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R8000 Chain - What to do if I need to break the chain while on a ride?

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R8000 Chain - What to do if I need to break the chain while on a ride?

Old 05-23-20, 06:41 AM
  #1  
WorldIRC
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R8000 Chain - What to do if I need to break the chain while on a ride?

So I carry a chain breaker; however, the R8000 has a quick link on it. My understanding is a quick link still requires a special pair of pliers.

So if I break down, do I just break the chain as I normally would?
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Old 05-23-20, 07:10 AM
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Chains joined by a quick link must be broken by removing the quick link. Never had to do that on the road in all my years of riding. A wipperman link requires no tool to remove.
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Old 05-23-20, 07:20 AM
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You will need replacement quick links in addition to your chain breaker. I also carry the cut-off links from sizing the chain in case I need to splice in some additional links. I carry a tool made of coat hanger wire to open the quick link and to hold the ends together while I install the link, kind of like this one: https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/q...ink-in-a-chain Mine has some zig-zags in it to hold the chain better. There is also a method using a rock, see online.
If the quick link breaks replace it. If the chain breaks somewhere else, cut the chain to remove outer plates on either side of the break so that you can join the exposed inner plates with the quick link. If you have more than one damaged link is where the spare links come in handy, so you do not have to shorten your chain, but you will need a second quick link to splice them in.
Edit: You can have more than one quick link in a chain without issue.
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Old 05-23-20, 08:15 AM
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Originally Posted by dsbrantjr
You will need replacement quick links in addition to your chain breaker. I also carry the cut-off links from sizing the chain in case I need to splice in some additional links. I carry a tool made of coat hanger wire to open the quick link and to hold the ends together while I install the link, kind of like this one: https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/q...ink-in-a-chain Mine has some zig-zags in it to hold the chain better. There is also a method using a rock, see online.
If the quick link breaks replace it. If the chain breaks somewhere else, cut the chain to remove outer plates on either side of the break so that you can join the exposed inner plates with the quick link. If you have more than one damaged link is where the spare links come in handy, so you do not have to shorten your chain, but you will need a second quick link to splice them in.
Edit: You can have more than one quick link in a chain without issue.
So basically, on the road, if the chain breaks, use my chain breaker to remove the damaged link and replace with a spare quick link?
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Old 05-23-20, 08:24 AM
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Originally Posted by WorldIRC
So basically, on the road, if the chain breaks, use my chain breaker to remove the damaged link and replace with a spare quick link?
Pretty much, though I have carried a small Park chain breaker in my on bike tool kits after a year of 3 chain breaks (two on a tandem), that was 11 yrs ago and I have never had
to use one since, which covers ~85k miles of riding.....
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Old 05-23-20, 08:26 AM
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Originally Posted by sch
Pretty much, though I have carried a small Park chain breaker in my on bike tool kits after a year of 3 chain breaks (two on a tandem), that was 11 yrs ago and I have never had
to use one since, which covers ~85k miles of riding.....
I agree, chain breaks is likely the least of my concerns. I'm not a pushing my bike to its limits, and my bike is well maintained.
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Old 05-23-20, 08:31 AM
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What spare link(s) should I carry? Shimano?
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Old 05-23-20, 08:43 AM
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Originally Posted by WorldIRC
What spare link(s) should I carry? Shimano?
Any quick link that's the proper width (9-speed, 10-speed, 11-speed, etc.) for your chain will work. Shimano, KMC, and Wipperman are all suitable. As noted, the Wipperman Connex link dosn't require a tool to remove while the others are tight enough that a pair of quick link pliers are very useful if not essential. None of them require a tool to install.
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Old 05-23-20, 08:51 AM
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Originally Posted by WorldIRC
So I carry a chain breaker; however, the R8000 has a quick link on it. My understanding is a quick link still requires a special pair of pliers.

So if I break down, do I just break the chain as I normally would?
Wolftooth Pack Pliers. They have storage for extra links and can be used a tire levers. A little expensive but a very good tool. There are also plastic ones out there. Lighter and cheaper but not by much. Also not as durable. I
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Old 05-23-20, 10:51 PM
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
Wolftooth Pack Pliers. They have storage for extra links and can be used a tire levers. A little expensive but a very good tool. There are also plastic ones out there. Lighter and cheaper but not by much. Also not as durable. I
The machining on that makes me want one. Good looking tool!
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Old 05-23-20, 11:19 PM
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Chain tool and quick link will get you going in a number of low probability situations.

If your chain is proper length, then removing one damaged link will make the big/big combination unusable, but otherwise you're good.
If your rear derailleur fails, the same items could get your rig rolling as a single-speed.

I had a quick-link come apart on a ride, in the midst of a rough shift. I was halfway through a brevet, solo, in rural Ohio. I found one half of the quick-link pretty quickly, but never found the second. My spare quick-link saved my ride; I was rolling again in 10 minutes.

If you look in the repair kit of cyclotourists and randonneurs, it often tells the stories of their experiences. I've encountered some oddities like cleats and once a left crank-arm, but I think chain tools are next in line after flat repair and spokes. I carry two quick-links and a multi-tool with built in chain-break.
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Old 05-23-20, 11:54 PM
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Modern chains seldom fail but if it does break or you need to remove the chain from the bike to do whatever, you simply break the chain with you chain breaker and rejoin it with a quicklink. - You dont NEED to bring a quick link tool as well. A quick link tool is nice to have at home tho.
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Old 05-24-20, 03:37 AM
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some use a zip tie to remove the quick link, but the wolf pliers are so cool I save the ties for anything else.
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Old 05-24-20, 07:54 AM
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Originally Posted by Racing Dan
Modern chains seldom fail but if it does break or you need to remove the chain from the bike to do whatever, you simply break the chain with you chain breaker and rejoin it with a quicklink. - You dont NEED to bring a quick link tool as well. A quick link tool is nice to have at home tho.
This makes sense.
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Old 05-24-20, 07:57 AM
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Whenever I replace a chain I throw the old quick link in my saddle bag.
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Old 05-24-20, 10:07 PM
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Technically, the link on those chains is single use according to Shimano, but practically they'll usually be OK if removed and reinstalled. I'd recommend carrying a spare link, because then you can repair a damaged section of chain--this just requires a normal chain tool. Because my bikes have different chains--I have bikes in 8,9,10,11 and 12 speeds I ride regularly--I just tape the spare quick link to the saddle rails of my bikes so I don't need to keep track of it (because I don't have tool/flat kits on my bikes). If for whatever reason you need to remove a quick link on the road, if you have a thin, strong cord or wire, you can thread it over the quick link, cross it over itself, and pull. I happen to use a small section of nylon sheathed dyneema chord as a keychain, which handily does the job.
is a reasonable demonstration. Admittedly this hasn't come up for me particularly often.

Master link pliars are a nice tool to keep at home, though.
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Old 05-26-20, 07:33 PM
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
I saw these and bought one. It's a nice piece of work that doesn't weigh much. I use Wippermann links, which can be opened without tools, but who knows?
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Old 05-26-20, 07:54 PM
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^ hunm... I do similar to the video above, but doesn't come out that easily ..... and I have leather gloves on me to not hurt myself.
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Old 05-26-20, 09:27 PM
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Originally Posted by dsbrantjr
You will need replacement quick links in addition to your chain breaker. I also carry the cut-off links from sizing the chain in case I need to splice in some additional links. I carry a tool made of coat hanger wire to open the quick link and to hold the ends together while I install the link, kind of like this one: https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/q...ink-in-a-chain Mine has some zig-zags in it to hold the chain better.
OT but that was my post. I'd forgotten about it and it's kind of freaky to see it now. Like looking at yourself from outside yourself. I've since added some kinks to the "tool" to better capture the link, maybe like you mentioned.
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Old 05-27-20, 07:46 AM
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In all my years of riding (at least 50) I've never broken a chain. It would never occur to me to carry anything. I've used all the brands of chains out there from 5sp up to 10, but not 11.
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