Need chain advise. Broken chain.

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BuickGN

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I broke the POS chain in my first month of use on my Hardrock. After reading reviews after the fact, it looks like these bikes come with the cheapest chain known to man. I've logged a lot of miles for a month, riding just about every day for my biggest loser contest. Still pretty easy miles, steady state on a bike trail. I started doing some more explosive stuff yesterday and within my second hill climb the chain broke.

I asked for the best chain the local bike shop offered and got a Sram PC-850 to get me going for now. Looking online it looks like this chain is just average. I'm about to do a couple really long trips in the mountains and really don't want to have another problem. Is it worth upgrading again? I don't feel like walking the bike another 8 miles again.
 
what kind of breakage did you experience? did the pin come out of the side plate?
most mtn bike chain failures come from shifting under load, like trying to shift to a lower gear while cranking up a hill. I would usually advise folks to shift before the hill, or, if you can't anticipate the hill, to stay in whatever gear you are in. shifting on the hill just breaks stuff, and you lose momentum anyway, slowing up your pedaling for the shift.
 
Originally Posted By: BuickGN

I asked for the best chain the local bike shop offered and got a Sram PC-850 to get me going for now. Looking online it looks like this chain is just average. I'm about to do a couple really long trips in the mountains and really don't want to have another problem. Is it worth upgrading again? I don't feel like walking the bike another 8 miles again.


awesome! an actual section of this forum where i can shine.

i've been a shop mech for 14 months now and i try to push for a SRAM or shimano chain whenever you can. while an 850 is not the best of the 8-speeds, it should be sufficient.
if you're really concerned, keep your chain well-lubed & clean, and plan your ascents. keep your leg RPMs up if you can, so you put less torque (read: stress, strain, stretch) on the chain.

how did the chain fail? did it snap a link? get your LBS to use the chain wear indicator to see what kind of stretch the chain has subjected to. if the chain simply wore out, it will have stretched (over 1/16" is when you do drivetrain damage.) if you've snapped a plate, then its just garbage chain.

my norcosales.com account tells me you shouldnt have paid much more then $20 for the 850.
 
Originally Posted By: ilh
Originally Posted By: BuickGN

I asked for the best chain the local bike shop offered and got a Sram PC-850 to get me going for now. Looking online it looks like this chain is just average. I'm about to do a couple really long trips in the mountains and really don't want to have another problem. Is it worth upgrading again? I don't feel like walking the bike another 8 miles again.


awesome! an actual section of this forum where i can shine.

i've been a shop mech for 14 months now and i try to push for a SRAM or shimano chain whenever you can. while an 850 is not the best of the 8-speeds, it should be sufficient.
if you're really concerned, keep your chain well-lubed & clean, and plan your ascents. keep your leg RPMs up if you can, so you put less torque (read: stress, strain, stretch) on the chain.

how did the chain fail? did it snap a link? get your LBS to use the chain wear indicator to see what kind of stretch the chain has subjected to. if the chain simply wore out, it will have stretched (over 1/16" is when you do drivetrain damage.) if you've snapped a plate, then its just garbage chain.

my norcosales.com account tells me you shouldnt have paid much more then $20 for the 850.


Thanks! I think the chain was $15, the small tool was $20 (won't leave home without it). I broke the stock one with a load applied going uphill and I thought I was already in gear but it popped and broke the chain. I searched for the pieces for a while and it actually broke the roller thing. I know, not very descriptive.

I've been careful with this one, shifting way ahead of time. I found out what it's like going over the handlebars for the first time yesterday. Luckily it was soft sand. I also found out on long decents the BB7s get grabbier as they heat up. I expected the opposite.
 
This is probably pretty obvious, but as long as you carry a chain tool, you can just eliminate the broken link and ride home. Practice using the tool so you know how to do it on the trails.
 
ALWAYS carry a few extra links (whether from the old change or the excess from the new) with you when you ride (extra pins if needed for some Shimano chains). You won't regret being able to continue your ride after a quick chain fix.
 
Originally Posted By: moribundman
I think I happened upon a missing link while riding the other day.


That's probably due more to your location...
 
Undoubtedley, but I'm sure you got your own local, gap-toothed, banjo playing variant.
grin2.gif
 
Could cross-gearing have contributed? Many riders don't know that you shouldn't use any gear combinations that place your chain at a severe angle. Limit your small ring to the four lowest gears and your large ring to the four highest gears for longer chain life and reliability. I also recommend never applying power when shifting.

I've always used and liked Shimano drivetrain components. I tried a more expensive Sachs chain once and broke rollers (without breaking the chain). Sram drivetrain components became common after my bike mechanic and racing days, so I have no experience with them.
 
That's sort of what happened. I thought it was already in gear after I shifted, I applied power, it shifted and broke. My fault but when I looked up reviews on my particular chain it was the worse one on the site so that was the reason for buying a better chain.

I now have the tool so I can repair it out on the trail. Now that I'm a bit more educated, I don't know how I ever rode without it.
 
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