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So my shiny new 530 rx-ring chain, sprockets and 6mm spacer just arrived today and I have a few general questions about installation.
I've read up on the removal of the wheel and chain and it seems pretty straight forward - it's always easier to take things apart. Similar to taking up slack in the chain, only expanded, so to speak.
Reassembly is where I have concerns.
If I understand correctly, the 6mm spacer goes on the outside of the front sprocket. I'm having a hard time picturing how that's supposed to work, but I suppose it will make more sense when I see it in execution.
As for assembling the chain, I'm seeing a lot of different styles of tools with several different names. According to the box the chain came in, the masterlink is a rivet type. Apparently, there are hollow nose and soft nose rivet masterlinks. Assuming the names are self-explanatory, mine appears to be a hollow nose type. It seems like this tool should have all my bases covered, correct? That seems expensive, but not nearly as expensive as some of the other chain tools I'm seeing.
When assembling the masterlink, I'm guessing the idea is to mushroom out the heads of the pins a little bit to keep the inner and outer plates held together. How do I know when to stop?
The tools for assembling the clip type masterlinks generally look to be less expensive, but my old chain had a clip type masterlink on it and that sucker just up and disappeared on me during a ride. I got home and inspected the chain because of a mysterious noise that had started at the end of my ride and it was then that I discovered that the retaining clip had come off and the inner link was about halfway separated from the outer link. The noise was that section of chain working its way through the sprockets.
Before you ask, yes, I kept the chain properly lubed and adjusted. It was a standard, non o-ring chain that was on there when I bought the bike last year and I think I just hammered it into the grave.
I believe I calculated the chain length I would need to be 115 links. The new chain is 116 links. Can I just compensate for that extra link with the chain adjusters on the bike, or should I just remove it? Also, one whole link consists of one inner and one outer plate, yes?
I come from a number of years of bicycle commuting and when it's time to replace a chain, I'm used to a new chain being shiny and dry to the touch, but with a waxy lubricant coating all the links. I was expecting the same or similar with this chain, but it's covered in what almost appears to be white lithium grease. It's a bit thicker than white lithium grease, but still easily moved around with a finger. Inside the box, the chain came wrapped in wax paper and the lubricant has started to bleed though in some spots, like greasy french fries in a to-go bag.
Is that normal? Should I clean it all off first? It kind of looks like crap, but I've always been told that a chain is never as well-lubricated as it is when it's brand new.
Is there anything else I'm missing? Any other details I should know?
I've read up on the removal of the wheel and chain and it seems pretty straight forward - it's always easier to take things apart. Similar to taking up slack in the chain, only expanded, so to speak.
Reassembly is where I have concerns.
If I understand correctly, the 6mm spacer goes on the outside of the front sprocket. I'm having a hard time picturing how that's supposed to work, but I suppose it will make more sense when I see it in execution.
As for assembling the chain, I'm seeing a lot of different styles of tools with several different names. According to the box the chain came in, the masterlink is a rivet type. Apparently, there are hollow nose and soft nose rivet masterlinks. Assuming the names are self-explanatory, mine appears to be a hollow nose type. It seems like this tool should have all my bases covered, correct? That seems expensive, but not nearly as expensive as some of the other chain tools I'm seeing.
When assembling the masterlink, I'm guessing the idea is to mushroom out the heads of the pins a little bit to keep the inner and outer plates held together. How do I know when to stop?
The tools for assembling the clip type masterlinks generally look to be less expensive, but my old chain had a clip type masterlink on it and that sucker just up and disappeared on me during a ride. I got home and inspected the chain because of a mysterious noise that had started at the end of my ride and it was then that I discovered that the retaining clip had come off and the inner link was about halfway separated from the outer link. The noise was that section of chain working its way through the sprockets.
Before you ask, yes, I kept the chain properly lubed and adjusted. It was a standard, non o-ring chain that was on there when I bought the bike last year and I think I just hammered it into the grave.
I believe I calculated the chain length I would need to be 115 links. The new chain is 116 links. Can I just compensate for that extra link with the chain adjusters on the bike, or should I just remove it? Also, one whole link consists of one inner and one outer plate, yes?
I come from a number of years of bicycle commuting and when it's time to replace a chain, I'm used to a new chain being shiny and dry to the touch, but with a waxy lubricant coating all the links. I was expecting the same or similar with this chain, but it's covered in what almost appears to be white lithium grease. It's a bit thicker than white lithium grease, but still easily moved around with a finger. Inside the box, the chain came wrapped in wax paper and the lubricant has started to bleed though in some spots, like greasy french fries in a to-go bag.
Is that normal? Should I clean it all off first? It kind of looks like crap, but I've always been told that a chain is never as well-lubricated as it is when it's brand new.
Is there anything else I'm missing? Any other details I should know?
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