Bicycle Chain Master Link Views

General Goods

Single-speed and 3-speed bikes use a 1/8-inch chain with a master link; 5-speeds and 10-speeds use a 3/32-inch continuous chain. Both types should be cleaned regularly. Examine the way the chain is installed on the bicycle, and sketch it if you aren't sure you can remember it. You must replace the chain exactly the same way after you clean it.

Remove the chain from the bicycle. The master link of a 1/8-inch chain has straight side plates. To open the master link, pull out the retaining clip with a needle-nose pliers; then remove the side plate. Pull the link out of the chain to release the ends. To remove a 3/32-inch chain, push out a chain pin rivet anywhere along the chain. Align a chain rivet extractor with its screw pin over a rivet; tighten the screw of the extractor just enough to push the rivet through the center of the chain but leave it hanging from the far side. The chain will separate as the rivet is loosened.

To reinstall the chain, replace it around the rear sprocket and the front chainwheel, exactly as it was before you removed it. Reattach the master link to the loose ends of a 1/8-inch chain; replace the side plate and the retaining clip. Rejoin the ends of a 3/32-inch chain with a chain rivet extractor; loosen the screw pin, align the pin over the loose rivet where the ends of the chain meet, and tighten the screw pin. Adjust the rivet carefully so that it's exactly flush with both sides of the chain.

If a 1/8-inch chain comes apart at the master link, replace the master link with a new one. Adjust the chain to position it correctly, hook the new master link through the loose ends, and fasten the link. A chain that is damaged or breaks in the middle, or a damaged or broken 3/32-inch chain, should be replaced. Remove the chain as above and take it with you to the bike shop; buy a new chain of the same type.