UKC

I snapped the chain on my mountain bike the other day, but it probably needed changing anyway.

So I bought another, and told the guy in the shop I had 8 cogs on the cassette, and got a chain for 6, 7, or 8 cogged cassettes.

Fitted it, chopped off 3 links in fitting, seems to run fine circling round the garden with no power on the pedals, and changes smoothly to all possible gear combinations.

Then checked and realised I've actually got NINE cogs on the rear cassette.

Is this likely to cause a problem? I reckoned using a fatter chain than needed would be better than using a thinner one (like ten-speed chain on an 8-cog cassette)? Any advice?

In reply to Just Another Dave:

Yeah you need a nine speed chain.

In reply to Just Another Dave:
No its the other way round a thinner chain works ok.
Get a 9 sp chain

In reply to John Simpson:
Really? What will go wrong, given that it seems to be working?

In reply to Pesda potato:

Can't a thinner chain get jammed in between the wider-spaced cogs? Am I thick?

In reply to Just Another Dave:

The difference between 8 and 9 speed is they fitted an extra gear on the same freehub body, so the 9 speed chain is thinner, not by much but it is thinner.

It may seem fine under light loads, but when you drive it under full power under load it will start to skip especially in the 11 12 and 13 cogs as the chain is a bit too wide and doesn't fully engage with the teeth of the cogs.

LBS probably will exchange it.

In reply to John Simpson:


Doubt it if he's taken links off it to fit it.

In reply to gethin_allen:

Join the chain back up, put it in the box, it's still a new chain.

In reply to gethin_allen:

Yeah, doubt it.

The missus has an 8-speed though. I'll stick it on that.

In reply to Just Another Dave:

The issue is that the chain you have my interact with the sprockets either side of the sprocket you are using. This could cause the chain to jump and skip and could potentially cause an accident if the chain skips while you are pushing hard on the pedals. The result of these types of accidents is usually a testicle to stem interface, ouch!

You may also find you have issues with using a new chain on an old cassette if it's heavily worn as chains and cassettes wear together and old chains get slightly longer with wear as the rollers and rivets wear away.

In reply to John Simpson:


Hmm, I'm not sure I'd want to be the eventual owner of that chain, repaired links not done with a quick link or a specialist joining link are always a bit dodgy.

In reply to gethin_allen:

Agree. And anyway, I don't think I can join it back up: I pushed the pin all the way out of the link, that's not how to do it, is it?

Mind, it's only 3 links shorter, I could lie and just say I made a mistake. No ones gonna count!

In reply to Just Another Dave:


You can get the pins back in but it's not easy.


If you do take it back, it's best to tell them the truth, it's still a new chain 3 links short, you have to shorten chains to fit on bikes most of the time so maybe they would do a deal. I worked in a local bike shop for 5 years as a mechanic whist at uni, and I'd have swapped it for you every day of the week. But then I did work in a really good bike shop

In reply to Just Another Dave:

Aw nuts to it, there's no LBS's open anywhere on Sunday and I can't wait. Think I'll just give the 8spd chain a damn good testing and see what happens.

Worst case I end up getting another chain and cassette and few bruises eh?