Skiptooth, why the change?

[yoothgeye]

So, most of us know that it's a good sign that a bike is pre-war based on the skiptooth chain.

I was talking to my dad about bikes and he said that when they were growing up they had both around, and being that they were tinkerers they had to check which was which when they were messing with bikes.

My question is, why didn't they just keep the skiptooth design? What was the benefit or advantage, back then, of going to the new design?

 

[Wildcat]

From a couple years ago:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=23905

 

[kensmurray]

I believe the change was over money. The skip tooth sprockets were made out of plate steel, where the new style sprockets are just sheet metal. The manufacturers realized the skip tooth design was over kill.
Kenny

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Also from a cost standpoint it is easier to make all links the same size.

 

[B607]

You have half the adjustment capability at the rear axle with a skip tooth setup. One "link" of a skip tooth is the same as 2 links of a 1/2" pitch chain. You can also put a "half-link" on a 1/2" pitch setup for fine adjustment. Anyone who has tried to lengthen or shorten a skip tooth to get it to fit will tell you. Gary

 

[scrumblero]

theres the weight factor as well...

 

[kensmurray]

I just had to lengthen the skiptooth chain for my Jetflow. The cost is a problem. New replacement links were 5.00 ea. I bought 5 new master links for 27.00 so I would have spares. I could have bought a new 1/8x1/2 chain for the price of adding a link. But the skiptooth sure looks good on an old bike. :mrgreen:
Kenny

 

[SylusMk2]

i love my skiptooth chain! thats the main reason i bought my bike i the first place...ive had people tell me to use a normal chain i just dont wanna lol im just praying i dont break it

 

[g-ratter]

Thanks for asking that question. Crossed my mind when ever some one talks about skip tooth chains but to lazy to ask.

 

[dougfisk]

You have half the adjustment capability at the rear axle with a skip tooth setup. One "link" of a skip tooth is the same as 2 links of a 1/2" pitch chain. You can also put a "half-link" on a 1/2" pitch setup for fine adjustment. Anyone who has tried to lengthen or shorten a skip tooth to get it to fit will tell you. Gary

+1 ...This is a big deal if you have fenders and you like the wheel to be centered in the fender.

 

[beatcad]

now that this subject has come up i have another question about these chains.
did some manufactures go both ways? or overlap chains?
i mean it seems to me some early 50s JCHiggins(murray built) and some other murrays or mercurys went both ways. maybe those were just using up old stock phasing out the old.
another example..
i could be wrong but i believe i've seen mid 40s schwinns w/ modern chains, but i had a '47/'48 schwinn w/ a skiptooth chain/sprocket.
am i crazy? or was this done for some "serious" bikes and skiptooths for "kid" bikes?

 

[ozzmonaut]

I've had 48 and 49 Schwinns with skiptooth . I believe the latest bicycle I've ever owned that was original skiptooth setup was a 52 Schwinn. So there was definitely some period of overlap because I have also seen all of these years with 1/2" pitch chains.

 

[yoothgeye]

I'm glad others are bringing this up, I see older bikes with modern chains where bikes of the same year have skips, but it seemed to me that the ones with the modern chain were deluxe models, not your standard base models.

 

[axsepul]

I the answer is money and then weight. In the begining they could sell you a bike with 1/2" pitch for a lot more money because it was advance technology and because it was a lighter system. After the war some companies still used 1" pitch (skiptooth) but it was just because they already had them in stock but new progress in technology made the 1/2" pitch a hole lot more cheaper system since it uses less metal. In my opinion, monark silver king was a head of the pack as company since they only used skiptooth their first year in production in the early 30's and after that 1/2" pitch was a standard feature on all their bikes. Not to mentioned that they had all other bicycle companies shaking in their pants with their aluminum bikes and which a lot of them other companies tried to copy! Maybe thats why huffy bought them out to later disappear the name monark from the bicycle scene.

 

[axsepul]

After all that i still built my late 40's monark with a skiptooth system :shock:

Go skiptooth!

 

[axsepul]

Also not all skiptooth chains are the same. Some are wider and you can see this on all books when they offer a bike for commercial use they usually had a thicker chain.

 

[expjawa]

I've had 48 and 49 Schwinns with skiptooth . I believe the latest bicycle I've ever owned that was original skiptooth setup was a 52 Schwinn. So there was definitely some period of overlap because I have also seen all of these years with 1/2" pitch chains.

On the other hand, when Schwinn launched the Paramount line in '38, they adopted 1/2" pitch right from the get-go. However, I believe that had already become prevalent in track racing anyway, so that was a matter of using what the standard was for high-end equipment. On the Paramount, cost wasn't a factor, but weight certainly was. So, I guess the point is that Schwinn, as an example, began using 1/2" pitch chain in some applications well before they quit using 1" pitch altogether.