I'm stumped HELP!
#26
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#27
The nice thing about knowing how bikes work is that you can choose options that are better than what the instructions say. At the shops I worked at we set the chain long if it caused no issues because it was better for the customers.
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#28
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Obviously the derailleur. Because chain link lengths are so different.
Last edited by smd4; 04-24-24 at 08:04 PM.
#30
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#31
The problem we see in this forum, over and over, is that people don't know what they don't know. If you have a bike already and you buy a chain, the only instructions you're aware of are the ones in the chain package.
#32
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I guess. This is sort of the problem. You and I have both dealt with it. Bicycles are “simple” machines. Replacing a chain should be a simple matter.
#33
Nothing wrong with doing so, except that chain length instructions for Shimano come with the derailleur, but SRAM come with the chain. If you buy a SRAM chain for your Shimano derailleur bike, which instructions?
The nice thing about knowing how bikes work is that you can choose options that are better than what the instructions say. At the shops I worked at we set the chain long if it caused no issues because it was better for the customers.
The nice thing about knowing how bikes work is that you can choose options that are better than what the instructions say. At the shops I worked at we set the chain long if it caused no issues because it was better for the customers.
Bought new car distributor on amazon, came with zero instructions. Thank goodness there was a great private video on youtube on how and where to use a paper clip to short the timing advance and then how to time it. These things used to be more straightforward. Newer cars have no distributor.
#34
In many ways, modern bikes are more problematic than the ones they replaced. But you get an extra cog and a half pound less bike.
But the easiest way to replace a chain is to just make the new chain the same length as the old one.
Last edited by Kontact; 04-24-24 at 08:44 PM.
#36
The previous guy might have also installed gearing that has no correct chain length. My MTB chain is "too long", but I don't shift into those gears.
I was just speaking about replacing the chain on a working bike, not building a bike out of parts.
I was just speaking about replacing the chain on a working bike, not building a bike out of parts.
#37
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That’s why I’m curious as to how the OP arrived at this particular length. Did he measure it against the old chain? Maybe just eyeball it? It’s so short that I have a hard time understanding how this length was determined. With the OP AWOL, we may never know.
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#38
That might have been me. I've always sized chains this way, preferring to carry the longest chain that works.
But you have to follow the entire set of instructions, understanding that small/small is used to determine the MAXIMUM chain length, and big/big the MINIMUM.
Also, that the MINIMUM is the more critical consideration.
But you have to follow the entire set of instructions, understanding that small/small is used to determine the MAXIMUM chain length, and big/big the MINIMUM.
Also, that the MINIMUM is the more critical consideration.
You said chains should be sized based purely on small small. I and a bunch of others tried to explain to you that sizing a chain blindly on small small is a terrible idea because a mechanic cannot safely assume that every unknown bike's owner has installed a derailleur with sufficient capacity. It will damage the drivetrain and bike frame.
It went back and forth for a while but ultimately you were too unintelligent to understand, and insisted that sizing only based on small small was totally fine... And that's the hill you died on. A person like you had no business touching bikes.
Don't tell lies, dummy.
Last edited by Yan; 04-25-24 at 06:04 AM.
#40
Small small is best as long as you know the total capacity doesn't exceed the derailleur capacity. Max chain length puts less wear on the drivetrain and future proofs the bike against a larger cassette being added without accounting for chain length.
Any fool would know that.
Any fool would know that.
It would be fine if you only ever work on your own bikes.
#41
Not really. Aside from many derailleurs having a fairly obvious capacity, you can check it simply by putting the amount of chain you've measured from small small on the Big Big before cutting. Pretty easy.
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#42
The problem is that some people such as kcjc don't bother with this step.
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#44
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Everything is simple for those who know. As Kontact pointed out, people don't know what they don't know.
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
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#45
Nope. I never argued for such a thing. That's revisionist history to hide your own humiliation.
You said chains should be sized based purely on small small. I and a bunch of others tried to explain to you that sizing a chain blindly on small small is a terrible idea because a mechanic cannot safely assume that every unknown bike's owner has installed a derailleur with sufficient capacity. It will damage the drivetrain and bike frame.
It went back and forth for a while but ultimately you were too unintelligent to understand, and insisted that sizing only based on small small was totally fine... And that's the hill you died on. A person like you had no business touching bikes.
Don't tell lies, dummy.
You said chains should be sized based purely on small small. I and a bunch of others tried to explain to you that sizing a chain blindly on small small is a terrible idea because a mechanic cannot safely assume that every unknown bike's owner has installed a derailleur with sufficient capacity. It will damage the drivetrain and bike frame.
It went back and forth for a while but ultimately you were too unintelligent to understand, and insisted that sizing only based on small small was totally fine... And that's the hill you died on. A person like you had no business touching bikes.
Don't tell lies, dummy.
Need 7 speed chain help!!!
#47
Enjoy, starts with post #11, Need 7 speed chain help!!!
You are not only mentally challenged but morally absent. Your whole BS was small/small technique would result in a chain that is too short, so stop pretending now others have joined in and point out your mistake. The community can judge for themselves as you cannot delete the thread or edit my responses that quote your replies. So are you going to cry to admin to purge the thread next?!
Need 7 speed chain help!!!
You are not only mentally challenged but morally absent. Your whole BS was small/small technique would result in a chain that is too short, so stop pretending now others have joined in and point out your mistake. The community can judge for themselves as you cannot delete the thread or edit my responses that quote your replies. So are you going to cry to admin to purge the thread next?!
Need 7 speed chain help!!!
What's with the gaslighting? Are you a psycho or what? Anyone can read that thread and immediately notice that you're clueless. Check it out, direct quotes from our conversation in the thread you linked:
That would work fine on an officially compatible groupset, but if you accidentally followed this procedure on a mismatched drivetrain, you could end up with a too-short chain which would cause your drivetrain to explode the first time you ride the bike. Sizing big-big and ending up with your derailleur unable to take up all the slack is no big deal. Sizing small-small and ending up with a too short chain will snap your derailleur off, probably damaging the frame in the process.
Uhm? That's BS. At worst, you would end up with a chain that might be too long. It's based on the chain ring and rear derailleur; branding plays no role except for the length of the derailleur cage (and pulley for those that buy into that crap) and the number of teeth on the front chain ring. My bike on the trainer is a mix of drivetrain, and it works fine if you follow directions.
You deny saying that? HELLO??? What kind of next level shameless psycho lying is this? Did you even bother to read the thread before you tried to gaslight everybody?
No, idiot. At worst would not be "end up with a chain that might be too long". At worst would be your derailleur snaps in half and your derailleur hanger is ripped off your frame.
And just to remove any doubt about how clueless you are, here you are later in the same thread arguing with other people who tried to tell you that it's a bad idea"
What's your next excuse, that it's the mechanic's fault for not first making sure the bike's components haven't been messed with?
"It wouldn't make a difference," he says. There goes that excuse.
Do everybody a favor, never touch a bicycle again in your life. This forum is going to the dogs more everyday with absolute amateur hack mechanics like yourself polluting the space with terrible incorrect posts. If you want to screw with your own stuff like an idiot, fine, but don't sabotage others and cause them to damage their bikes.
Last edited by Yan; 04-25-24 at 09:04 AM.
#48
Do everybody a favor, never touch a bicycle again in your life. This forum is going to the dogs more everyday with clueless hack mechanics like yourself polluting the space with terrible incorrect posts. If you want to screw with your own stuff like a clueless idiot, fine, but don't sabotage others.
#49
That would work fine on an officially compatible groupset, but if you accidentally followed this procedure on a mismatched drivetrain, you could end up with a too-short chain which would cause your drivetrain to explode the first time you ride the bike. Sizing big-big and ending up with your derailleur unable to take up all the slack is no big deal. Sizing small-small and ending up with a too short chain will snap your derailleur off, probably damaging the frame in the process.
Uhm? That's BS. At worst, you would end up with a chain that might be too long. It's based on the chain ring and rear derailleur; branding plays no role except for the length of the derailleur cage (and pulley for those that buy into that crap) and the number of teeth on the front chain ring. My bike on the trainer is a mix of drivetrain, and it works fine if you follow directions.
Once again, you are mentally challenged and morally absent.
#50
You seem to think that I somehow suggested that small small would "always" result in a too short chain. Where in the freaking hell did I say "always"? Where is your reading comprehension???
What I said was:
That would work fine on an officially compatible groupset, but if you accidentally followed this procedure on a mismatched drivetrain, you could end up with a too-short chain which would cause your drivetrain to explode the first time you ride the bike. Sizing big-big and ending up with your derailleur unable to take up all the slack is no big deal. Sizing small-small and ending up with a too short chain will snap your derailleur off, probably damaging the frame in the process.
What I said was A) it would work fine on a compatible drive train; however B) it wouldn't work on a mismatched drivetrain.
And since mechanics work on unknown bikes, it's too dangerous to blindly assume what the previous guy installed was compatible. The question is not whether you know what is compatible on YOUR OWN bike. The question is, as a mechanic working on unknown bikes, do you know what the PREVIOUS guy installed? No you don't know, so you'd better not blindly assume, because if you blindly assume wrong, then you'll damage the bike.
What's difficult to understand about this child level simple concept??? HELLO???
Last edited by Yan; 04-25-24 at 09:24 AM.