Fixed my first snapped chain on the side of a trail in Boulder last weekend

I was about 6 miles into a ride on the Boulder Creek path when my chain snapped clean in two. Had my multi-tool and a quick link but never actually tried a chain repair on the trail before. Took me about 20 minutes of fumbling and dropping the pin twice before I got it back together. Made it back to the parking lot without any more issues though, which felt pretty great. Now I keep two quick links in my pack since that one was so close to getting lost in the gravel. Anyone else have a go-to trick for keeping those tiny chain pins from bouncing away in the dirt?

2 comments

2 Comments

graywright11d ago

Oh man, that's exactly how my first trailside chain repair went too (except I think I spent closer to 30 minutes and lost a pin in a puddle). I swear those little pieces have a mind of their own, they just vanish into the dirt the second you look away. My go-to trick is putting the chain on a bright bandana or a folded up paper towel before I start messing with the pin, that way if I drop it there's at least a fighting chance I'll find it before it gets eaten by the gravel.

ellis.felix11d ago

Lost a pin in a PUDDLE? That's next level bad luck, I'd have just called it a day and walked home right there. I mean, my chain exploded into the grass once and I spent twenty minutes crawling around like a weirdo, but a puddle is basically nature's trash can for bike parts. Your bandana trick is genius though, that's the kind of pro tip you only learn after losing your third quick link to the earth's crust. I've started keeping one of those little magnetic parts trays in my pack just for chain work. Helps me not turn every trailside repair into a treasure hunt.