Once your mountain bike chain becomes damaged, you should immediately replace it with a new one. But it’s possible for a broken chain to be repaired with the use of a chain tool. For this very reason, most mountain bikers travel with a chain tool.

Your chain has three basic components – the metal side plates, the rollers between the side plates, and the rivets, or pins which go through the rollers and help to hold the plates together. These pins allow the rollers to freely turn as the chain moves around the cogs.

If your chain breaks, then a spare link should replace the broken link once it’s been removed. Until you can get it replaced, reattach the two ends of the broken chain and ride on a shorter chain.

To remove a broken link of chain, place it in the chain tool. Now, turn the tool counter clockwise until the rivet pin of the chain tool touches the chain rivet. Continue to turn the tool until the pin pushes out of the roller. Caution is required since you have to stop turning when the pin is at the edge of the roller, before it can move through the outer side plate.

When you’ve turned the tool in the other direction, you can back it out of the roller. Set the tool to the side, then work the chain very gently from side to side and extract the inner side plates and roller.

Re-routing the chain through the bike is your next step. When you route and repair it, you can either have a chain retaining tool or have someone help you hold the chain in the right spot.

Now that the broken link has been removed and you’ve re-routed the chain, you’re ready to insert a new link or simply connect the links that were beside the broken one. The process here is the same – align the two ends so that the link with the inner side plates will fit inside the link with the pin and outer side plates. To push the pin inward, use the chain tool until it’s positioned evenly between the side plates.

The easiest way to learn how to do this or feel comfortable doing it is to have someone show you, then actually practice with a chain and a chain tool. Making a temporary repair in a mountain bike chain shouldn’t be any trouble when you see how professionals do it and have practiced yourself a few times.

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