I am trying to replace my derailleur and derailleur hanger but I need to remove the chain first. I checked online and they say to use this tool to push out one of the pins in the chain to unlink it. That same tool can be used to push a pin back in to link the chain back together.
Problem is, the tool is meant to be used on a special type of pin which has a hole in it, but on my chain all the pins are flat.
by ttgirlsfw
3 Comments
if that’s a standard chain tool you should be able to drive out any of the pins. just make sure you don’t push it all the way out of the other plate.
it looks like a normal chain tool anyhow – would you mind providing the info about holey pins and stuff?
i’d recommend getting a quick link though and fitting it into your chain for future easy chain breaking and relinking… saves quite the headache.
Break the chain anywhere you like. The tool will press out any pin.
(Oil or grease the tool’s screw thread beforehand, doesn’t matter what sort of lubricant. This greatly reduces the effort needed on the handle to drive the pin out.)
Modern chains cannot be joined where they were broken, because in the factory the ends of the pins are whacked with a mechanical hammer (peened) to splat them into the counterbored (bevelled) holes in the outer plates. When you drive out the pin, these retaining features are destroyed (as shown by the steel confetti they sprinkle on their way out). A pin pressed back without these retaining features would not reliably stay in place.
So you need a special new pin that can be pressed in once, or a special link (quick link) that can be connected without tools. I prefer the latter. They’re available in bike shops, Amazon, Decathlon, etc., depending on where you live.
What’s the chain make and model, or at least the number of cassette sprockets you’ve got there?
I don’t think you can unbreak a regular bicycle chain, you’d need a quick link bike chain.
You could always buy a brand new chain (they need to replaced every so often anyways) and put it on afterwards, shouldn’t cost more than $10 or so.