Found out my chain was 2 links too long for 6 months

I was out riding last week and my bike started making this weird slapping noise. Took it to a buddy's garage and he counted my chain links. Turns out I had been riding with 2 extra links since I replaced it back in April. No idea how I missed it but that extra slack was probably costing me power on every pedal stroke. Found the right length on a Park Tool video after he pointed me to it. Has anyone else accidentally ran a too-long chain and noticed a difference in shifting or noise?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_wren18d ago

Oh man, that reminds me of the time I put a new chain on my old hardtail and didn't even bother to count the links. Just slapped it on and rode for like four months feeling like my shifting was always a little sluggish. Finally took it to a shop for a tune up and the mechanic was like "uh, you're running a BMX chain on a mountain bike, this thing is way too long." I felt like an idiot but honestly the bike rode way better once I got it sorted.

the_avery17d ago

Dude same. I ran a too-long chain for almost a year and wondered why my shifting was always loud.