Stiff links/split links

Often, the link you’ve just joined is stiff, although stiff links occur for other reasons: the chain may need lubricating, or you’re riding in the wet. You feel a stiff link as you’re riding – the pedals slip forward regularly, but at different places in the pedal revolution.

To find a stiff link, change into the smallest sprocket at the back and the largest chainring at the front. Lean the bike up against a wall, crouch beside it and pedal backwards slowly with your right hand. The chain heads backwards from the top of the front chainring, around the smallest sprocket, then around the front of the guide jockey and the back of the tension jockey. Then, it heads to the front chainring again. The chain is straight as it travels across the top, then bends around the sprocket. The links should be flexible enough to straighten out as they emerge from the bottom of the sprocket, then bend the other way to pass round the guide jockey. But a stiff link won’t straighten out as it drops…

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Bike Maintenance Tips, Tricks & Techniques (Digital) - 1 Issue, Bike Maintenance Tips, Tricks & Techniques 3rd Edition

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