Snapped a chain on my first group ride with a new club in Denver last Sunday

I was pushing hard up a steep climb near Lookout Mountain and the chain just gave out at the worst moment, sending me flying into the bushes, so now I'm wondering if my quick link was the problem or if I just need to replace my whole drivetrain since it's been about 2,000 miles, has anyone else had a chain snap like that on a hill?

2 comments

2 Comments

wendy_park761mo ago

2000 miles is way too soon for a chain to snap like that unless you were grinding the gears on a steep pitch with a worn out drivetrain. That quick link might have been the weak point if it wasn't fully seated or was a cheap brand, but I'd check the rest of the cassette and chainrings for shark tooth wear before replacing everything. Honestly, getting tossed into the bushes on Lookout sounds brutal, hope you didn't scratch up your bike too bad.

sean_walker451mo ago

How's your chainline when you're in that big ring and the biggest cog? I've seen way more chains snap from cross-chaining on a steep climb than from worn out quick links. 2000 miles is actually pretty standard for a chain replacement if you ride hard and don't clean it often. If your cassette and chainrings still have decent teeth without a lot of shark fin shaping, you probably just got unlucky with a weak link or a bad shift under power. The bushes on Lookout are definitely a rite of passage though, I've taken a few soil samples there myself. Just make sure you didn't bend your derailleur hanger when you went down, that'll cause way more problems than a snapped chain.