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Is it still ok to break and reassemble chains with a chainbreaker?

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JackOfDiamonds

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Way back when dinosaurs roamed, we always would use a chainbreaker to push out a pin until the chain would come apart, then, reassemble the chain and push the same pin back through until it looked like the rest of them. If the link was tight afterwards, the breaker had a little shelf for loosening it back up.

Now, I'm back into biking, and we have much narrower chains, and they have quick-links. These are amazing, and I normally use them, but they are like $10 each and I have a KMC 10 speed chain to install and I don't have a quick link right now. Is it still ok to break and reassemble a 10 speed chain the old way, or do you HAVE to use the quick links? Are the links just for convenience or are they required?
 
#4 ·
To be clear, it was NEVER okay to reuse the same pin you pushed out. Shimano sold/supplied replacement pins meant for the purpose of splicing at the 11spd and earlier stages of drivetrains. SRAM has been using quick links for a long time. I gave up on Shimano's pins a long time ago and used quick links (usually from Connex) to splice chains back together. Yes, you still use the chain tool to push out a pin if you need to, but do yourself a favor and reassemble the chain correctly.
 
#5 ·
keen said:
^ I will also add "quick links" are supposed to be single use. I have re-used plenty of 9 speed quick links but noticed my 11 speed links would start falling apart after a number of re-uses.
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There are reusable quick links for 10spd and earlier chains, but once 11spd hit, I was unable to find reusable ones for them. I'll reuse them once in a pinch, but will replace them if I need to do it more than that.
 
#7 ·
You can re-use 10/11/12 speed quick links. I found, to my dismay, as I despise the company, that SRAM eagle 12 speed links are the best.

But. It has not been "ok" to reassemble chains using a chain breaker ( hint is in the name ) ever since 8-piece chains became the norm. So early 90ties. Joining chains using anything but the special pin or a quick link is a big no-no for anything 9 speed or above.
 
#9 ·
back in the day of 6 speed road, to repair/remove a bent link

knocked out and reinserted a pin with a rock+qr on the side of the road

it took forever but I was 50 miles out and not bumming a ride no sir

scratched the **** out of my chainstay too
 
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#14 ·
SoDakSooner said:
I don't do it anymore, but repaired several chains in the 9 speed days by reinserting the pin and maybe it's dumb luck but never had the repair fail.
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I've done it countless times before the advent of the quick link 6/7/8/9 speed without failures-as a bike messenger back in the day and a road/mtb rider.

Not anymore, q links are great, and I re-use them once in a while.
 
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