• This topic has 27 replies, 20 voices, and was last updated 12 years ago by Del.
Viewing 28 posts - 1 through 28 (of 28 total)
  • Any ideas why my chain keeps snapping?
  • firepoiboy
    Full Member

    X7 front, X9 rear, XT chainset, XT cassette, SRAM chain.

    When I built up my old hardtail last year I thought I’d give SRAM a go seeing as it seemed to be getting more popular, but now i seem to be paying a price.
    I’m not really happy with the X9, so am thinking about reverting to shimano anyway but does anyone have any ideas how I’ve set up the drive train so wrong that I’ve ripped up two chains? I have tuned the gears to such a degree that they don’t make any noise, and change pretty quickly, albeit quite definitely (read loud clunk), with the SRAM compared to the Shimano I am used to. The X9 has not seen that much use and after my last ride i left the chain on the biggest ring allowing the mud to dry and now the spring doesn’t want to pull the chain off the bigger rings.

    It’s doing my nut in!

    swap an X9 rear setup for an XT anyone?

    PJM1974
    Free Member

    Is the chain breaking in the same place?

    neilsonwheels
    Free Member

    Too many pies.?

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    firepoiboy
    Full Member

    nope a couple of chains in different places

    if i turn sideways i disappear

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    crunching gear changes?

    steve_b77
    Free Member

    You are Fabian Cancellara in disguise and can generate one point twenty one jigga watts – thread closed

    highclimber
    Free Member

    cranking hard in the wrong gear putting excessive strain on the chain?

    backcountrybiking
    Free Member

    old chain will break, generally It’s a sign

    flow
    Free Member

    Wait one second, I will telepathically connect with your chain and ask it exactly what the problem is…

    Stoatsbrother
    Free Member

    My eldest sprog broke a chain last week. X9 with decent cassette and chain in good nick. He isn’t heavy or strong.

    Just poor technique changing down going uphill with too much pressure.

    firepoiboy
    Full Member

    well if there’s no better ideas I’ll go for being double hard….. ……..but only on my hard tail, on the squish with XT all over I have never broken a chain, both bikes built from scratch, by my hands.

    so back to the original question anyone want to swap my X9 shifter n rear for and XT, the X9 is really good honest 🙂

    whinosp
    Free Member

    I snapped a lot of chains by changing too many gears across the cassette in one go, using old twisty gripshift. Seems to worked itself out as a problem now as I use trigger shifters.

    neilsonwheels
    Free Member

    Devil dice. 😀

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    Keef
    Free Member

    too many torques………….

    nmdbase
    Free Member

    Crap gear changes under load I recon

    _tom_
    Free Member

    SRAM chains are shite in my experience. I now use KMC and am yet to snap one.

    Deveron53
    Free Member

    I’ve seen many chains from my bike shop days. Shimano ones snapped at the place of joining. Sram ones almost never snapped. Are you using the power link? The only Sram chain I ever saw snap was during a crash that a mate of mine had at a NPS 4x race. Big crash, extreme forces. It didn’t snap at the power link though!

    jimc101
    Free Member

    Had a PC951 recently which would snap every other ride in a different place, gave up, and replaced it, just bad luck? don’t know, but will be looking at KMC for new chains in future

    Jeffus
    Free Member

    I’ve snapped 3 SRAM chains and worn out a couple of dozen shimano xt and mainly xtr with no snappage, don’t know why they snapped, all 3 were the crossstep sram is it 991nmodel.

    Deveron53
    Free Member

    Sram chains are not shite. They are from the old Sachs Sedis design – superb German engineering.

    firepoiboy
    Full Member

    Interesting stuff lads but I think I’m missing something. Both of my bikes are built, serviced and ridden by me, one snaps chains the other doesn’t. I can’t imagine my gear changes are any different on each bike, I do ride both of them up fairly steep stuff in Malvern though, perhaps the suspension on the stumpy takes some of the force out of my “crap gear changes under load”.

    Stumpy has XT all over apart from the SRAM chain, hardtail has the SRAM front and rear mech with the SRAM chain, it breaks randomly not on the power link. I’ve always used SRAM chains after having a few crap shimano ones years ago.

    I guess one way to test the theory is to swap derailleurs on the bikes, don’t know if I can really be ar5ed though.

    Mascy
    Free Member

    Friday chain?

    I have to admit I try to use SRAM’s, slotted PC-89’s being my fave chain ever (but unfortunately now discontinued), never snapped a single SRAM – even the 89’s despite being slotted, I must have had at least 20 of them, used on both road & mtb.

    Haven’t bothered with Shimano’s for years, mainly on advice from you lot. Had a deal off someone here with a Connex & broke a side plate on that (Tour of Wessex day 1, fortunately had a chain tool with me!) so back to SRAM’s. Although they do seem to be getting jolly expensive these days. Maybe I ought to look at some of the KMC’s….

    njee20
    Free Member

    I’ve snapped every brand of chain I’ve owned; SRAM, Shimano, KMC. IMO they’re all fairly similar, I don’t think SRAM are as good as they were, and they’re expensive.

    Not really relevant, but I do disagree with things like this:

    The only Sram chain I ever saw snap was during a crash that a mate of mine had at a NPS 4x race

    Which somehow imply SRAM are wildly superior!

    flow
    Free Member

    KMC are pretty good, Shimano chains are shite, not had a Sram one yet.

    timnwild
    Full Member

    I had a similar problem on my hardtail – lots of chain snapping, including replacement brand new ones, and it turned out to be worn/bent teeth on the chainrings and cassette, twisting it and creating pressure points. Maybe check your chainrings and cassette carefully for bent or worn teeth, cos they’re not always easy to spot, but a little damage can really mess up the chain.

    If my mates knew I’d actually answered a mechanical question, they’d laugh their asses off.

    flow
    Free Member

    New chain – old cassette = no

    Mascy
    Free Member

    I’ve snapped every brand of chain I’ve owned

    I’m sure that’s your dodgy riding style 😉

    I don’t think SRAM are as good as they were, and they’re expensive

    They certainly are in **your** shop (not that that’ll stop me buying them there)

    Del
    Full Member

    would be a lot easier to put the chain on your fs…
    if a chain snaps once on me i bin it. i suspect you’ve just been unlucky.
    i’ll give you 50p and a bunch of grapes for your sram setup 😀

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