Chain Issue

[SpunnOne]

So yesterday I snapped my chain while climbing one of those steep hills out at El Morro. The chain is an SRAM 951. I was climbing the hill after coming down another hill, so I had some pretty good speed coming into it. I guess the problem was that I switched gears too much while climbing. Is that something that could snap a chain? Especially one that only has about 10 rides on it?
Any suggestions for a new chain?
This especially sucked, as this was a ride put together by some people here at work. So I had to get up at 5:20 to get up and get to Laguna by 7:00 from San Pedro. I drive almost the same distance every day, and didn't want to do it on a Sunday, but I did it anyway. So I drove all that way for a 20 minute ride!
I'm starting to wonder if I am cursed. On my last ride my left crank arm came off!

[dubjay]

Consistently shifting under load is one way to cause a chain to fail prematurely. Another way, and especially with the SRAM chains, is if one of the rivets was removed and replaced.

As for cranks falling off, that really shouldn't happen.

If you didn't mention the cranks, I would have attributed it to just a case of bad luck, but since you mentioned it, it may be the person who is putting the bike together?

As for a replacement, I tend to like the Shimano Dura-Ace/XTR chains with a SRAM master link.

[genusmtbkr5]

Sorry your ride was cut short. In the future, you should ALWAYS carry a multi tool that has a chain tool on it, spare links and also Sram powerlink. Yes, shifting under load will cause your chain to break. Try the PC971, but they break too. I broke mine twice going up Black Star on the newbie ride and that chain had less than 100 miles on it.

[SpunnOne]

Originally Posted by dubjay

As for cranks falling off, that really shouldn't happen.

If you didn't mention the cranks, I would have attributed it to just a case of bad luck, but since you mentioned it, it may be the person who is putting the bike together?

The guys at the shop blamed it on Iron Horse. That's what I get I suppose for buying a bike at Performance...

[Pato]

I agree with dubjay completely.

Shifting under load is a sure fire way to cause premature death of a chain. My friend just broke a new chain on one of my bikes last week doing the exact same thing.

Crank arms usually fall off if they are not installed (torqued) correctly. If my crank arm ever fell off while I was riding I'd take it over to my mechanic and hit him on the head with it. Since I am my own mechanic, I'm pretty confident this will never happen as I check all of my bolts every so often.

Mozy on over to http://www.parktool.com and read their tutorials and learn how to do minor fixes/adjustments. Or you can try bribing one of the guys here to give a clinic on trail side repairs with some beer or something. It'll save you quite a bit on money and time especially out on the trail. If you would have had a spare pin or master link with you and chain breaker you could have had it fixed in less than 5 minutes and finished your ride.

Duc

[SpunnOne]

Originally Posted by Pato

I agree with dubjay completely.

Shifting under load is a sure fire way to cause premature death of a chain. My friend just broke a new chain on one of my bikes last week doing the exact same thing.

Crank arms usually fall off if they are not installed (torqued) correctly. If my crank arm ever fell off while I was riding I'd take it over to my mechanic and hit him on the head with it. Since I am my own mechanic, I'm pretty confident this will never happen as I check all of my bolts every so often.

Mozy on over to http://www.parktool.com and read their tutorials and learn how to do minor fixes/adjustments. Or you can try bribing one of the guys here to give a clinic on trail side repairs with some beer or something. It'll save you quite a bit on money and time especially out on the trail. If you would have had a spare pin or master link with you and chain breaker you could have had it fixed in less than 5 minutes and finished your ride.

Duc

Thanks for the parktool link. FWIW, I think I have everything in my bag except a pin or masterlink. I'll remedy that ASAP...

[DownhillWebKook]

Bummer, man.

All the previous stuff was good information for sure, but also do you pre-flight check before you ride. Having your crank arm come off is silly. If your gear is in poor repair or not set up properly it can cause some real bummers out there on the trail. It can never hurt to shift through all the gears up and down a few times before hitting the dirt. A little lube and some minor adjustments can make the difference between that 20 minute downer you had or the 3 hours of fun we had on San Juan. But hey, I am guilty of the same kind of nonsense, too. I forgot to tighten everything down on my new bashring/chainring on Saturday. My whole front drivetrain turned into a friggin' yard sale on Lynx. Whatta maroon!

BTW, you can shift under load, but just make sure you lighten the load a bit. Use your body to thrust the bike forward for an instant. That will reduce the load enough to allow for a clean shift. It's about timing and how well your shifters/der. are working.

[Winger]

Also, avoid using "Crossover" gears, such as the big ring/big cassette, or little ring/little cassette combo's. The chain gets pulled at an angle, which weakens it.

I've broken both shimano and sram chains. The SRAM power link is the best thing ever, because I was back on the trail within 5 minutes. The shimano pins took me at least 15-20 mins to fix.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Mechanicals can ruin a good ride.

BTW, I'm using a SRAM 991 chain. The last one lasted 1500 miles before breaking. You should be able to buy it for $30 @ Performance during a sale.

[biglimey]

Originally Posted by dubjay

As for a replacement, I tend to like the Shimano Dura-Ace/XTR chains with a SRAM master link.

Double ditto.... and carry a couple of old sram links with you to repair the chain IF it ever breaks...

[bobzrag]

Have you had any other problems with your chain. I had a similar problem with my chain recently (same chain & about the same number of rides). Make sure your rear hanger is not bent, make sure your chain is shifting properly into each of the gears (test it without a load and then around the streets of your place with some load). My setup was so bad it was jumping into my spokes. I ended up having to replace spokes, my chain and the rear derailer hanger.

[SpunnOne]

I didn't have any issues with the chain or shifting prior to this event.
I actually just replaced it tonight. It seems to be shifting ok. I'll take it around the neighborhood tomorrow and see what happens.

[xhuskr]

Originally Posted by bobzrag

My setup was so bad it was jumping into my spokes. I ended up having to replace spokes, my chain and the rear derailer hanger.

and his friends had to bail him out each time....good thing his friend have/had tools!

but that's what we all do to help other riders, eh?

[Waldo]

I haven't tried Sram chains, but I too am darn happy with the DuraAce/XTR chain (under $30). I've been running the same one for over a year, and the only problem I had was due to a doofus mechanic (me). It snapped on me during a climb (be grateful your kneecaps are still intact), but the trailside repair that I did that day has held for 8 months now. The only bummer is if you have to buy spare pins at full price: About $10 for a pack of 5!

Chain love is the best love: Keep her clean and lubed, don't shift under a full load, and don't cross chain. When lubing, check for bent or sticking links, and keep an eye out for damaged teeth on the chainrings and cassette. These basic good habits should keep any top end chain running for a long time.

[mcgyver0302]

Only broke one chain... had someone tell me to shift when your foot is at the bottom of the stroke and you won't have as much problem. Works for me! ...as for the crank... Crazy glue! JK

[PacMan]

Shifting under load is your main culprit for sure. My dad does it all the time no matter what I tell him and he has snapped many chains--Shimano and SRAM alike.

[SAR_boats]

I run a sram 991 solid pin on all my rigs. The one on my Merlin has over 1000 miles on it and is still going strong