How to Fix a Slipped Bicycle Chain

Written By: Keely Thompson
  • Comments: 9
How to Fix a Slipped Bicycle Chain

Difficulty

Easy

Steps

9

Time Required

30 seconds - 15 minutes

Introduction

Slipped bike chains may be caused by several different problems including poor shifting technique, the chain being too long, or a worn out chain or rear casters.

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    • Before getting off the bike, downshift bike into lowest front gear (using the left shifter).

    • Being in the lowest front gear means the chain will be riding on the largest chain ring.

    • Continue pedaling. This step alone may realign the chain.

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    • If Step 1 did not work, get off the bike and lift the rear tire while spinning the pedals with your hand.

    Rotating the wheel worked like a charm! My bike now pedals normal. All I did was spin the rear wheel counter-clockwise. Thank you for the good advice!

    James Carmody -

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    • If Step 2 is not enough, push rear derailleur forward to release tension on the chain.

    • Lift the chain and put it back on the chain ring.

    • Turn the pedals with your hand while lifting the rear wheel to realign the chain (as in Step 2).

    • Bike chains are very greasy and your hands will get messy. Use a pair of latex gloves, if available, or use a twig or leaf if you can.

    • This step may take several attempts, but it will work eventually.

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    • If you experience a lot of slipped chains, your chain might be too long. In this case, you will need to use a chain breaker.

    • Put the chain on the outer chain guide of the chain breaker.

    • Turn the handle on the chain breaker to push the chain pin part of the way out.

    • This step may take quite a bit of force so don't be afraid that you are going to break something if the pin seems stuck.

    • Do not push the pin all of the way out or else it will be nearly impossible to put back together.

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    • Remove the chain breaker by backing up the drive pin.

    • Pull the chain apart.

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    • Repeat Steps 4-5 to remove a link:

    • There are two parts to one link (one is narrow and one is wide). Both need to be removed for the chain to fit back together again.

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    • If the chain fell off the rear derailleur, it needs to be re-fed through the proper pulleys.

    • Feed the chain along the guide pulley (the highest of the two pulleys).

    • Thread the chain inside the derailleur cage in between the tension and guide pulley.

    • Thread the chain in front of the tab.

    • Then, thread the chain over the tension pulley.

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    • To rejoin the chain, align the open ends of the chain.

    • Put the chain on the outer guide of the chain breaker with the pin facing the driving pin.

    • Turn the driving pin until the pin is equally spaced in between the face plates like all of the other links.

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    • Wiggle the link you just reattached. If it's too stiff, continue on to the next part.

    • Put the chain on the inside guide of the chain breaker and turn the driving pin just a little. Check as you go along and continue until proper looseness is achieved.

    • As before, do not push the pin all the way out.

Conclusion

If your chain continues to slip, the chain or cogs are probably worn out. Have a local mechanic look at your bike and determine which needs to be replaced. If it's the chain, visit this guide <Triace A310 Chain Replacement>

Author

Keely Thompson

Member since: 24/02/15

766 Reputation

8 comments

A guide to indicators if cogs are worn would have also been helpful. Many of us ride a bike due to financial constraints, employing local mechanic may not be possible (I certainly can't afford that). A brilliant guide otherwise, thank you.

evocrim -

Thank you so much for this article--so many helpful tips here. But, I just saw this post ("Over 200 Bike Repair Videos and Hundreds of Pages of Illustrated Guides") and actually was reading about this same topic the other day. I did some searching around and stumbled onto this cool article… I thought it was helpful… http://diybikerepairguide.weebly.com

Tyrone Robinson -

Thanks for the information. How do I know how long the new chain should be. Hint, don't have broken one.

Kenneth Silvestri -

Thanks for your post. A bicycle normally drops off a gear or chain ring as the teeth have worn and become narrow.The chain has a bad link and stretched. To increase complexity, you have lots of options to ensure the dropped chain. You may like this too- http://www.mybiked.com/rechain-bike-usef...

Harry Bauman -

I have a chain guide on my bike only now that the chain is off, I can’t seem to lift the chain onto the top of the chain ring as the guide is blocking this.

judith brough -

Thank you so much for this article--so many helpful tips here. But, I just saw this post ("Over 200 Bike Repair Videos and Hundreds of Pages of Illustrated Guides") and actually was reading about this same topic the other day. I did some searching around and stumbled onto this cool article… I thought it was helpful . Best Electrical Bikes Under $500.

Saad Bin Tariq -

The best article for the step-by-step to get rid of slip chains on your bike.
I would recommend everyone to use winter cycling gloves during their Winter rides as they are purposely made to keep your hand warm during the harsh weather rides.

DEKO SPORTS UK LTD -

I need help fixing the ring of my mountain bike please

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