Bike Chains
More Chains = More Miles
Since chains have the most wear and tear on your bike, why buy a used one? Chains can add up, especially if you’re putting on a lot of miles. Wax your chains and keep them clean, you can get a lot miles on one chain. If you have more than one chain you can use, instead of oiling a dirty one, take it off, replace it with a clean one and go on a ride. When you have time, soak the dirty one, wax it and get it ready for the next time.
What is Pitch?
The chain pitch is a measurement of chain stretch. As chain is driven, the pins wear and grooves are deepened increasing the spacing between the chain links. This will lead to uneven cassette wear and may require a new cassette and / or chainrings. When your chain lengthens, we measure the change in length as a percentage of the difference. A chain below 0.75% pitch is still usable. At 1% or more, the chain needs to be replaced.
How Many Links in a New Chain?
Typically 116 links is more than enough to cover the gambit of all gearing combinations. However, there may be rare instances of extra large bike with touring configurations, long cage rear derailleurs and extra large rear cassettes (more than 35 teeth).
For a conventional bikes with a 52 tooth large front ring and a 28 tooth large cassette, a ball park calculation for small to large bikes are as follows:
- Large frame: 110 links
- Medium frame: 106 links
- Small frame: 104 links
As a quick reference to calculate your chain size, id recommend https://www.bergfreunde.eu/chain-length-calculator/
Otherwise, the best way to size a chain is to actually install one and size it during the installation.
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