How to Take Links Out of a Bicycle Chain

A worn or loose bicycle chain can damage the sprockets or slip off and cause injury.

New bicycle chains are usually too long and must be shortened prior to installation. The bike shop could do this for you, often for free if you bought your bike there. For the do-it-yourselfers out there, this task can be accomplished fairly easily with the help of a chain breaker.

Things You'll Need

• Chain breaker tool

Instructions

1. Put the chain in the cradle of the chain breaker. Make sure it is positioned so that the shaft of the chain breaker lines up with the rivet of the chain.

2. Turn the handle to press the shaft of the chain breaker into the rivet of the chain. The rivet will then push through the chain and out the other side.

3. Remove the chain from the chain breaker and slide the links apart by twisting and pulling.

4. Place the chain back in the chain breaker, skipping one rivet from the one you just removed.

5. Remove this rivet and slide the link out of place by twisting and pulling. You should now have both the outside and inside sections of a chain link removed from the chain, with one rivet attaching them.

Tips & Warnings

• You may want to leave the rivet partially in the chain link if you want to put the chain back together. Reinserting the rivet into the chain can be difficult. When the chain breaker handle starts to give more resistance, it should be far enough to pull apart without removing the rivet.

• When you buy a chain breaker, be sure it is compatible with your chain size.

• If your chain has a master link to easily break the chain, do not remove it.

References

• Park Tool: Chain Installation