the market, just to get it going, but the mech doesn't have a bolt / screw at the end of the arm, to allow you to thread the chain through, it's rivetted instead.

So do I break the rivet and file down a self tapping screw to fit it. Or simply break a link in the chain to loop it through?

There is no split link on the chain, so it's a question of forcing a pin out and re-linking it once the mech is on, but will this weaken the chain?

any advice very welcome.

Cheers grease monkeys.

 

[hamster]

If it's a normal 7/8/9 chain should be fine. It's the way chains have always been done until Mr Shimano came up with a new revenue opportunity selling snap off joiner pins for his chains...

Personally I have always had bad experiences with Shimano chains which seem to last about as long as chains of cardboard or cheese - KMC or SRAM seem both cheaper and longer-lasting.

 

[konahed]

I believe Shimano chains can be dodgy if they are not joined perfectly. If you botch it an make a second attempt chances are it will not last long. But get it right first time and it should be good.

 

[D_XZ]

break the chain rather than mutilate the mech! Thats how it's intended to be fitted.

 

[hamster]

I believe Shimano chains can be dodgy if they are not joined perfectly. If you botch it an make a second attempt chances are it will not last long. But get it right first time and it should be good.

I agree - for me the problem was just that they wore at the pins and stretched really quickly, not actually breaking. A bit like their chainrings, which were always super soft.

I think they really use fine tolerances to make it all shift so well in the showroom, but it just seems to be at the expense of durability.

 

[konahed]

I believe Shimano chains can be dodgy if they are not joined perfectly. If you botch it an make a second attempt chances are it will not last long. But get it right first time and it should be good.

I agree - for me the problem was just that they wore at the pins and stretched really quickly, not actually breaking. A bit like their chainrings, which were always super soft.

I think they really use fine tolerances to make it all shift so well in the showroom, but it just seems to be at the expense of durability.

what makes do you find better wearing? (for chainrings etc)

 

[Lysander]

Use a chain splitter tool- make sure ye push the rivet out just far enough to allow you to pull the link apart and put it back together when you've fed it through. The push it back in, and use the middle bit of the chain tool to make sure the link moves freely- Robert is the Brother of yer Father!

 

[Boothy]

Sound advice chaplins,

Thankyou very much.