# Chain too tight?



## Wood Devil (Apr 30, 2011)

How can you tell if your chain is too tight? I mean, if you're a moron and didn't properly measure it before installing, how tight is too tight before performance and parts degrade?


----------



## sp3000 (Jul 10, 2007)

Park Tool Co. » ParkTool Blog » Chain Length Sizing


----------



## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

Shift to the big big combo. If you don't tear the rear derailuer off it's fine.


----------



## Wood Devil (Apr 30, 2011)

sp3000 said:


> Park Tool Co. » ParkTool Blog » Chain Length Sizing


Yup ... too damn short. I could tell something wasn't right, because of the rough feel to it; it was almost like when I turn the cranks by hand, I could feel each link lock into a tooth. The derailleur is fully extended. My last ride out, the chain got jammed on the biggest cog, and I had to drop to the small ring to get it dislodged.

I popped out the master link and hung them side-by-side from nails on the wall, and I'm two links short (I must have been dazed and confused when installing it).

Now, I'm throwing on a new chain. What a waste.

Anyway to fix a chain that was cut too short?


----------



## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

Wood Devil said:


> Yup ... too damn short. I could tell something wasn't right, because of the rough feel to it; it was almost like when I turn the cranks by hand, I could feel each link lock into a tooth. The derailleur is fully extended. My last ride out, the chain got jammed on the biggest cog, and I had to drop to the small ring to get it dislodged.
> 
> I popped out the master link and hung them side-by-side from nails on the wall, and I'm two links short (I must have been dazed and confused when installing it).
> 
> ...


Master link of your choice (SRAM, Wipperman, etc) + the pieces of chain you cut off.

Never, EVER cut a chain based on the length of the old chain. Who's to say the person who did the prior chain wasn't an idiot?

Also, make sure the chain isn't running over the tab between the derailleur cage plates.


----------



## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Wood Devil said:


> How can you tell if your chain is too tight?


If you can't push up on the lower jockey wheel and gain a bit of chain slack then it's too tight.


----------



## Wood Devil (Apr 30, 2011)

Mike T. said:


> If you can't push up on the lower jockey wheel and gain a bit of chain slack then it's too tight.


That's what drew my concern; I noted that with the big/big combo that derailleur was fully extended out and the chain was very taut. 

The strange part is that I did two century rides last week on it. So it worked, but was just rough.

New chain on. Problem gone.


----------



## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Wood Devil said:


> That's what drew my concern; I noted that with the big/big combo that derailleur was fully extended out and the chain was very taut.
> The strange part is that I did two century rides last week on it. So it worked, but was just rough.
> New chain on. Problem gone.


You do know that the big/big combo, due to its extreme chain deflection, isn't a usable gear I hope? But you must have enough chain for it, otherwise damage will result if it's shifted into by mistake.


----------



## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Next time*



Wood Devil said:


> That's what drew my concern; I noted that with the big/big combo that derailleur was fully extended out and the chain was very taut.
> 
> The strange part is that I did two century rides last week on it. So it worked, but was just rough.
> 
> New chain on. Problem gone.


Next time you size your chain, put it in the small-small combination and remove just enough links so that the rear derailleur starts taking up slack and the chain is not dragging on the derailleur cage as you pedal. This will give you the lowest friction drive train and prevent the big-big problem in all but the most whacky gear combinations.


----------



## Pirx (Aug 9, 2009)

Mike T. said:


> You do know that the big/big combo, due to its extreme chain deflection, isn't a usable gear I hope?


Says who? It's perfectly usable on my bike, anyway. Not that I am recommending riding hundreds of miles that way, but there is nothing that makes that combination "unusable" for me (Campy SR11). For me it runs just fine, without any noise, rubbing, FD adjustment, or any other fuss. It has happened to me before that I only noticed that I was fully cross-chained when I wanted to drop a gear lower, and found out that I had run out of cogs.


----------

