Half link chain extension.

[dezzie]

I am restoring a vintage bike with a modern twist, i bought 3 new shimano half link chains a few years ago but they are too short individually so can i extend it by connecting the 2nd chain and using the quick links it has to use both ends once i remove enough links to work out its length, will this in anyway be dangerous or shall i not bother and just buy a super long chain? The Shimano looks great and very hard to get now in the UK so a shame to waste and would look cool on my 58t chainring on my vintage Moulton.

 

[Duchess]

I've done this with standard chain and unless I'm not thinking of something, I don't see why it wouldn't work with half link. The quick links are designed to stand up to the same use as the rest of the chain, but I guess if you were worried about their proximity to each other, you could divide the chains up so that there was an equal number of links between each quick link.

 

[Starnger]

I am restoring a vintage bike with a modern twist, i bought 3 new shimano half link chains a few years ago but they are too short individually so can i extend it by connecting the 2nd chain and using the quick links it has to use both ends once i remove enough links to work out its length, will this in anyway be dangerous or shall i not bother and just buy a super long chain? The Shimano looks great and very hard to get now in the UK so a shame to waste and would look cool on my 58t chainring on my vintage Moulton.

It's fine, i got several stretch cruisers running super long halflink chains (made of three BMX chains). The only concern you should have is about your chain link extraction tool. Since halflinks often are beefier then normal chains, it often happens they have thicker walls, so they might just not fit into a normal link extractor. But if you have some more serious tool, or if you are lucky and your cheaper one is wide enough, it would work. I have managed with a simple cheap extractor with one of my chains, though it barely fit, but then building another bike with halflink i just had to buy a new tool, and i broke my old one with the thicker chain
By the way, i can strongly recommend Super B TB-CC65. Such an awesome tool! Just a bit more expensive then the normal ones, this is so well-built and ergonomic! It is such a pleasure to work with it, and it provides lots of comfort and control over simple operations of putting chain together or apart.

 

[dezzie]

I have one for motorbike chains so as long as the pin fits it will be more than sufficient.

 

[Starnger]

I have one for motorbike chains so as long as the pin fits it will be more than sufficient.

Great! Then go for it, should case you no problem!

 

[Phil Fink]

You may even end up with a bunch of extra half-links, which you may be able to sell individually.
Not too sure about the "value-subtracted" tax rebate tho.

 

[Starnger]

You may even end up with a bunch of extra half-links, which you may be able to sell individually.
Not too sure about the "value-subtracted" tax rebate tho.

The half links from the chains i used did not fit to normal chains i have.