JanMM

Guess I've been living under a rock - or ordering chains online from specialty dealers in advance of need for too long. Discovered the side plate of one link of timing chain breaking today while doing tandem maintenance. One thing leads to another and discovered the chain issue while wiping it down with a rag - it snagged on the broken link.
No long chains on hand at home, only leftover pieces, so off to bike shops. Surprised to find that no such thing as a tandem chain in two large shops. They seemed surprised I asked. 'We could do three chains.' Actually, I was hoping for a tandem chain plus part of a normal chain 'cause its a recumbent chain - 9 feet long - that's the subject of this. Oh, well, removed the last four links - including the bad one - and attached four links of leftover chain. Will be fine until the chain I ordered by the foot from Terracycle/T-Cycle arrives.
Have been riding tandems since 2000 and recumbents since 2006 so have bought my fair share of long chains. Nashbar used to sell tandem chains - repackaged KMC. I think I remember SRAM tandem chains. Are there any manufacturers offering long chains any more? Any bike shops anywhere? Glad there are a few sources online for long chain and I realize the market for tandem/recumbent chains is very small.

CliffordK

I have a couple of bikes that require splicing chains. If I ever get things standardized enough, then I should be able to say make 2 chains out of 3.

I had looked at bulk chains a while ago. I think a few suppliers do sell in bulk.
Bikeman: Chains-Bulk
(unfortunately most of the bulk rolls are out of stock).

A few Chinese companies are listing bulk chains.
https://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...570458109.html

https://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...275944709.html

Buying chain by the kilometer is probably beyond what most home mechanics do, especially if one stocks a couple of different sizes.

One might be tempted to downgrade a tandem timing chain. (8 speed?) Thus, more stuff to stock. Are there special extra durable single speed chains used with IGH hubs?

I could imagine few bike shops would deal with bulk chain, in part due to needing to stock a couple of different chains in:

• Single Speed
• 5-8 speed
• 9 speed
• 10 speed
• 11 speed

So, one would need to stock probably a dozen bulk chains, only to save a few links here and there.

If I was to look for chains locally, the shops I'd hit up first would be local small builders:

• Bike Friday
• Co-Motion (tandems)

tkramer

Not that they're local to you, but BentUp cycles in Los Angeles sells chain by the foot: https://www.bikeforums.net/tandem-cy...-anywhere.html. In my pre-Gates days, that's where I sourced a timing chain. Perhaps there's a recumbent specialist in your nape of th'woods?

JanMM

Nope, no recumbent specialists in the vicinity. I've had no problem sourcing long chains online from 'bent specialists Hostel Shoppe and T-Cycle/Terracycle in recent years but just didn't have what I needed on hand. BentUp Cycles price a bit less for 9 speed chain than T-Cycles, who are shipping me a 20' chain as we speak. Should be good for the timing chain plus a main chain for one of the other 'bents in the stable when needed.

zonatandem

Remove bad link(s), splice in new section of same type chain. Simple enough?!

JanMM

Yep, pretty simple! Which is what I was able to do for a temporary fix since I had a short leftover section of the same chain on hand. Put on a new chain when it arrived, as the time had come for a new timing chain.
I did recently - in my stash of bike stuff - come across part of a Nashbar 'tandem' chain in original packaging from a decade or more ago. KMC. Those tandem chains weren't long enough for many recumbent applications. Better than putting together multiple single chains but not as good as buying chain by the foot.