Chain type

[gcb]

i've found plenty of material on Chain performance and sizing measurement/installation. But nothing on the type i should buy.

trying to buy new chains i get options like "7 speed" "9 speed" "11 speed"

my bike has 7back/3front gears... should i look for a 7speed chain or a 21 speed chain?

http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=3404781

Should i take anything else in consideration when buying a chain? are there more than one width for the links?

My bike is a 10+yr old Novara ponderosa with shimano deore DX. Everything is like new except a LOT of grime in the chain. I'm afraid that if i ride too much with it like it is it may eat other components. and the only reason i got this bike is the biopace crank... other than that, the bike has no sign of wear. no play on the chain... i could clean it, but i think replacing will be 'easier' considering how dirty it is.

Thank you

[nfmisso]

any chain that is for 7 speed or higher will be fine.

[gcb]

Thanks!

one last question, do I need chain pins?

Or the ones i remove from the chain can be reused? Or all chains came with a couple already?

amazon is showing the pins for people that bought chains...

[gcb]

Finally found a video where they show how to remove and later reattach without any cuts on the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVYV4WsYuVM

all is clear now. thanks.

...sucks to not have a good bike shop nearby

[nfmisso]

(06-06-2011, 05:18 PM)gcb Wrote:  Thanks!

one last question, do I need chain pins?

Or the ones i remove from the chain can be reused? Or all chains came with a couple already?

amazon is showing the pins for people that bought chains...

Shimano does not recommend re-using the pins.

SRAM has a master link system, which you can use instead.

[bobtravers]

Use a 6, 7 or 8 speed chain from KMC, Shimano or Sram, it should fit if your cassette or freewheel and cranket is from Shimano or Sram... If it's a Campagnolo one, you have to take a Campagnolo chain... As said earlier, go for a Sram Masterlink or KMC Missing link for 6-7-8 speed, you can remove your chain easier for cleaning, faster reinstallation on your bike, almost no chance of breaking your chain while pedalling if correctly installed...

Using a 9, 10, or 11 speed chain will not work for your bike, since the chain is too narrow and will jam on chainrings and cassette or freewheel

[gcb]

Got one Shimano CN-HG70 ("6/7/8-Speed") because pretty much every piece of the bike is shimano... before i saw the pins reply...

it's really cheap that a chain that cost that much came with one damn pin. just cheap.

Well, at least i found out that there are 2 bike shops around (not listed online anywhere) so if I do need pins I will not have to buy a 50-pack online.

Thanks guys!

[RobAR]

You can do a lot of fun things with 50 chain pins!
I, too, recommend the links.

[ni4na.347]

Searched around for existing thread on my question but didn't find one. Don't know the etiquette so much so I'll post here for now.

I have a mountain bike, about 15 years old, city use only, originally sold as leftover for a bicycle messenger company. 9 gears in back (can sort of make out the letters SRAM) and 3 in front. Have hardly changed any parts this whole time, including chain. The gear teeth look pretty fine.

A friend recently gave me a chain that he said was good quality: Shimano dura-ace STI HG CN-7701. He said it would be fine for my mountain bike, and I have found like reports on the internet. There were a pair of silver (i.e., not black) colored pins in the box.

Could someone help me with this little project of replacing the chain starting with these 2 questions:
1) Am I ok to use this chain on my bike?
2) Am I ok to use the pins that were in the box or do I need to get these black 7.1 mm ones?

I'm in an area with limited/conditional access to bike shops and my friend may or may not be over-confident in his bicycle knowledge/abilities. So in the end I'd like to try doing this myself. I'm pretty sure I have all the other tools I need.

Thanks!
Dan

[nfmisso]

(10-21-2011, 05:12 AM)ni4na.347 Wrote:  Searched around for existing thread on my question but didn't find one. Don't know the etiquette so much so I'll post here for now.

I have a mountain bike, about 15 years old, city use only, originally sold as leftover for a bicycle messenger company. 9 gears in back (can sort of make out the letters SRAM) and 3 in front. Have hardly changed any parts this whole time, including chain. The gear teeth look pretty fine.

A friend recently gave me a chain that he said was good quality: Shimano dura-ace STI HG CN-7701. He said it would be fine for my mountain bike, and I have found like reports on the internet. There were a pair of silver (i.e., not black) colored pins in the box.

Could someone help me with this little project of replacing the chain starting with these 2 questions:
1) Am I ok to use this chain on my bike?
2) Am I ok to use the pins that were in the box or do I need to get these black 7.1 mm ones?

I'm in an area with limited/conditional access to bike shops and my friend may or may not be over-confident in his bicycle knowledge/abilities. So in the end I'd like to try doing this myself. I'm pretty sure I have all the other tools I need.

Thanks!
Dan

Hi Dan;

You should have started a new thread.

Given the age and usage of the bike, you should replace the cassette and chain at the same time. Chains stretch and wear the cogs of the cassette minute amounts. IF you install a different chain, you are likely to experience skipping in the gears you use the most.

Why do you want to replace the chain now?

[biciloco]

(10-21-2011, 11:51 AM)nfmisso Wrote:  

(10-21-2011, 05:12 AM)ni4na.347 Wrote:  Searched around for existing thread on my question but didn't find one. Don't know the etiquette so much so I'll post here for now.

I have a mountain bike, about 15 years old, city use only, originally sold as leftover for a bicycle messenger company. 9 gears in back (can sort of make out the letters SRAM) and 3 in front. Have hardly changed any parts this whole time, including chain. The gear teeth look pretty fine.

A friend recently gave me a chain that he said was good quality: Shimano dura-ace STI HG CN-7701. He said it would be fine for my mountain bike, and I have found like reports on the internet. There were a pair of silver (i.e., not black) colored pins in the box.

Could someone help me with this little project of replacing the chain starting with these 2 questions:
1) Am I ok to use this chain on my bike?
2) Am I ok to use the pins that were in the box or do I need to get these black 7.1 mm ones?

I'm in an area with limited/conditional access to bike shops and my friend may or may not be over-confident in his bicycle knowledge/abilities. So in the end I'd like to try doing this myself. I'm pretty sure I have all the other tools I need.

Thanks!
Dan

Hi Dan;

You should have started a new thread.

Given the age and usage of the bike, you should replace the cassette and chain at the same time. Chains stretch and wear the cogs of the cassette minute amounts. IF you install a different chain, you are likely to experience skipping in the gears you use the most.

Why do you want to replace the chain now?

I concur, replacing only the chain will cause problems that you are probably not experiencing now. A messenger bike is normally a well used if not worn out bike. The distance between the rollers of the new chain will be shorter than the distance of the worn gear troughs on the cassette and crank, causing skipping, spontaneous derailing, and ruining your nice new chain.

However, there are reasons to be wary of a worn chain. One, they eventually break due to wear - standing you, unless you carry a chain tool. Chain plates don't actually stretch, but the chain does "grow". This occurs when the rivets lose material at the point of contact with the outer plates - the rivet becomes narrower and narrower in this spot causing the plates and rollers to drift apart. The rollers may also crack and fall away from the chain causing the chain to disintegrate. It is not unheard of that chain failure can cause a rider to become injured. I have also seen a broken chain destroy derailleurs and even frames.