Cutting chain to length

[Chris M]

Hi All

I'm at the last stages of building up my Club Tour, just the brake and gear cables to be fitted. I'm just fitting the chain but need some advice about cutting it to length. I've wrapped the chain around the largest front and back sprockets and was going to add 1" to that but that would put two outer plates together; looking at the photo, the only option seems to be to leave 1.5" and just take off the last link.
I was wondering if this is going to cause any problems or am I missing something obvious?

Cheers

Chris

[jags]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY1XxU_y2u0

this vid shouls sort it chris.

[Chris M]

Cheers jags, seems to confirm what I thought; leave it a touch longer as they are the only available inner plates.

Thanks mate.

[jags]

no problem chris always good idea to have a few of those magic links in the tool box.

[phopwood]

Wow look how clean that chain is, and clean fingers as well, is this picture a Photoshop export.

Peter

[Andre Jute]

Wow look how clean that chain is, and clean fingers as well, is this picture a Photoshop export.
Peter

I hope he hasn't cleaned the factory lube off the chain. That's the good stuff!

[jags]

Andre did you ever find out wxactly what that lube is.

[Chris M]

Wow look how clean that chain is, and clean fingers as well, is this picture a Photoshop export.

Peter

I'll let you into a secret; It's a brand new chain straight out of the wrapper. 
I've been trying to sort the gears out all day but have now given up for the night. I think I may have the wrong rear derailleur, I've already had to buy a new front one because of the chainstay angles.

So, how does this work?
I measured the chain and cut it to right length. I'm using the chainset off my Trek it's Shimano XT M-771-K  (26/36/48) and at the rear a new XT M770 Cassette (11-34T) alongside an XT M772 Shadow derailleur. Exactly the same as I ran on my other bike. After fitting the chain and cable I noticed a large amount of slack (chain really hanging low) when on the smallest chainring and smallest sprocket at the rear, not a combination you would use but useful to see how the rear derailleur is taking up the slack, which it obviously wasn't. After checking the chain length a few times and that the RD was fitted correctly I still couldn't work out what the problem was.
Finally, a closer look at Shimano Tech Docs shows that the derailleur I have is a GS rather than the SGS I thought I had (it was fitted by the LBS). I could only identify it from the SGS one by the different cut outs on the back plate. This would explain the slack chain as it's capacity is only 33T against the 45T I need. The question is, how did it work on the other bike? There's only 5mm difference in the chainstay lengths, the other bike being the one with longer chainstays.

I can pick up an SGS M772 tomorrow from the shop but I'm still confused how it worked on one bike but not another.
Anyone got any ideas?

Cheers

Chris

[Andre Jute]

Andre did you ever find out wxactly what that lube is.

It's some relatively light oil (by internal combustion standards) loaded with wax to give it extra cling, but I don't know the exact formulation because the manufacturers hold that secret. That stuff's so good, one wonders why they don't market it. It may be though that it is forced into the interstices of the chain by pressure. Thing about chain lube is that what you can see is wasted -- at best it prevents corrosion that is merely cosmetically undesirable; the work is done on the rollers where you can't see, which is why you should lube only one side of the chain, so the lube can flow through (if you lube both side, you could form an unlubed air bubble in the middle that will wear your chain right fast).

[phopwood]

I'll let you into a secret; It's a brand new chain straight out of the wrapper. 
I've been trying to sort the gears out all day but have now given up for the night. I think I may have the wrong rear derailleur, I've already had to buy a new front one because of the chainstay angles.

So, how does this work?
I measured the chain and cut it to right length. I'm using the chainset off my Trek it's Shimano XT M-771-K  (26/36/48) and at the rear a new XT M770 Cassette (11-34T) alongside an XT M772 Shadow derailleur. Exactly the same as I ran on my other bike. After fitting the chain and cable I noticed a large amount of slack (chain really hanging low) when on the smallest chainring and smallest sprocket at the rear, not a combination you would use but useful to see how the rear derailleur is taking up the slack, which it obviously wasn't. After checking the chain length a few times and that the RD was fitted correctly I still couldn't work out what the problem was.
Finally, a closer look at Shimano Tech Docs shows that the derailleur I have is a GS rather than the SGS I thought I had (it was fitted by the LBS). I could only identify it from the SGS one by the different cut outs on the back plate. This would explain the slack chain as it's capacity is only 33T against the 45T I need. The question is, how did it work on the other bike? There's only 5mm difference in the chainstay lengths, the other bike being the one with longer chainstays.

I can pick up an SGS M772 tomorrow from the shop but I'm still confused how it worked on one bike but not another.
Anyone got any ideas?

Cheers

Chris

Chris,

I don't think the 5mm would make any difference at all,  have you adjusted the b tension screw, it sounds like your RD is not taking up all the slack.  Do you have any pictures of the whole setup it may help.

All the best.

Peter.

[Chris M]

Cheers Peter

I've adjusted the B tension screw so that the jockey wheel is 5mm from the sprocket when on the largest sprocket as per the tech docs. I've also tried 'bottoming out' the b screw just to see if the slack goes; it doesn't.

Two pictures with the b screw in the correct position, for what it's worth, the chain runs up and down the sprocket faultlessly when the pedal is rotated and shifter operated. I've removed the front derailleur for the time being while I sort this out.

Cheers

Chris

[Chris M]

Other picture:

[jags]

chris thats ok ,try putting the chain on big ring up front and higest gear (13) at rear your chain should be nice and tensioned, click up a few cogs you should still be ok .
now change to middle ring and go down another cog 17 to 23 small ring for lowest gears.

[phopwood]

Chris,

What rear cassette is installed, it looks to me like the large rear sprocket is too big for the mech, unless the is an adjustment you are missing.  

Peter

[jags]

peter i had that same rear mech its fine up to 32  i think only think i didn't like about it there is no barrel adjuster on it so i installed some on  cables at sti leavers work spot on.