How often do you use a chain-breaker mid-ride?

I pretty much always have a chain breaker with me when I’m out riding so I’ve been following this thread with interest:

Minimalist multitool with chain breaker.

It got me thinking – I actually can’t remember the last time I used a chain breaker while out riding. I think perhaps 2004-2005 was the last time, and it was on a friends bike and with his tools. Oh and I snapped a chain on my cargo bike but the over-complicated chain guard meant I had to wheel it home anyway.

Am I just exceptionally lucky or are broken chains actually quite rare?

(fwiw, I’m still going to keep carrying the multitool woth a chain breaker)

I’d say as much as once a year. Not necessarily on my bikes though.

Probably 20 years ago. Still take one with me though!

Twice in the last four or five years on my own bikes. It is the thing I lend to people most often though

Once in the last 10 years, but that was middle of a forest, miles away from the car or help. Glad I had it and I’m definitely one for minimalist carrying on a ride.

I think about 5 years ago.

Used mine once after a bad shift bent a chain link. It was time for a new chain ring and chain anyway. Only ever needed to do it that once when riding in my entire life.

Once in the last 15 years.

Its one of those tools where nothing else will do. Lots of incidents will have many solutions but if you want to fix a broken chain you need a chain tool. Probably used mine a handful of times in anger but glad to have it. On a multitool it adds very little weight. That said last time I broke a chain I was on the way home and near the top of a hill so went chainless and freewheeled or scooted.

I only road ride these days, but literally never in my entire life.

I don’t take a breaker with me for this reason. I am quite diligent about checking for wear and replace them quite conservatively so really the only hazard should be if I get a faulty one I suppose.

I’ve used mine three maybe four times in the last few years, always to rescue other folk! Once broke my own chain, but I was so close to home I just rolled downhill home. Carry one on longer days and multi day trips, but not on short local blasts.

Twice in about five years or so, one my bike, once for someone else

I used to break chains a lot more often years back, like everything, they (and I) have improved

Once in the last 5 years but without it there would have been a long unpleasant hike a bike back to the car as the chain had jammed the rear wheel so it couldn’t even roll

Never.

But i believe there is one on my OneUp tool.

Maybe once…in 20 years.

Once. And that was a friend’s bike in the car park. I still carry one on a multi tool

Think the last time I used one was August 2018. I remeber because the chain broke on my sons bike and I stuck another quick link in.

Still always carry one though.

And twice in one ride

Never on my own bike.

Once for my wife’s and once for a random guy in Switzerland last month. He was looking a bit lost beside a stream, I found his chain and put it back together for him.

I always carry it though as otherwise it would be ride ending and potentially a long way from home.

Most of what I carry is used on other people’s bikes. We’ve just been away for a 6 day trip and my multi tool was used once on my bike to do up some cage bolts but used multiple times a day by the rest of our group I think.

A couple of years ago, on a very cold, dark winters night about 10 miles from the nearest public road. A friend had mashed his mech and chain so I had to set him up singlespeed. One of those occasions where a 2-3 hour walk would have been necessary otherwise.

I almost needed it a couple of weeks ago when another friends chain got caught between the cassette and spokes. Luckily I managed to remove the chain by flexing the spokes enough.

Once about 6 years ago and it wasn’t for my bike.

I’m convinced that if I didn’t have a chain breaker I’d need it almost immediately.

A handful of times in the last few decades. The last one was after I gave my spare quicklink to a stranded rider then, a couple of hours later, almost inevitably broke my own chain on a steep climb. Had to rejoin the chain then ride very gingerly home.

But as above, it’s one of those things you’ll inevitably need the one time you leave it behind. That’s how emergency tools work…

Had to remove my chain for a chainless challenge race in 2015.

That’s it.

NA friend had mashed his mech and chain so I had to set him up singlespeed. One of those occasions where a 2-3 hour walk would have been necessary otherwise.

Same. Never for a broken chain. The few times I remember were because of a broken mech or hanger, once midway thru a stage of the Camino de Santiago – managed to get the last couple of hours to Burgos, and a bike shop, on singlespeed. Could equally have got a taxi, but then I wouldn’t have ridden the whole thing!

I think I needed it over lockdown but like most, it’s something I hardly ever use.

However, when I do, I’m bloody glad I’ve got one.

It’s one of those things where a bodge or a work around really isn’t going to happen. It’s either fix the chain or start scooting/walking.

To look at this from another direction, has anyone ever needed a set of quick links on a ride without needing the chain tool at the same time?

Whenever I’ve needed quick links, I’ve had to use the chain tool to remove the twisted outer plates .

Twice I’ve needed a chain tool in the last couple of years, both when a mech got mangled, on one occasion bending the chain. The other just to singlspeed it back.

Not snapped a chain for over 5 years, that was at a race. It pretty much exploded and ended up with 4 quicklinks by the end of the day. I suspect it was a knockoff.

Chains definitely fail less but mechs are still prone, especially riding somewhere rocky or a bit overgrown.

I needed one last winter when my 8 speed chain snapped and wrapped itself round the cassette, bending that beyond repair, as I was commuting home in the rain and the dark….

The chain breaker on the multitool had lost its pipn, so was useless….

I knoe carry a Topeak dedicated chain breaker in my seatpacks, as they really don;t weight that much, are easy to use compared to multitool ones, and really dont; add weight compared (as seperates) to carrying an all in one tool.

They’re thr sort of thing you’ll lig around for years, but when you need one, nothing else will do and you’ll be glad you did!

But who carries 4 spare quick-links!!!!

In more than 50 years of riding… …never.

A few years ago maybe…

But when I need one, I need it and it has rescued some big rides / days / walks home.

And a multitool is not exactly big or heavy really.

I think I’ve used one three times in the last 10 years, but those were all within a few weeks of each other, on different bikes. Two were from sticks getting into the wheel and snapping the derailleur hanger at exactly the same spot on the trail about two weeks apart. The other was a work mate who snapped a chain just as I happened to be luckily riding past. I always carry one, would not go more than walking distance from home without one.

On average about once every 12-18 months. Usually on other peoples bikes.

It’s invaluable – without it someone would be walking home which would ruin the group ride for everyone whereas with it the repair is 5-10 mins. Even if they don’t have a quick link you can rejoin the chain well enough to continue riding – at least for a short while.

But who carries 4 spare quick-links!!!!

I had two on me, one fitted to the multi tool and I had one taped to a hose.

The other two were kindly offered by nice people.
just rejoining a modern chain, as I’d tried ended predictably.

A few weeks ago when I saw a dad bending over his kid’s ebike – broken chain and fortunately I had a quick link that was the right size too.

Probably 18 months ago when I snapped a GX chain mid ride

Then probably 7 or 8 years before that when I asked the usual “got all you need?” as I passed a couple of riders fiddling with a bike in the lakes.

So not much, bot more often than the emergency tenner I still carry.

start of the year, 2 in a month, same friends bike, i told him to check his gear before peddling up a steep climb.. chains snap if you think you can grind out a steep climb in too high a gear,

I just ordered one because on the new bike I managed to bash the chainring a few times while riding over big rocks in the Peak.

It’s one of those tools where if you really need one, you’re absolutely knackered if you don’t have it. Breaking or twisting a chain is easy and it could result in an enormous, unplanned hike. Which I’d like to avoid.

In the last 5 years, two for me, and two for others in the group.
The one up one was great…once. then the tiny Allen bolt rounded.

Few months ago…

snapped chain. Remove broken link with chain tool that lives in my headset, insert my spare quick link.

half mile later, chain snaps again, adjacent link. Probably weakens by a rock strike/chainring bash.

No second pair of quick links, no quick link pliers. Tried to break and rejoin the chain the old fashioned way… lasted about 20 metres. Long walk home.

^ironically, this was the day before the leogang World Cup, site of the most famous chain snap in mtb history.

In the last twenty five years I’ve used it:

Once on my road bike.

Once on a friends road bike.

Twice on stranger’s mountain bikes.

Off the top of my head, once….. in nearly 30 years of mountain biking.