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

[turbofurball]

On 5/24/2021 at 12:32 AM, Tillerman6 said:

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

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?

 

Just a spare split link and pliers, as I said before - unless you're skipping chain maintenance altogether odds are against other parts of the chain failing ... in fact, I don't think I've ever had one fail like that (just on ones that have been well used and then sat in one position for a long time, or where I've bought bikes that have been neglected, or where the chain was obviously worn out but I was persevering anyway to save money).

On 5/23/2021 at 5:01 PM, Cee-B said:

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.

 

You can, but why would you?  I haven't yet worked out the point of why my o-ring chain came with a split link instead of a regular master link, because it's going to last the same amount of time as the rest of the chain - it's not like you can soak an o-ring chain without causing problems.  I do keep spare bits of chain just in case I need to 'patch' one, but so far it's just been a case that they fail in more than one place in rapid succession ... at some point I could string them all together for a freebie though 😅