Had a bad experience this weekend with a Wipperman 10S0 chain on my Shimano 10 speed drive train. The Connex removable link bound up on one end, meaning that as it went around the derailleur and cog, it hopped all over. Initially thought it was a derailleur tuning issue, but when I found I could barely pivot the Connex link, I realized what the problem was. I took it apart and reassembled it alternating the positions of the Connex links, and it seemed to help for a while, but the problem reeturned. It got bad enough that I dropped a chain, and the drive locked up once when going to the little ring. Had to stop at home and swap it out for my DA10 chain (which I use a Connex link with too) and everything was peachy. BTW, I could barely remove the Wipperman chain at the Connex link because of the binding going on at both pins. The 10S0 had just over 200 miles on it, and only about 160 since it was last cleaned, just before Lake Placid. Anyone else seen this problem?
What type of lube where you using? My wife and I have been riding Wipperman chains for the last two years and love them. Did you by any chance lube the chain off the bike and forget to lube the Connex link? I love the ability to take the chain off in 20 seconds to do a really great cleaning and then pop it right back on without a special tool or pin.
SciGuy
Last lube, the day before LP, was Prolink. I lubed the entire chain while on the bike. Then Saturday was my first ride on that bike since LP. I didn’t relube for that ride though. Don’t get me wrong, I like the idea of being able to clean the chain off the bike. Makes cleaning the bike easier too. And I’d been using a Connex link on my DA chain all season prior to switching to the 10S0.
Didn’t Slowman address this in a recent column, or was it just the SRAM on the Shimano 10sp?
The only reference to this chain that I recall Slowman making was that he liked it a lot, as well as the stainless 10S1 version. Don’t recall any comments on binding problems.
The Connex removable link bound up on one end, meaning that as it went around the derailleur and cog, it hopped all over.
Are you saying that the pins of the Connex link itself bound or that pivot pins on the links on each end of the Connex link were binding? Regardless, assuming you are aware that there is a ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ side of the link - you did say you tried correcting the problem by installing the link different ways - such that when the wrong side of the link attempts to run through the idler pulleys and cassette cogs, the exact problem you have described can occur (done that once, now I have a picture on the workbench for reference). On the other hand it could also be a stiff link but if that is the case, it should be able to be loosened/corrected by simply flexing the chain laterally and horizontally at the point where the link appears to be binding until such time as the binding stops. This is usually only a problem after adding links to the chain and the connecting pin at the point where the link was added is to tight and needs to be spread slightly to allow the link to pivot correctly.
It would appear that the pivot pins on each end of the Connex link bound when installed into the regular adjacent chain links. As such, the chain would not swivel/flex at one or both locations where the Connex link pins interfaced to the normal chain links. That said, I was not aware that it made a difference which way they were installed, they appear symmetrical. Perhaps I should check the instructions that I threw away:)