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Carry a chain breaker tool on the trail? Good idea?


Tillerman6
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What do you guys think?  Ever needed one on the trail? What kind of a problem did you have with the chain to begin with?  I can't see even owning one for the shop much less taking it on the trail.  Opinions/ experiences - please explain in detail.

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 Well, if you don`t own a chain breaker then you have not been into motorcycles very long. And the mini chain breaker was invented like in the 70`s to carry in your tool kit. The only chain related common problem is throwing a chain and it getting stuck around the front sprocket. The correct way to fix this problem is to remove the flywheel cover to back the chain off by turning the flywheel backwards. 

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53 minutes ago, turbofurball said:

I like to have a chain with a split link, and just keep pliers and a spare split link if I'm going a long distance.

Sorry for the dumb questions but what is a “split link”?

 

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11 hours ago, lineaway said:

 Well, if you don`t own a chain breaker then you have not been into motorcycles very long. And the mini chain breaker was invented like in the 70`s to carry in your tool kit. The only chain related common problem is throwing a chain and it getting stuck around the front sprocket. The correct way to fix this problem is to remove the flywheel cover to back the chain off by turning the flywheel backwards. 

So the mini chain breaker tool is useless on the trail. No way to push out a pin that is not ground off on one side first.

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44 minutes ago, faussy said:

When you buy a new chain and you need to shorten it to fit your bike

If you have an electric grinder available then you can use the chain breaker tool. But on the trail it is of no use. Correct?

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Yup, that's a split link.  Trials bikes usually have them as standard whereas many trail / enduro bikes (and road bikes) use o-ring chains with a master link.  If you're only riding trails and it won't rub on the frame then an o-ring chain is better, but not serviceable on the roadside.

Because I'm special my commuter road bike has an o-ring chain with a split link 😅

As for chain tools, I use a grinder, link breaker, and a link splitter / master link tool for the road bikes.  They all have their uses, but if you think a link splitter alone is a good way to take apart a serious road chain it might behoove you to know it's much easier with a grinder and breaker combo!

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5 hours ago, turbofurball said:

Yup, that's a split link.  Trials bikes usually have them as standard whereas many trail / enduro bikes (and road bikes) use o-ring chains with a master link.  If you're only riding trails and it won't rub on the frame then an o-ring chain is better, but not serviceable on the roadside.

Because I'm special my commuter road bike has an o-ring chain with a split link 😅

As for chain tools, I use a grinder, link breaker, and a link splitter / master link tool for the road bikes.  They all have their uses, but if you think a link splitter alone is a good way to take apart a serious road chain it might behoove you to know it's much easier with a grinder and breaker combo!

The type of joining link does not depend on the type of chain. You can get split links, solid rivet links and soft (hollow) rivet links for all chain types - standard, o-ring or x-ring.

 

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On 5/22/2021 at 7:19 AM, faussy said:

 

LINK-JTC-420HDR-SL_1024x1024.jpg

That's what (in the USA) they call a master link.  But I'm glad I asked. Thanks!

On 5/22/2021 at 5:33 AM, turbofurball said:

I like to have a chain with a split link, and just keep pliers and a spare split link if I'm going a long distance.

Turbofurball- That could mean several different things.  My standard equipment on the bike is a chain with a split link, so that's a given. But what - in addition to that would you carry for a trip that is too far to walk back without your bike?  Just another split link, or another chain plus another split link?

 

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