Sram, Powerlink

[Engineer1]

Daft question, what is the easiest way to get a stiff powerlink to link up? I was out this morning and my chain went, a nice bloke stopped and had a go at fitting a powerlink but couldn't get it to engage. So not wanting to waste his ride I freewheeled back to my car and picked up a powerlink to fix teh chain my self and hopefully get out again, I still couldn't get the chain to engage, took it to my LBS who got it to engage in no time, so quick I missed seeing the trick, so what was it? Something about lining the chain up and jumping on the pedal I think.

[h4muf]

No need to jump on the pedals! just a quick prod with your hand should do it!

[Engineer1]

Any better explaination of how, an hour of fiddling and no joy means there must be a knack to it.

[BliarOut]

Engineer?

[S1_RS]

There's no special knack to it. Make sure the two halves are pushed right through each other and give a small tug and they engage. It's only a tiny amount of force needed. Are you running an SRAM chain and was the powerlink from the same groupset size?

[Engineer1]

NFI on the chain brand it's the original with the bike, the link felt too stiff to just slip together, almost as though the links were close but not quite right.

[CC07 PEU]

If it's a 9 speed MTB chain then as long as the plates are seated correctly together then normally you can just pull the chain either side of the Powerlink and it will click into place.

However, if it's a 10 speed road bike chain, the instructions are slightly different. They advise when fitting the chain that some force may be required to click the Powerlink into place and once it's in place it cannot be removed and re-used again. When I recently fitted a new road bike chain I found that seating the two plates together then pushing on the pedals while applying the front brake was the only way to get the link to click into place. This is therefore what I would recommend to get your link to fit properly.

[anonymous-user]

Was it definitely SRAM?

There's a cheaper version, I can't recall the name which needs to be bent into place. A mate had one in his pocket when out riding once and without knowing we spent a few mins trying to pull it together like the SRAM but as soon as we realised it was the other one a quick bend saw it snap into place.

[Rouleur]

CC07 PEU said:

However, if it's a 10 speed road bike chain, the instructions are slightly different. They advise when fitting the chain that some force may be required to click the Powerlink into place and once it's in place it cannot be removed and re-used again.

I've broken and reconnected 10-speed road chains plenty of times, specifically KMC ones. No force required and it can be done over and over to the same one

I think it might be a good idea if the OP ditches his current chain and buys a KMC one, they just work perfectly IME. And no, I don't work for them!

[99hjhm]

Chain could be damaged? Happened to mine.

[Engineer1]

possibly was out on a 19mile ride and in 3 on the front 8 on the rear there was a definate judder and clunk from the drive train at random times. I used the simple fix of not riding in 3 to 8 too much. I guess Friday will be bike tinkering day this week.

[matt-ITR]

Rouleur said:

I've broken and reconnected 10-speed road chains plenty of times, specifically KMC ones. No force required and it can be done over and over to the same one

I think it might be a good idea if the OP ditches his current chain and buys a KMC one, they just work perfectly IME. And no, I don't work for them!

10sp KMC quick links are re-useable where as 10sp SRAM are not.
KMC get my vote as well.

[Gooby]

What people miss is to engage and disengage a powerlink you have to squeeze the link gently together.

[yellowjack]

Gooby said:

What people miss is to engage and disengage a powerlink you have to squeeze the link gently together.

^^Exactly this^^

When I first installed a 'powerlink' on my MTB, I did so to make it easier to take the chain off to clean it thoroughly. Come the time for it's first 'off bike' clean, and I'm left sweating, cursing, bleeding and working my way through the contents of my toolbox to get the damned thing off, right up to the point where I 'accidentally' discovered that squeezing the plates together before releasing the links really is the way forward. Seldom have I been left feeling quite such a fool. DOH!