Removing the chain is a simple operation. But without professional bike repair tools, you can’t get anywhere. Since you can’t break a pin on a chain with your teeth, we won’t use force here either. The good news: with the same tool that opens the chain, you can close it too. There are two options.
Before getting to the two real options – here’s a quick note of desperation. You don’t have a chain riveter and chain pliers to open and close the chain? It is not impossible to break an old chain with force (such as with a hacksaw). Even without tools, the new chain can be closed again with the correct quick link included! It just happens to have to fit the length too. In this case, you can avoid the problem and don’t need any special tools at all. But how sustainable is this? At the latest, you will face the same problem at the next replacement. Chain riveters are neither expensive nor useless. It’s used on open and when resized on mount, and it’s needed 90% of the time. So an essential tool for your bike workshop.
The two (correct) options mentioned above are: chain riveter and bicycle chain pliers. Modern bicycle chains do not require chain rivets to open/close. Quicklinks have been all the rage over the years, and even Shimano, one of the last manufacturers, turned this side over to quicklinks. But you still need the tool to shorten the chain to the correct length (number of links). You can learn more in the assembly of the chain components below.
There are now two ways to open the chain: if your chain is attached with a quick link, then just use a pair of chain nose pliers to open it.
This way you can easily use your chain. If you can’t find such a quick link on a chain, then you must use a chain rivet to open any link. NOTE: A chain opened in this way cannot be closed again with the same pin. You will need to purchase a matching kingpin or use the matching quick link provided by the manufacturer. Pins and Quick Links must always exactly fit the defined pin length! Universal parts don’t exist because each manufacturer’s chain is slightly different.
Post time: Jun-13-2022