Chain length – how short is too short?

Chain is vaguely S-shaped as it passes thru the mech but only just

Hard tail vs full sus, shimano vs SRAM these effect chain length photos please. At a minimum you want to be able to run big big with out ripping your mech off even at full compression I.e full chain growth.

According to Pinkbike, this is too short…

And this is just right…

Edit: Epic fail on posting pictures into thread, so go read it yourself here

Hardtail with Shimano transmission

I always thought it was big-ring+big cog (no mechs) then add 2 links.

That pinkbike image showing “just right” looks like this:

Just fitted a new sox rear mech to Kona fs
Instructionssay to set chain length on big/big through mech and at full compression, then add 2 links
I just let the air out of shock, pressed down on seat, used bit of wire to hold chain together whilst checking/setting length.
Seems OK 😆

As above big ring to big ring with no mech + two links

Thanks – that photo is actually slightly worse than mine looks

It’s not a gear you should normally use, so the length is just there to make sure that if you do select that gear (easily done when nightriding), it wont snap your mech off.

Oh god, you’re going to set GW and TJ off again!!!!

“add 2 links”
“+ two links “
harking back to ‘that’ thread, what are you calling 1 link?
-Length of 1 inner or outer plate (distance from one chain pin to next)
-Or perhaps confusingly 1 pair of inner and outer plates (distance from one chain pin to next to one after)

“not a gear you should normally use”
IIRC the other element of ‘that’ thread was this when applied to big-big method on a 1×9/1×10 setup