01. THE EARLIEST BIKES DIDN’T HAVE CHAINS (AND SOME STILL DON’T)
Most of us are vaguely familiar with the Victorian-era penny-farthing bikes. If you take a close look, you’ll notice that they didn’t have chains. To move forward, cyclists turned pedals attached directly to the front wheel, and they could only increase their speed by pedalling faster or getting a larger front wheel.
Some bikes still forego chains in favour of Gates Carbon belt drives (which look a bit like tank treads), or even more rarely, shaft-drive systems.
02. CHAINS ARE MORE COMPLICATED THAN YOU MIGHT EXPECT
With up to 116 links in a standard bike chain, it has more moving parts than any other bike component.
Of course, you’ll need to remove some links; your chain should be long enough that it can be shifted onto the largest front chainring and the largest cog on your cassette without jamming, but not so long that it has too much slack in the smallest chainring and cog. The quickest and easiest way to figure out the proper length for your bike is to use your old chain as a guide.
03. IT CAN BE USED AS A WEAPON
In 1954, a Scottish man was sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting a Glasgow movie theatre manager with, you guessed it, a bicycle chain. Across the internet, you can find accounts of bike chains used as de facto whips or weapons.
This story is from the January / February 2024 edition of Bicycling South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January / February 2024 edition of Bicycling South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
6 WAYS TO BEAT THE HEAT THIS SUMMER
TOP TIPS TO KEEP YOU COOLER AND RIDING STRONGER... NO MATTER WHAT THE TEMPERATURE.
RAGE AGAINST THE LYCRA
WHY MOUNTAIN BIKING IS WAY MORE SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE THAN BEING A ROADIE.
6 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT CHAINS
To help you get the most out this crucial drivetrain component, and celebrate just how impressive your loop of metal links really is, we've rounded up six things you might not know about the bike chain.
EVERYONE KNOWS 52X11 IS BIGGER THAN 48X10. EVEN THOUGH IT ISN'T.
\"The human threshold for 'least noticeable difference' is generally on the order of 10 per cent change of a value.\"
A CELEBRATION OF JUNK MILES
\"No longer dreading my next bunch sprint, I felt like I belonged on my bike again\"
KONTREI KUDOS
YOU DON'T HAVE TO TRAVEL FAR TO FEEL SOUTH AFRICAN WARMTH. BUT SOMETIMES YOU CHOOSE TO.
THE EASTERN CAPE PASSES ADVENTURE
SOME OF THE HIGHEST PASSES IN SOUTH AFRICA ALL IN ONE HELLUVA RIDE!
CAFFEINE - THE EXPERT'S PED*
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR EVERY PART OF YOUR RIDE LIFE
THE RACES ARE FASTER. ARE THEY CLEANER? AND DOES IT MATTER?
THE LAST TWO EDITIONS OF THE MEN’S Tour de France were among the three fastest.
Perfect Timing
THE SOUTHERN CAPE IS LITTERED WITH EXCELLENT RIDING AND EVEN BETTER COFFEE.