I don't know how I did it, but I somehow bent one link in my bike chain this morning. It seems like it happened when my chain came off while shifting into my big chainring. At any rate, can I straighten this out myself with pliers, or will this link now become a weak link? Can this link be replaced? The chain has less than 500 miles on it.
Thanks in advance for advice!
Bent chain repair?
"Short answer:
6-7-8-speed chain? Easily fixable (just use a spare link).
10-speed chain? Trash it. Don't let this happen to you.
9-speed chain? Judgment call. Probably trash it.
--DvB"
If 9 or 10 speed, before you chuck your chain, buy the appropriate Wipperman Connex link to replace the bent link(s).
The Connex Link replaces the 'outer' link, so you may need to remove a few inner/outer links to get rid of the bent links.
This will shorten your chain. This may have no impact on your drive train or put undue stress on the rear dereilleur when you cross large ring/large cog; test this carefully before riding.
Got 8-speed & 9-speed SRAM links if one of those would work for you. If it's only a half-link, my preference would be the SRAM PowerLink - I *seem* to recall hearing about Wipperman Connex failures (please correct me if I'm wrong).