Bicycle chain always comes off. Maybe now, maybe tomorrow, I don’t know when but one of these days, your chain will come loose or break. It is as inevitable as death unless you have a bike that doesn’t use a chain for propulsion.
So it’s mandatory to know how to put a bike chain back on.
Long story short, I think you need to know the step by step process on putting the bike chain back on the gears without having to take it to the shop or paying someone else to do it.
You just need to know how to put on a bicycle chain. There is also the fact that you may need a kit to make sure that you do a good job in case of breakage.
So, we will take a look at the different kinds of chain problems and how we can solve them. This is going to be kind of fun because you will know how to do this all by yourself and that is just awesome.
Process on Put a Bike Chain Back on
- A Chain That Slips
- Getting a New Chain
Problem 1: A Chain That Slips
The simplest of problems is this one but if you do not know what you are doing, you can botch it up very easily. This is how you go about the problems of getting the chain back into place.
This will help you know just how it got off and put a bike chain back on. You will need to make sure that you know exactly where the chain came off. The derailleur should still be routed to the front and back sprocket.
The most common problem that if fixable almost instantly is when the chain comes off the sprocket and all you need to do is slip it back.
This will just need you to have the wheels rotating a little to complete the cycle and get the chain into the teeth again.
There is also the fact that the chain can just become jammed in which case you will have to make sure that it comes loose. This way, you will be able to ride. If the jam is not addressed, you could have problems with it.
When the chain slips, sometimes it will not just dangle loosely with an easy slip back into the sprocket.
This will mean that the chain has been jammed against the bike’s frame. The procedure for getting this back is different.
This will mean that you need o loosen the rear sprocket to make sure that you can remove the chain and use it again. Forcing it out without loosening the nuts will make this harder and possibly trigger a breakage.
When you are done, you will need to make sure that anything you loosened to make sure that the chain came off is tightened. This will ensure that you can ride safely again. You are also advised to make sure that you do not make this too tight.
Depending on whether or not you have a bike with derailleur or not, you will need to know the process to put a bike chain back on into its rightful place. Not to sound archaic but the chain is something that is tricky enough to fool newbies.
You have to make sure that everything is loose enough for you to get it back in sync. This will mean that you can use the pedals to make sure that it does slip back into its position. You will not have any problems with this because it is a simple enough procedure.
Test the bike to make sure that everything is working before you can get back on the road. You should be able to do this quickly and that way, get the most out of your ride. Change the gears to test the chain completely if your bike has gears.
Problem 2: Getting a New Chain
Sometimes it is just easier to get a new chain rather than repair the one that you have. This is usually done to make sure that you are safe and that your rides are smooth enough.
This is, of course, the first step that you take. You will need a chain that is the best grade. There is no reason to skimp on the quality to get a chain that will not serve you for long. Therefore, make sure that you have all the things that you need to put in the new chain and get started.
A new toolkit, for example, is a must have to make sure that you have an easy time with the chain replacement. The new bike chain should have a pin that will connect the chain ends because you will just get a length of it that is not closed.
The old chain that you want to discard will need to be disconnected properly to make sure that you do not damage anything. If you are careless, you will end up with a sprocket that is dented and some really nasty problems that will give you more problems.
That is why you need to know how and where to cut the chain that you want to remove. This will help you have a smoother time with the new one. You will need to find the pin and remove it and the chain will come off on its own with a little nudging.
This is the last part that will need you to have the bike suspended up or just find some way to make sure that the back wheel is not touching the floor. This will make it easier to spin the wheel when you want the chain to go through and see if it works.
If you have a bike with the derailleur, you will need to start from the rear derailleur to make sure that the chain gets in properly. This will need to be the female end that does not have the pin. That way, you will have no problems with the whole process.
Tie off the end with the pin and make sure that everything is snug and tight and properly fastened.
Tips
- Have a good look at the kinds of chains that are in the market to make sure that you get the right one.
- Learn the basic skills that you need to put the chain back in and if you can get access to a video or pictures, try to look at them and see what happens.
- You can shorten the chain when you want to and that is something that can solve many problems like slippage.
- Do not fail to clean the bike chain and oil it to make sure that there is no problem with the strength and friction.
Warnings
- You will need to watch your fingers when you are putting the chain on and spinning the pedals.
- There is always the need to make sure that what you have is strong enough because if it is not, you will have breakage soon.
- If you have no idea what you are doing, you will need to get someone who does. This is something that you do not skimp on.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Question: How do I get the best chain? |
| Answer: Well, there is Google and then there are listings on places like Amazon. Just find the highest rated. |
| Question: What About the equipment that I need for the process? |
| Answer: It is not much really. Just get a pin or pins if you can get more than one and a tool to fix the ends when you are done threading the chain. |
| Question: What is the best way to fix a bicycle chain? |
| Answer: With instructions, I assume because without those, what are you doing? You could take it to the shop if it gets too complex. |
Finally, You may find the solution on how to put a bike chain back on. If so then I am very glad that my writing helps someone. Please leave a comment below this article so I can write more articles like this to help cyclist. Happy Pedalling!
Reference: Bike Forums, Bicycles Stack Exchange, Quora