chain missing links will it do damage

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downhill_4_life

Likes Bikes
Hey i lost 3 links off my chain, don’t ask how, but my dad says it will destroy my derailleur if i have it in the top gears, I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with stuff like this and is it ok for me to be riding with my bike missing a few links.
 
harmonix1234

harmonix1234

Eats Squid
I couldn't say without seeing your setup.
Is your derailleur short, medium, or long cage?
Single ring up front, or triple?
Largest sprocket on cassette 23 or 36?
Chain guide or none?

If it's a short cage, and you were running your chain fairly tight it may put undue stress on your derailleur.
If you run a chain guide you could always bypass it (take it off?) for a few days and get some extra length that way?

And when you say three links, do you mean three consecutive links ie: inner, outer, inner, or is it three complete links ie: three outer and three inner?

Got any spare powerlinks floating around?
 
T

t_bomb

Likes Bikes
yes, it can cause damage. a friend of mine had a shiny new bike built by an unnamed bike shop, and it smashed 3 brand new xo derailleurs before they realized that the chain was too short. it was causing the top cog of of the derailleur to get tangled up with the chain and cassette, snapping the derailleur in half. weather or not this will happen to yours, i cannot say, but i dont think its worth the risk
 
T-Rex

T-Rex

Template denier
Put it in the biggest gear on the cassette, and the biggest chain ring, pull one end of the shock out and see how it looks at full compression. This is the worst case scenario, and should give you some idea of how much strain the derailleur could be subjected to. If in doubt, and if your chain is new, just buy another speed link and add some links back in. If it's an old chain, just replace it.

EDIT: Are we talking about your Craftworks pictured below? If so, ignore the comment above about shifting into the biggest front chain ring, the rest of it is valid.

http://s864.photobucket.com/albums/ab207/downhill_4_life/?action=view&current=IMG_2162.jpg
 
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