How on earth do you snap a chain?

I nearly snapped one once but noticed in time as a link was falling apart during a ride and bought another chain.

I also snapped a SS sprocket once anyone managed that.

My chain snapped as I honked away from some traffic lights. I flew over the bars and landed in a heap. Luckily the big truck behind miss me.

I also snapped a crank arm once!?

If its awesome power that snaps these chains, how come I didn’t see any broken chains in the Tour de France?

Millar missed out on a stage win in the 2008 Giro because of a snapped chain (in an escape of five, which suggests based on his stage win this time that he’d probably have got it)

Edit: And Andy Schleck lost a stage in the 2010 Tour to Contador because he snapped a chain. And not just because of Contador’s highly nutritious steak.

I’ve snapped a couple of chains before. Probably doesn’t help being 6’7″ and (at the time at least) about 16 stone. I think big heavy ungainly gear-mashers like me are always going to be a bit prone to it.

On one of those occasions it splayed out the plate, which proceeded to rip a brand new XT rear mech in half. Which was a bit of a bugger.

If its awesome power that snaps these chains, how come I didn’t see any broken chains in the Tour de France?

Cos they aren’t 6 months old and worn to hell.

Currently my chain has three ‘magic-links’ in it from two snapping moments recently. Both of them were snapped side plates (as opposed to plates coming off the pins) SRAM PC991 fwiw.

I’m a mincer and I snap loads of chains. I am a bit heavy though which may mave something to do with it.

Cos they aren’t 6 months old and worn to hell

It *does* happen though. The two examples I just gave are high profile enough to be noticed, but loads of mechanicals happen in big races, away from the glare of the cameras. We just don’t see the bike changes and cursing on the telly unless it’s Millar in a breakaway or Schleck briefly interrupted from his endless staring at Contador

I’m a 93kg bloke so not the lightest and I’ve never broken a chain. Occasional wash, bit of lube, change it when it’s stretched.

Might be because I’m more of a spinner, might be because I’m lucky, maybe because I’m awesome.

Only ever snapped one chain and i’m pretty sure that was because I got angry with the powerlinky joining thing and bodged it a bit. I did manage to rip the 16t cog on my singlespeed in half whilst attempting to stomp up a hill though. That hurt a bit.

Dave

I went through a spate of chain-snappings earlier this year after getting my drivetrain replaced by my LBS and having a Wipperman Connex(?) chain installed. Snapped three or four times, whereas prior to that I’d never snapped a chain in I dunno how many years of riding a bike.

Had it swapped over for an SRAM chain and all seems to be OK again. Dunno if I was just unlucky or whether Wipperman chains are really that bad.

Should add that I have a light touch maintenance regime on the drivetrain apart from cleaning and lubing it because anything I ever twiddle or adjust on it seems to make things worse rather than better.

Utterly unfounded conclusions by the OP. If you have no experimental data, how can you make statements about what causes a chain to snap? Go away and do some control experiments.

Cos they aren’t 6 months old and worn to hell.

Mine was about 3 days old and not worn to hell the last time I snapped one.

Snapping chains is fun sometimes we have a competetion £10 pounds in and first to snap takes the money. Or alternatively which is even more fun, the most snaps in a ride wins the golden goose.

Real men snap chains

I’ve snapped a few. Not sure how on the mtb other than maybe neglecting to maintain it. On the bmx it was due to landing on the sprocket without a bash guard on on a very badly done grind.

I’ve only ever snapped badly worn chains.
My brother however, has massive power and has snapped countless chains of all brands and ages.

My main riding mate is also an 18stone rugby player like the one mentioned earlier but he does snap chains on a regular basis mainly due to his maintenance schedule — there isn’t one. He too is a believer in the ‘ ride it until it breaks and then get my mate[ me] to fix it’ theory. His chain broke twice on an event we did as a team but we managed to get to the finish. The next event his chain broke again.
‘that’s bad luck Mick , 2 chains break in 2 weeks’, say I.
You know the answer, yes, it was the same chain now broken three times.
Amazingly we managed to finish even though the chain was so short he could hardly get any gears!
Whenever I am behind him which is often, he is incredibly stong, I am reminded of David Millar’s description of Laurence Dilaglio,’ A circus Bear on a Bike.’

And snapped again tonight… GRRR!!

Capt. Jon’s out of the saddle chain snap is one the best crashes I’ve seen. He was stopped (almost) dead by a wooden fence post.

The ooof sound he made was sublime.

My chain snappngs:

1. Not joining a shimano chain with a new pin. I was 13. I learned.
2. Bent chainring tooth.
3. SRAM hollow-pin. The snappiest chain in existence.

I now just buy cheap, and buy often. Cassettes are expensive, but cheap chains are always nearly new.

I’ve snapped a good few, mostly due to poor maintenance and letting stiff links stay stiff or forcing them to loosen up.Usually it splays the plates off a pin. But I do often choose lightweight chains, grind tall gears and weigh 17 stone too. If I were a 15 year old racing snake who span a lot and maintained my bike all the time Im sure I’d not snap any either (I seem to remember those days, and no I didn’t snap chains).

In contrast.. My not chain snappings:

Anything I’ve ever put on the singlespeed. Second-hand, cheap, half links, whatever… I do chuck them out when they’re well beyond too.

Not a 15 year old racing snake either!

where do you live op?

paulosoxo – Member
Capt. Jon’s out of the saddle chain snap is one the best crashes I’ve seen. He was stopped (almost) dead by a wooden fence post.

The ooof sound he made was sublime.

You’d have loved it when my chain slipped sending me over the bars… and putting me in hospital 😀