5 Tips to Choose and Treat Your Bicycle Chain

5 Tips to Choose and Treat Your Bicycle Chain

A bicycle chain is the most important component of your bicycle. You need to treat and oil it to make it run significantly. It is helpful to make your bicycle easy to ride. It is better to select a high-quality chain and treat it depending on driving it. You can get some thousands of miles away with your bicycle. Make sure that you treat your bicycle chain well.

What Is Bicycle Chain? 

What Is Bicycle Chain? A bicycle chain is the most important component influencing the performance of your bicycle. The presence of a bicycle chain is still less without the considerations of the bikers. You often ignore it when you work well. However, you feel the presence when the performance is in trouble. The chain has at least 116 connections. Every connection has a bearing keeping moving when you use it. The chain’s pressure influences the bicycle chain endurance. It is not surprising if the bicycle chain on the gear ratio is wider and heavier when you pedal it. 

Components of Bicycle Chain

Components of Bicycle Chain, A bicycle chain is a crucial component of the bike. It is the motor that moves and pedals your bike. The bicycle chain consists of small components combined to be a long series. A bike chain is one of the most common components having more connections from the existing components in the bike. Here are some components and parts of a chain link. Those are side plats, inner plats, rivets or bushing, and rollers. A bicycle chain consists of outer plates and inner plates held by the rivet. A roller is set in the center of the plat to keep it straight and prevent scratches between both. A rivet or pin is pressed to cross both plates. However, it keeps both plates and rollers moving and turning freely. 

Tips to Choose a Bicycle Chain Properly

Tips to Choose a Bicycle Chain Properly, Before you select the best bicycle chain, you can consider the following things. Those are the guide to take a choice of the chain. 

1. A Bicycle Chain Model

When you select a bicycle chain, you need to be concerned about the model. It is no problem if you consider the brand or model to use for your bicycle on the street. However, it is not simple. Many manufacturers engineer the chain with a design to work well. It is not great when you compare it to their drivetrain. The recommendation is to use a bicycle chain model following the use of your drivetrain. Some manufacturers of bicycle spare parts usually make it. If you find the difficulties with the chain, you can change it with the most compatible one. 

2. Choose the Bicycle Chain Condition

You need to oil and clean your bicycle chain with one step. To make your chain stay running and moving, you should select the clean chain. The easiest and fastest way is by giving your favorite chain oil on every bicycle chain. You can swipe the whole chain and add a drop of oil to the chain. You let it for a night to make it dry. Then, you can test it by riding it. 

3. Check the Wear and Tear

It has a tool to check the wear and tear of your bicycle chain. However, you can measure your chain with a ruler or a measurement tool. You may have it and use it now. When you buy a new bicycle chain, you can measure properly 12 inches from the chain pin to chain pin in a range of 24 chains. With the dull chain, the size can be 12 1/8 inches. If you can maximize the wear and tear of the chain and pins, it is right to change your bicycle chain to the right size. It means that you buy the suitable size. You can choose the size of 12 1/6 inches. If you wait up to 12 1/8, you may change it with the right chain. 

4. Measure A Bicycle Chain

When you change the dull chain, you need to measure it with the right length. The longer chain will become a problem. The easiest one is calculating the number of links of the old chain and match to the new one. However, if you do not have the old chain or change the gear, it is unsuccessful. To get the right chain length, make sure it is suitable to move to the big chain combination and gear. If you love the calculation, you can use the same chain length. 

5. Bring a Repair Link

The best tip to select a bicycle chain is to bring the best chain repair link. You can check the details of these links. If you have an inappropriate condition, you can repair it at home. Do not get worried if it is damaged to save another roadie. It is available from a different maker. It is like KMC, SRAM, and Wipperman. Those make a fast and easy chain repair. You still use a chain tool to release broken chain pins when you repair it. Then, you insert a link and continue to set it. If you save roadie, you can still use it for riding your bike.  A bicycle chain is a component to move your bike forward or back. You will crash when you move your gear carelessly. You do not stop and set back the chain when you have troubles. As a substitution, pedal it slowly and operate to move the front gear to move the chain back to the chain ring. If you ride it and fall, you can turn around before losing momentum and move the chain when you go down. Because the pin is necessary to assemble a more modern chain, you still clean and oil it when you have it. You can also conduct a rinsing method with a degreaser. It removes the chain oil and destroys your bicycle chain slowly. You must read and consider the directions when you select the new bicycle chain. Some brands with different qualities are available in the market.