Mountain Bike Chain Length Guide

In special cases like tandems and recumbents you may need to join 2 chains to have enough length.

Mountain bike chain length guide. An 11 speed cassette requires a different chain to a 9 speed one the chain must be thinner in order to fit into the narrower spaces between the sprockets. Take your old chain and lay it out next to the new one. A number of different chain widths are available to suit specific bike types such as bmx or to fit different road and mtb drivetrains e g. Most mountain bike manufacturers use classic small medium large sizing.

All you need are a chain rivet or a chain lock and you will need to know the amount of chain links needed for a correct chain length. How are mountain bikes sized. It really isn t too difficult to get the chain length right. Sizing a chain to length for a particular bike is a set process.

Chains cannot be cut to 52 1 4 53 1 8 or even 52 1 2. Size to old chain count links if your old chain was sized correctly it can be used to determine the length of your new chain. For the most part bike frame size is the only thing that changes when you go between sizes things like wheel size suspension and relative geometry number remain the same. You can use either of these two methods.

This video will take you step by step through sizing a bike chain including determining whether your old chain was correctly sized. Usually 114 1 2 links sometimes 120 1 2 links. It does vary a bit. The correct length of a chain is irrelevant at purchase since they all come at a set length.

It is possible to determine chain length from industrial drive train equations and then cut the chain before installing it on the bike. Replacement chains for bicycles are always longer than you need. For example some derailleur bike chain could only be 51 52 53 inches etc. The correct chain length chain rivet.