A bike owner must know about bike chain replacement costs. One of the most important parts of a bicycle is the chain. A chain will ultimately wear out or break and must be replaced. You’ll need to go to your local bike shop to acquire a new chain because they don’t last forever. Are you in this situation and uncertain about the cost of a bike chain? So, you’ve come to the right place! So, how much does a bike chain cost? If you need a chain for a fairly priced bike, it will cost you between $16 and $40. On the other hand, a good road bike chain may cost between $30 and $100. Superior quality chains are lighter, last longer, and resist corrosion. Unless you’re going for a speed record, a moderately priced chain is dependable and will last a long time. So to know more about how much does a bike chain cost, keep reading.
Cost of Installing the Bike Chain by Yourself or Letting the Local Shop Install It
We often receive questions like, “how much is a new bike chain?” Installing a chain is simple enough to do on your own, but measuring the chain by counting each individual link takes some effort. A chain tool, which can range in price from $10 to more than $100, is required to break the new chain. But the cost may increase due to damage if you don’t know how to take a link out of a bike chain.
The majority of bike shops will charge you $25 to $40 to install a chain, so you’ll save money the second time you use a cheap chain wrench. Depending on the number of gears on the bike, some chain tools can only be used with a particular size of chain. Furthermore, the pins on multitool chain tools are more fragile. Most likely, a specialized chain tool will last longer. Be aware that some chain tools can only be used with a specific chain size based on the bike’s number of gears.
Additionally, multitool chain tool pins are frequently more fragile. Most likely, a specialized chain tool will last longer. You could decide to do these activities yourself based on how much spare time or money you have. An inexperienced DIYer may take many times longer to finish a task that would normally take a specialist 10-15 minutes. You need to choose a local bike shop (LBS) you can trust to finish the service quickly and efficiently.
Choosing The Appropriate Chain for Your Bike
If you don’t know well about how much bicycle chains are, you might get into trouble. A chain’s width is a condition that must be satisfied. A chain that is wider than your present chain will block the cassette’s adjoining sprockets and will not operate with a derailleur system. Using the table below, you may find a chain that works for you.
Bike Speed | Length of the Chain (mm) | Internal Width (inch) | External Width (inch) |
1 | 9.0 | 1/8 | 1/8 |
6 | 7.8 | 3/32 | 9/32 |
7 | 7.1-7.3 | 3/32 | 9/32 |
8 | 7.1-7.3 | 3/32 | 9/32 |
9 | 6.6-6.8 | 11/128 | 9/32 |
10 | 6.2 | 11/128 | 1/4 – 9/32 |
11 | 5.5 | 11/128 | 7/32 |
12 | 5.5 | 11/128 | 13/64 |
As a bike owner, you must know how to put a new chain on a bike properly. Take note that the inner diameters of all of these chains are either the same or quite comparable. Each chain has a nominal size of 3/32″. Their outer breadth varies substantially, with the biggest difference at the ends.
Things to Keep in Mind
- Cassettes with speeds of 6/7/8 will work with an 8-speed chain. Typically, you may lower the chain size by one speed (e.g., 11-10, 10-9). Although shifting may not be as smooth, many people claim that it is quieter.
- Narrower 7- or 8-speed+ cassettes will not work with 6-speed chains.
- Some 11-speed cassettes may work with 10-speed chains (inadvisable)
What Would Happen If You Wait Too Long for Replacing the Chain?
If you wait until your chain starts skipping under stress or snapping, you’ll almost certainly need to fix it somewhat. This is because your cassette and chain are designed to work together; the chain is designed to sit gently on the cassette’s teeth. When the cassette’s teeth wear down to the point that they can no longer maintain the chain, it is considered worn. Waiting too long might potentially cause your front chainrings to become “shark-toothed,” meaning they lose their capacity to firmly grip a chain due to severe wear and strain.
Chain Maintenance
If you have the question “how much does a bike chain cost?” in your mind, you probably have a broken chain. And you are probably thinking how much is a bike chain. Simply said, you need to provide your chain some love. You may increase the life of your chain by simply lubricating and cleaning it on a regular basis.
To accomplish this easily, choose a chain lube that works for you (your bike shop may help you with this) and apply the lubricant to your chain every two to three rides. You shouldn’t over-grease your bike, and you should only use bicycle-friendly lubricants—sorry, guys, no WD-40!
Turn the cranks while liberally lubricating the chain. After that, turn the cranks a few more times to allow the oil to soak into the chain. At this point, use a clean rag and wipe away any excess chain lube as well as any dirt and debris that has gotten free from the new lubricant. Repeat until there is little to no dirt or grime remaining on your fabric. You won’t be able to pull it all off in real life but try your hardest. So, this is a win-win situation in which you not only lubricate but also clean the chain!
Use a citrus-based cleaner on your chain before applying lubrication to help break up any stuck-on gunk. We recommend using Finish Line Citrus Degreaser since it is 100% biodegradable, non-toxic, and effective. Simply use the same tactics as when applying chain lube to attain the best results. Allow your degreaser to work for a few minutes before wiping it away. If you use a degreaser, be sure to oil the chain after cleaning since a chain that isn’t lubricated can wear out faster and harm your drivetrain. Hopefully, now you know how to change the chain on a bike.
Conclusion
In terms of cost, changing a bike chain is not prohibitively expensive as the motorcycle chain replacement cost. However, you need to be cautious of your bike chain since failing to do so will result in damage to the rest of the drivetrain.
To put it another way, if you don’t give your bike some lubricant love by conducting routine maintenance, you risk having a chain, derailleur, front cassette, and rear cassette that are all compromised one day. So, it’s very important to know about how much to replace derailleur. At the very least, hope that you do not jeopardize your health and safety. Hopefully, we could answer your question, “how much does a bike chain cost?”
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