Any question answered...

Moves freely but doesn't spring back, or is too stiff to spring back?

Just doesn't spring back.

Fuck I'm useless at describing this stuff.

Floppy or stiff?

It's a bit early for that. Fnar

Got a snort from me

Chain advice

1. What's the go to budget 3/32" chain (single speed)?
   
2. What's the go to budget 9 speed chain (1x9)?
   
3. Whats the easiest quick link to remove for 3/32" and 1x9 (to swap between chains)
   
   

Cheers.

Thanks - I ended up buying a new 105 caliper. Didn't fancy riding around brakeless anymore!

Hi,

Opinions on if these bars are ok..

They are vision carbon and the clamp area has slight ripples in lacquer from the stem clamp. I'm wondering if it has been overtightened.

I briefly used and was fine, but don't want to sell on if its strength is compromised. Feels fine in hands but I want to be a bit more sure. The clamp area isn't caved in or anything.

Thoughts?

3 Attachments

@hugo7

I think KMC are generally pretty decent chains. Both should come with a quick link, so you can swap over easily and keep the correct link with the chain. You would be best just buying one of the link tools on ebay which makes the job really easy. They are about a fiver.

Wippermann conneX 7Z1 for 3/32"

and this style quick link (because you can open them by hand):

Good for single speed maybe not gears : the pins protrude a bit to one side

7Z1 for 3/32" and this style quick link

That link is the reason I'd avoid the 7Z1, which is otherwise an excellent choice. It's fine as a fit-and-forget which you're not going to remove until it's dragging on the ground, but for frequent swaps it sucks.
For @hugo 's purposes, just one dérailleur chain (KMC, Wippermann, or whatevs) and two quick links is the answer, so he can pull out the excess length to run singlespeed and then put it back in for multi-gear use. Every 3/32" singlespeed chainring and sprocket I've checked is thin enough to use 9-speed chain

Its not the link from the 7z1, they are difficult to open again.

I think this one is the good one:
(sold out) https://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;product=184236;menu=1000,2,83;page=19
I bought a whole bag of them from somewhere.

1 Attachment

• KMC Connectinglink.pdf

Its not the link from the 7z1...I think this one is the good one

AFAIK, that is the OE link which comes with the 7Z1, and it's the one I think is shit. Obviously your experience is different, but for my money the Snap On link is the work of the devil and should have been drowned at birth. The only advantage over a proper spring-clip link is that it is compatible with a 5-speed dérailleur, but anybody using a 7Z1 with a dérailleur is deranged anyway.

TIL two quick links is a thing.
(seriously... all thinks are firmly inside the box, here)

the connex links that come with the 7z1 chain look like this:

(and are annoying)

annoying

I think the Wippermann one provides flush pins but needs more bending than the KMC one you like. They're both shit - either get a spring clip to go with your bushed chain for optimum singlespeed life (which is hardly an option in 3/32" these days, the 7R8 seems to be the only one) or just accept that flush riveted bushingless dérailleur chain with it's symmetric quick links is where the market is these days.

All of this chain link chat is making me wonder what (if any) reusable chain links are available for 11 speed Shimano chains - I have a travel bike that I'd rather take the chain off for packing, but don't want to use loads of links or weaken it by splitting it on normal pins. Anything out there, or should I just deal with using loads of spare links?

Every 3/32"... sprocket... is thin enough to use 9-speed chain

Not EAI 3/32" sprockets, in my experience.

what (if any) reusable chain links are available for 11 speed Shimano chains

I gather people have successfully used Wippermann or KMC reusable quick links on Shimano chains. Of course, if you want to be sure, just stop using Shimano chain and switch to Wippermann or KMC

Not EAI 3/32" sprockets

Yeah, all bets are off with 3/32" track sprockets. I assumed we were all talking about singlespeed HG splined sprockets.

one dérailleur chain... and two quick links is the answer

This is why I love this place! What a great idea.

singlespeed HG splined sprockets

Yes.

Totally. Great idea. No snark. I’d never considered doing that...

(maybe I’m conditioned to be suspicious of even a single quick link as ‘big dental bill deferred’, just because Shimano don’t use them)

KMC do two types of 11 speed quick links. One is reusable, one is not. It says which is which in a little circle on the packaging.

They do now.

https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/technologies/component/details/quick-link.html

Where do you think they came from? ;)