When I trim a new chain down to the required length the result is a 4-link long length of excess chain: is there any reason to save this?
by striptorn
When I trim a new chain down to the required length the result is a 4-link long length of excess chain: is there any reason to save this?
by striptorn
26 Comments
Great question 🤔 Excited to see who chimes in as I have no idea what to do with my excess chain but want to learn!
I have actually mended a chain with these.
Its a rare occurance, but on longer trips i always take em
If for some reason you realize your chain is too short, or you want to run a larger cassette/chain ring, you can use them and a quick link to increase the chain length. Or you can make some kind of bracelet out of it.
Edit: some times you can get chains that aren’t the standard 116 or longer links long. I’ve seen a 112 link 11 speed chain go for 7€ once. You could technically buy one and make it longer with those links.
I’ve seen them used as key… chains
i keep it in case i break a link, or change chainring tooth count. even though you’re never gonna use it, its better to keep in case you do need it
I made a bracelet for my daughter. She liked it so much I made them for a few of her friends out of old chains.
Yes, just recently my chain got bent and a link didn’t move anymore. No lube helped, i exchanged the piece+2.
This … r/upcycling/comments/1hj2o0z/made_a_few_ornaments_from_some_scrap_bike_chain/
Have mine on my keys as a key chain, can’t really do that more than once though lol
They make nice keyring dongles. I gave away the few that I made, and I’m honestly looking forward to the next chain replacement so that I can make more for some bike-related keys that I need.
I make them square-ish, like so: https://i.imgur.com/govxDtB.png
Keep enough of them over the years and you’ll have enough to connect into a single chain
I keep some links in my on board tool kit in case of a weird chain break.
If you forget a loved ones birthday and need a quick piece of jewelry
I use them as emergency trail food
For me, never a reason in 30 years. But I still save them. 😊
If you use Shimano chain pins rather than quick links, you can repair broken links with them
For extension in the future.
I turn them into fidget toys
https://preview.redd.it/1fy92y6z95le1.png?width=4032&format=png&auto=webp&s=e5f409beeb5ceaf0721ddd06878aeab7378e9dff
Let me know if you find out.
The sram 11 speed chain is the right size to undo tubeless valves, I keep an off cut on my key ring.
They also make snazzy zipper pulls
Any reason not to? It’s not like they’re taking up a lot of space.
Just buy another 28 chains and you should have enough links for a “free” new chain. Except it’s a Shimano chain, so you’ll spend $80 in new pins.
https://preview.redd.it/ks9kk8uka5le1.jpeg?width=2256&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a7d8da24e0e25466e2675a60b8214062af416be5
You can make this. 🙂
That pin is a really good photo explanation of “why you shouldn’t use the original pin to rejoin chains with peened pins.”.
I made a coaster out of them. It’s not a good coaster but it looks neat.
Theft-proofing saddles if you have enough