Re: broken chain on a fixed gear


autopi wrote:
> so the other day i'm biking home and the chain (1/8") on my fixed gear
> just up and breaks. i didn't notice anything abnormal up until that
> point. although i was going at a good clip, i was fortunately able to
> stop in time and didn't crash, but i was (am) alarmed, because i don't
> know why it broke, and i don't want it to happen again, obviously.
>
> the chain is (was) a SRAM PC-1, about 14 mos. old, iirc. from what i
> can determine by looking at the chain, one of the plates just tore
> apart where it holds the pin. this was not the master link. also, when
> i went to unravel the chain from the cog, another link came apart,
> though this one was not busted in the way the first one was. this was
> also not the master link, i believe. i've put up some
> photos--http://tinyurl.com/cyrjx--which show the gory remains of the
> chain.
>
> the bike had been inside my apartment and unused for the last month to
> 6 weeks. the chain was not particularly rusty (at least to casual
> visual inspection), and did not squeak or seem stiff. it may have been
> a tad bit tight, but i don't think by very much--if i pulled up on the
> cable halfway between the chainring and cog, i could get somewhere
> around 1/2" of play.
>
> so...any theories as to what caused this and suggestions on how to
> avoid it?
> ~v.

A fixie chain gets a lot of abuse, particulalry from perhaps finding
it's 'tight' section, as all fixie chains have. Replace this very
inexpensive part more frequently. Altho I don't put that many miles on
my fixie chain, and altho I check it for wear often, I still change it
after each season.

.

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