Bicycle Chain Length Guide

The complete guide to chain general not specific to bicycles.

Bicycle chain length guide.

To check if it was the correct size shift the bike to the smallest sprockets and check the chain for any slack. It really isn t too difficult to get the chain length right. For this post it suffices to say that bicycle chain pitch is exactly 1 2 inch 12 7 mm. A chain guide mountain bike can eliminate that possibility.

Inner chain width is the spacing between a pair of inner plates. It is marked in the picture 2. The type of chain you need will depend on the type of bike you are riding. Chains cannot be cut to 52 1 4 53 1 8 or even 52 1 2.

There are a few ways to get the correct chain length on your road bike as dan lloyd will show you in this video. Size to old chain count links if your old chain was sized correctly it can be used to determine the length of your new chain. If you bike a lot you should also give serious consideration to some high quality chain lube as well. For example some derailleur bike chain could only be 51 52 53 inches etc.

An 11 speed cassette requires a different chain to a 9 speed one the chain must be thinner in order to fit into the narrower spaces between the sprockets. Take your old chain and lay it out next to the new one. A number of different chain widths are available to suit specific bike types such as bmx or to fit different road and mtb drivetrains e g. How to calculate chain length video tutorial animation of shimano gearing system this page was last edited on 2 september 2020 at 13 03.

It is possible to determine chain length from industrial drive train equations and then cut the chain before installing it on the bike. The correct chain length chain rivet. The reality is that speed is a factor in most injuries so it pays to outfit your bike with this essential safety feature. This goes for all the bicycle chains regardless of the speed number.

All you need are a chain rivet or a chain lock and you will need to know the amount of chain links needed for a correct chain length.