Hey everyone, I’m trying to size a new chain for my bike for the first time, and I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong. I’m trying to push a pin out of a KMC X9 chain using a chain tool I bought off eBay, but it feels like I have to use way too much force. It honestly feels like something is going to break, and I’ve already bent one of the tool’s pins.
Is this the wrong tool size for a 9-speed chain, or am I missing something in the process? Any advice would be appreciated!
I did it after removing the black screw on the outermost grooves and even tried after straightening the grooves on the tool.
by aarkkgoyal
21 Comments
Probably a crap tool.
It would be easier to answer your questions if you had the chain inserted where you think it needs to be, these pins are usually universal
It takes a lot of force to pop the pin out of the chain. The tool is probably made from cheap Chinese metal and just bent.
Also, were you putting those tabs inside the chain? That’s where they’re supposed to go
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFqadaOw-6s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFqadaOw-6s) It looks like you had the chain on the wrong set of grooves and didn’t have the back side supported by the thumb screw part.
I think I had this tool before it broke. Mine broke at the screwhandle
That can happen when the chain is not fully seated in the right spot – not bedded down fully. The pin should come out with some resistance but does not require massive force, if it’s too hard to turn, the pointy bit of your tool is pushing both the pin and the chain. They are cheap, buy a couple more tools and do it again but be sure your pointy bit is only making contact with the chain pin every time you screw the nut.
Bin that tool now. Get a better one.
I think it’s a bad quality chain breaker with bad guides. I know how to do it, used several chain breakers, and it is not very difficult, but with one, a portable multitool one, I had the problem you seem to have, never managed to split and joint a single time with it. Chain should be fit in the short screw side guite, then tighten the short screw to the chain, then tighten the long one with a lever to break o close a chain.
Our chain tool, it’s broken!
It’s a ok tool. Used it before. But it often gets used wrong.
The front of the tool has an adjustable anvil, great for getting the perfect fit regardless of what size (width ) chain you have.
The chain needs to be slid over the prongs closest to the adjustable anvil.
You centered it over the rear guide, and hence, bent the crap out of it.
That extra hard force you felt was the tool bending
To all that say this is a crap tool, just let it be known that if you use one of the Park Tool chain tools and slide the chain over the wrong guide, it will break as well.
Seen way to many newbie’s in the shop do exactly what OP did
That little bar thing needs to be removed before using, it’s a hook that holds the chain together it probably derailed the chain off of the breaker. Make sure you twist the bigger barrel to push the chain against the inserts that hold the chain bushings on the tool. That prevents the bending on it
Can you swap ends with the static pin and handle ? Whatever you are doing to bend like that will probably bend them back.
Chain tool is one of those tools you cant cheap out on sadly
So normally with this tool. In your first picture, you would unscrew the far right screw. The one with the cross hatch pattern until you chain fits between it ND the last slit. That has a hike it usually so the pin will slide into the whole as part of that screw.
The skits closer to the pin pusher itself is to loosen a stiff link. So you load in the chain and push it with the pin gently to loosen a stiff link. Do not use this. It’s dumb and will weaken the link. Instead use a quick link or if you are putting the pin back in, bend it with your hands hard sideways and perpendicular to the chain. Quick link better though.
It looks damaged. Don’t know if you did it or if it came that way already. It shouldn’t be that hard to push the pin out once you have the chain inserted in the tool correctly. I have that same cheap chain breaker and have pushed more than a dozen pins with no problem. Sram, Shimano, kmc ,zrace, no problems so far.
Cheap chinesium tools usually don’t work as intended.
Could be a crap quality tool but the other thing I’ll say is that the first slot is for popping the pin out and the second slot is for pushing the pin in.
Try the same tool but better made
Those cheap tools are terrible. Bikehand makes the best one I found, adjustable anvil and durable as hell.
I dunno. The first one I had used A LOT of force, it was unnerving. Lol. It broke after 2 more uses, so it was junk. The nicer one I have now isn’t a marvel if engineering but harder steel maybe. It bends a bit. Good luck.
Maybe its not alogned just right? Or you need to use the break link on the chain some.are like that