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

I’ve been riding since the early 90’s and remember the days when snapped chains were a regular occurrence.

I’m early/mid 80’s and it’s never been a regular occurrence.

Only time i’ve had an issue with snapping chains was a handful of (probably faulty) shimano 9 speed chains that used to fall apart, outer plates just used to pull off the pin. Eventually had all those replaced by shimano tech service, sold the replacements on and bought Campag and Sedis chains, no issue since. Never bought a shimano chain since either!

Other than the handful of shimanos that went pop in the space of a month, i’m probably on one chain snap every dozen years.

When did chains become too fragile to be split/rejoined???

(Says the man still running 8 and 9 speed drivetrains…)

When they went to mushroom headed/peined chain pins.

The pins can’t be removed and refitted without damaging the outer side plates sufficiently that they’ll no longer hold the pin. That’s where the oversized shimano pin comes from.

And it started at 8 speed IIRC.

Last time I snapped a chain was when I was EBiking on a loaner bike in Spain. First time I’d ridden one for any length of time and was a bit clumsy with the gears. We only had multitool chain breakers and they are CRAP! Had to use a combination of pebbles to get the right leverage.

So I sent one of those Topeak ones to the guy that took me out as a thank you gift 🙂

https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/maintenance/tools/topeak-link-11-stainless-steel-folding-chain-tool__30951?currency=GBP&chosenAttribute=TT2548

I have one of the old Park folding tools, which is excellent – last time it was used was a few weeks back when a young fella needed to borrow it (twice, cos the first time he’d joined the chain with it running outside the chain stay lol ). I always carry it, but not needed it myself in a very long time.

Maybe once in 20 years.

But glad I had it

On one of my own bikes virtually never (although I did two weeks ago when an outer link plate failed).

On other people’s bikes I’d say at least once or twice a year long term average. Not just splitting but stiff links as well and I vaguely recall helping someone shorten a new chain at CYB.

I probably give away at least a quick link a year as well as I’ve always got a little selection for all the different drivetrains our house has from 7 to 11 speed.

I’ve had to use mine on my own bike once in about 20 years. Stick + derailleur = walk home unless you can singlespeed it which I could because I had a chain tool and a spare link.

I’ve had plenty of incidents that required the chain to be removed, I think quick links have made that whole issue less of an issue though.

I lent my multi-tool chain breaker to someone on the Dartmoor Classic probably about 15 years ago when his chain snapped. I think that’s it.

I can only recall one other time I snapped a chain, and though I think I had a tool with me it was pretty close to a bike shop so not worth messing with it myself.

Says the man still running 8 and 9 speed drivetrains…

If you were running SRAM (and some other) chains I think that’s the last era of reusable/not mushroom pins.  Shimano was probably during 8 speed.

Honestly though I’ll take a quick link over trying to get a nicely adjusted and secure old school pin in ‘just so’.

Last summer while I had the youngest on the Mac-Ride and my then 6 year old daughter on the tag along the chain snapped about 3 miles from home. I hadn’t bothered with the multi tool with it being a lap around the block. Faced with a long push home I started on my way.

It then occurred that my daughter could possibly power us along, at least on the flatter sections. I did feel a bit self conscious about not pedaling along while she did all the work…

Never, but I do t carry half the shite people appear to either.

Keep your bike maintained and mechanical sympathy

Guess I’ve now jinxed my next ride

I recommend using yours at home, just to check it works OK and isn’t going to break on first use, or find out it’s a complete POS. The one with the Topeak Ratchet Rocket set is actually fairly decent

I used mine last year. Sons birthday, went for a family ride into Nantes for the day while on hols in france. Daughter wasn’t paying attention and rode into the back of my sons bike. Snapped the mech off at the hanger. Was fairly peeved at this point! Don’t carry a spare hanger for his bike. Used my chain breaker to singlespeed his bike and continue (gently). Saved a birthday disaster, created a good story/memory

Me this morning … whilst getting absolutely slaughtered by March flies (horse flies)

Saved me a decent walk.

Twice in 37 years of riding off road.

2nd time was last week whilst exploring in France. We were 15 miles off road away from van.

Chain broke and lost one of the little wheels so had to take out another link before repairing with a SRAM split link.

Once in 38 years but pleased I had it. Broke rear mech hanger. Had to go single speed. It would have been a long walk. Luckily for me, I  have the minuscule lightweight WTB 80’s chain breaker tool.

Twice on my own bike in 30+ years of riding.

Once on a 9sp drivetrain, my old MTB probably early 2000’s in Swinley Forest.

Second one was during the Three Peaks CX about 10 years ago. Hit a rock, pinch flatted the rear tyre and the impact bounced the bike around and knocked the chain off the big sprocket and over into the gap between cassette and spokes. One of those mechanical incidents you couldn’t repeat if you tried!

Chain was tangled behind the cassette, tyre was flat but I couldn’t get the wheel out cos there was no slack in the rear mech. Had to split the chain using the breaker tool (naturally the quick link was in the bit of the chain buried behind the cassette…), get the wheel out, fix the flat then reassemble the chain, cutting out part of the damaged section of chain.

Eventually DNF’d – the chain kept breaking, it was by then too short to use the big ring and it couldn’t take any power through it.

Had to use it a couple of times on other people’s bikes when ride-leading. Always the result of ham-fisted shifting under load.

TBH I’d say at least once a year, within my riding group. Enough I keep at least two 10/11/12 spd quick links in my bag (the 10spd can probably be retired).

Many years ago, my first foray into a forest with my brother mtb-ing, resulted with my chain broken and him with a flat tyre, we had nothing and spent a couple of hours walking out… I bought a Multitool with chainbreaker & puncture kit and and never looked back

Last year, on the Bryan Chapman audax. My chain jammed and twisted so that it would then jump with every revolution. I managed to buy a new chain in the next town and fit it on the pavement. I was a long way from the nearest train station. Other than that I can only think of two or three times other than the notoriously fragile Shimano chains of the early ’90s. Like everyone else I switched to Sedis.

I’ve only ever broken one, in the mid nineties. Never knew about Shimano faulty chains. Just realised that I only ever pack my ancient park tool if I’m on the MTB, but these days I’m riding road / gravel far more

Rarely but it’s essential when you do as there’s really not much alternative. I did have a real stroke of luck once gravel touring. I bent the chain and derailleur, broke the hanger and ripped tge cable outer. I was about 5 miles from a small town with an even smaller bike shop. We sorted the chain with 4 quicklinks and a chain cracker then single speeded to the shop. Astonishingly he had the correct hanger, his last 11 speed chain etc. He loaned me tools and space to fix the boik and after half an hour, I was back on tour. A true Gent and the best £70 spent.

I’ve just been scaning back through the stories here and I don’t think I’ve detected any use of a chain tool on a road bike. Selection bias aside, I’d be expecting at least someone to have broken a road chain. Is it really that rare?

If it helps, I was on a road section when I did mine… I know what caused it. Sudden uphill, like from flat to 15% and I dropped to the front small ring and changed to the big rear sprocket AT THE SAME TIME. This obviously put enough slack into the system to allow the derailleur to wrap and then get ripped off.

That could easily have happened to me on a 2x road bike on that section/incidence of operator error.

As the chain tool is part of the multi tool I always take, I don’t see any reason not to have a chain cracker with me on most if not all rides – just in case.

I’ve just been scaning back through the stories here and I don’t think I’ve detected any use of a chain tool on a road bike. Selection bias aside, I’d be expecting at least someone to have broken a road chain. Is it really that rare?

Three posts up from yours.

Last year, on the Bryan Chapman audax.

Three posts up from yours

*dunce hat emoji*

Last time I broke a chain was 2018 I was 120km into the Cairngorm loop. About 60km from the car. And 30km from a road.

It was a 9speed Shimano and I found I had no quick link in the usual place under the seat ….. Probably given it out to someone else when riding and not replaced.

If your careful you can rejoin a Shimano chain with a shitty multi tool and ride another 180km on it.

As it’s a tool that can’t easily be bodged or substituted and will result in a long walk on most of my rides*

I have one either in my bag or stashed on the bike and will continue till i stop riding

* If your riding is laps of a trail center then YMMV.

Used the chainbreaker twice out and about, once for me after a complete snap of the chain, second time at BPW for someone else, even gave them my spare link, was actually just happy to use it as that link had been in my kit for years!

Nowadays, always carry a breaker and 2 spare links when ebiking, the strain going through that chain at times is pretty severe, and i’m too cheap to replace chains until they’re at deaths door.

*dunce hat emoji*

Tbf it didn’t actually break, just twisted badly.

Last year some time… But it was pure neglect, the chain was shagged and I knew it.

Every other time I’ve used it for at least 5 years has been on someone else’s bike. But I’ve got a topeak hexus that has a decent chaintool built in so there’s no reason not to have it.

I have a belt drive Shand…?

Selection bias aside, I’d be expecting at least someone to have broken a road chain. Is it really that rare?

Touring tandem, yes.

Chain tension on a road bike is much lower than an MTB of course, before you consider the amount of dirt and likelihood of botched shifts under extreme load.

I have a belt drive Shand…?

Brings back memories of trek districts and the number of pissed off owners with snapped gates belts when I worked at a national retailer of treks.

Kinda like the rohloff of drive trains.

Infrequently breaks. But when it does you are walking home.

Ooo @thecaptain You’ve just reminded me, I’ve broken the drive chain a few times on the tandem. The last one was climbing Greenhow out of Pateley Bridge. We were making good progress when we came to some traffic light controlled roadworks. Cue stop/start on 15% then another as we got to the front of the lights queue. Another loaded tandem stop/start on 15% was too much for the poor chain. I chopped out the damaged links, added a quicklink and ta da! It’s happened a few times as I really don’t like getting off and walking…

Twice in 20 years.  In both cases it would’ve been ride ending, but not the end of the world.  I’d just have had to walk to the car park.  In one case, I might have been able to do something with the stainless steel cable ties I always carry.

Probably twice in the past 15 years. I think that a lot of broken chains were caused by rough front shifting which is not possible to do on most Mtbs these days with single chainrings. I always carry everything that I might reasonably need on a ride and it pisses me off when others have mechanicals and want to borrow my tools because they don’t have what they need