Bicycle chains: varieties, selection, installation

The number of parts and functional units of a bicycle includes dozens of important elements, without which the bicycle will not exactly budge. In addition to the integrity of the wheels, brakes, steering wheel and pedals, the condition of the chain is also checked before each ride. A bicycle chain - like a motorcycle chain - is a vital transmission element along with asterisks.

A bicycle chain, unlike, for example, an anchor chain, has a slightly different structure. Its links are located approximately in the same plane, and not perpendicular to each other according to the principle of “through one”. The design of the bicycle chain consists of collapsible links connected to each other by means of riveted (wedged in) to the beginning and end of each link of the pins. So that the gaps into which the teeth of the sprockets enter do not narrow, interfering with confident movement, but remain constant over the width of the gap, the links connected to each other are individually worn, or rather, fixed to each such pin - fixing rings ("glasses").

As a result, one pair of links - internal and external (the first is worn into the second) - forms a fragment from which one can make a chain of almost unlimited length. The half-link — internal or external — is half an inch. For Half-Link chains, one link enters the other on each pin in the same way. Each link is extended from one end to the other. Here the links are no longer replaced in pairs, but one by one.

A conventional chain of 108 links is used mainly in single-speed transmission, where excessive chain length is not needed. In the assembled and ready-to-use chain transmission, the 108-link chain is firmly attached to the front and rear sprockets and clearly conveys movement.

The mechanical gearshift on most bikes uses a significantly longer chain (110-126 links) - such a reserve is necessary so that it covers the largest stars in front and behind, and a spring-loaded roller with the same teeth, which is an even smaller asterisk, pulls the chain, eliminating slack and allowing the cyclist to ride at any of the available speeds. On high-speed bikes, the chain length is 114 or more links.

Chains are divided by type on products for single-speed and multi-speed bicycles.

Single speed chains are made of thicker steel. This is primarily due to the absence of neighboring stars on the cassette with the rear sprocket. There is no restriction on free space, which otherwise the manufacturer would save so that the rear of the frame and the bike itself would not “inflate” to the right, and the bike would not shift the center of gravity from the wheel to the side.

This chain, with regular lubrication with at least ordinary engine oil, can cover 10 thousand km or more - it is almost not stretched, and the sprockets with their teeth enter the chain slots for the entire length, effectively distributing the load on the chain and transferring force from the pedals to the rear wheel. Such chains are placed on road city bikes and women's cruisers, fixed-gear bikes, on all children's and many teenage models. The design of the chain link is extremely simple: external and internal plates, pins, rollers ("glasses"). The width of the chain is 8-11 mm.

For multi-speed bikes, a narrower chain is used. As an additional spare part, the pin surrounds the inner glass, and it looks thinner. If you put a “one-speed” chain on a multi-speed bike, then it will ride only on the largest asterisks. The design will become heavier by an extra kilogram due to other stars and extra links that have become unnecessary - instead of 108, 126 links are used. Due to the saving of space between the sprockets, when you try to switch to smaller ones in diameter (and go in this gear), the chain will immediately fly off.

A narrower chain allows for technological bending: if you use a bike with 3 forward and 6 reverse gears, then when you turn on the combination 1-3, 2-5 and 3-6, the plane in which the chain should be aligned will deviate to the side - which is not observed on single speed bikes. Due to thinner steel and bending, the wear and elongation of the chain increases by an order of magnitude, and after a run of several hundred or a couple of thousand kilometers it is changed. The width of the chain is 6.5-8 mm.

The lightweight bike chain has hollow pins and plates with slots. Reducing the mass of the chain is the lot of racing bicycles, where every gram counts, all the conditions for overtaking rivals on the track are given. But it stretches and breaks more often and sooner than the usual multi-speed one.

Half-Link - Half-Link - contains the same repeating link, which is twice as easy to fit the total length required for a particular bike. The plates of each link are curved into sharply defined slopes. It also undergoes faster destruction than a standard two-level chain, and cannot be permanently applied for many thousands of kilometers. Such a chain is used on any bike, regardless of the number of speeds on it.

The marking indicated by the manufacturer discloses all the geometric parameters of the circuit. As an example - ½ "x3 / 16" - 120 links Pinlength 7.3 mm, where:

• ½ – link pitch, or distance between pins. It is constant and is half an inch (12.7 mm).
• 3/16 - the distance between the internal plates of the link. 1/8 "- for singlespeeds (bikes with a single speed) and stunt models. 3/16 "- this size is almost out of use, even single-speed ones have bypassed it. 3/32 ”- for bicycles with 6.8-speed cassettes. 11/128 "- for cartridges with 9-11 asterisks.
• 120 links - the number of links in one chain.
• Pinlength 7.3 mm - the length of the pin, along which a specific circuit is selected. Too short pins (for, for example, an 8-mm chain) will not fit a wider chain (for example, 9 mm), it often disconnects when trying to give a decent effort when riding in a lift or against the wind.

The inscription, for example, 11S, indicates 11-speed cassettes.

The red-hot bike chain is dark gray. Such steel is used to make hardened wire, which even a bolt cutter can easily blunt, and most tools - for example, screwdrivers and screwdriver bits where special strength is needed.

"Gold" color - an indicator of the presence of anti-corrosion coating. The composition of the bronze-gold coating includes alloying additives of steel, for example, cobalt. Such steel is used in the manufacture of multi-stage and conventional drills, it has increased hardness and strength.

The aluminum chain is nonsense. It would break quickly, it is worth the cyclist to step on the pedals for a quick start. They do not use colormetre - it is too soft; any aluminum-based alloys are the fate of frames and forks, not transmission parts. Only steel - and nothing more.

Reinforced chains are mostly single speed. They can be made of both hardened and (partially) stainless steel.

Titanium is a rarity. Titanium itself is an expensive material, tens of times more expensive than iron. If, say, a titanium frame for a bicycle today would cost 3000-5000 rubles, then a bicycle chain will come out even more expensive.

Stainless chain It can be made entirely from the same steel, or sprayed from the same stainless steel. But all types of anticorrosion coating are erased over several tens or a couple of hundred kilometers, and unprotected steel is exposed.

Dozens of companies around the world produce bicycle chains, but it is possible to find a good chain from the following manufacturers: Japanese Shimano, Italian Campagnolo, American SRAM, Taiwanese KMC (sold in almost any market or in any bicycle store) and German Wipperman. The latter is not inferior in quality, but the overpayment is substantial.

But the Soviet-Russian plant Tyazhmash outdid everyone - its chains consist of ordinary high-carbon steel, characterized by high wear resistance. This factory produced chains for the Soviet "road builders". He now specializes in single-speed bicycles, which are millions in the country - especially in rural areas and in small towns where a multi-speed bike is not required. Therefore, the production of these chains is not stopped. Prices are among the lowest in the country.

To select a suitable bike chain, refer to the characteristics indicated in the labeling. Properly selected - specifically for your little stars - the chain is the key to the mileage of more than one thousand kilometers before significant wear of the parts is detected.

For children's bicycles, the length (half) of the link may not be 12.7 mm, but slightly less - for example, 11.4 mm. From such a chain, you will only take pins and rings as spare parts, but the plates will not fit the sprockets of the “adult” bike. The fact is that by placing at least a few "children's" links on an "adult" chain, you quickly drill stars. And shortening the chain by at least 3 mm, as well as lengthening, can kill all parts in some 100-200 km, even when the transmission is cleaned and lubricated weekly.

But the choice of chains with anti-corrosion coating is not necessary at all - it is rather a desire to impress those who do not yet have a bicycle. This coating is successfully replaced with regular lubrication - even in rainy weather your chain will not rust. The fact is that machine oil (or its analogue in the form of a semi-liquid lubricant), as well as spraying from another alloy, does not admit water to steel. The spraying itself soon erases, and you come to the starting position - the need to regularly lubricate the chain.

Avoid fakes. They are sinned by Chinese manufacturers and some swindlers who produce chains and bearings from aluminum alloys with a small resource and a service life. It happens that they breed steel with cheap additives, turning it into “plasticine” - as in the manufacture of low-quality hex keys, screwdrivers and bits. Violation of production technology did not bring to good - there can no longer be avoided numerous breakdowns.

Do not put on a 11-speed bike a thicker bike chain designed for, say, 7-speed cassettes. It’s all about the number of cassette stars: the more there are, the narrower the gap between the planes, in each of which are the tops (points) of the same asterisk. In contrast, a narrower chain can be mounted on a bike with fewer speeds.

As an example: the author of these lines used a 6-speed chain on a simple “road” with one speed, where “heavy-weight” thick products are used. At the same time, the bike was new, he found a bicycle chain with a broken link in the park - and, having shortened it by 2 half links, rode it 9,000 km, riding a radius of up to 25 km from his city on roads of dubious quality, before another link broke . The "native" product was taken on each trip as a spare. Whether you need such difficulties is up to each of you to decide.

To remove and install the bike chain, do the following.

1. Turn the bike upside down. Remove the nuts holding the rear wheel to the frame.
2. Remove the bolt holding the “foot” of the sleeve by the special “eye” on the frame. This is the third reference point to prevent the sleeve from turning. Without reliable fixation of the “foot” you won’t go - the sleeve mechanism will spin with the sprocket or it will spin in a few turns and the wheel will jam at all.
3. Remove the rear wheel. A sleeve with a cartridge will come out with it.
4. Remove the bike chain from the cassette. Using the squeeze, open any of the half links by pushing the pin out of its seat. If there is a lock on the chain, it is not necessary to disassemble the chain in any other place. The chain lock is a special half link with a detachable external plate, it is opened with a screwdriver, an allen key or any other item.
5. If one of the (semi) links is broken and the chain has dropped off without removing the rear wheel, open the pins adjacent to the break point and remove the broken link.
6. If the old chain changes to a new one, remove the old one from the front sprocket. Throw a new one on the same star (in open state).
7. Using the squeeze, replace the broken link (floor) with a new link, tightening the pin at the end.
8. Throw the bicycle chain onto the rear sprocket, achieve its full tension and fix the rear wheel in the same place, tightening all the bolts with the required effort.
9. Check if there is grease on the new (or repaired) chain. If it is missing or if it is completely dry, apply a new coat.

Change the chain when it is extended by at least 2 mm.You can measure the length by opening any pin and expanding the bike chain along the meter ruler. If the nominal length has increased by 3 or more millimeters, you will need to replace both parts.

See the next video on replacing a bicycle chain.