Trystan Casey
If your electric bike chain has come off, don't panic. It's a common issue that can be fixed fairly easily. This guide will take you through the steps to get your chain back on and get you back on the road.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First step | If the chain has come off the smaller chainring at the front, use the gear lever to move the front derailleur to the big ring position and try to pedal the chain back on |
| Second step | If the first step doesn't work, get off the bike and use the gear levers to move the derailleurs to the positions of the smallest sprocket at the back and the smallest chainring at the front |
| Third step | Loosen bolts on the rear axle |
| Fourth step | Pull back wheel until the chain becomes taught |
| Fifth step | Make sure the wheel is straight |
| Sixth step | Tighten bolts on the rear axle |
| Seventh step | Open up the master link pliers and put it on either end of the link. Squeeze the pliers together and the quick link/master link will hook into place |
| Eighth step | Run through the gears on your bike to make sure it is shifting well and indexing through all of the gears |
What You'll Learn
How to put a chain back on while riding
If your chain comes off while riding your electric bike, you can try to pedal the chain back on by using your gear lever to move the front derailleur to the big ring position. If this doesn't work, you'll need to stop and follow these steps:
- Hop off the bike and use your gear levers to move the derailleurs to the positions of the smallest sprocket at the back and the smallest chainring at the front.
- Loosen bolts on the rear axle.
- Pull back wheel until the chain becomes taught.
- Ensure the wheel is straight, otherwise, the bike may wobble when riding.
- Tighten bolts on the rear axle.
If you need to install a new chain, you'll need to size the chain to the bike. 6, 7, and 8-speed bike chains all use the same chain, so you'll need to cut the chain down to size. To do this, drape the chain over the chainring and over the large cassette ring at the back. Take one end of the chain and bring it up to the side until it meets the chain at the spot where it is taut. From this spot, count three whole links down and this is where you will break the chain. Mount the chain tool to the spot you are going to shorten and use the chain tool to push the pin out at that section. Finally, open up the master link pliers and put it on either end of the link. Squeeze the pliers together and the quick link/master link will hook into place.
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How to install a new chain
To install a new chain on an electric bike, you must first size the new chain to the bike. 6, 7, and 8-speed bike chains all use the same chain, so you must size/cut the chain down to size for the bike. To do this, drape the chain over the chainring and over the large cassette ring at the back. Take one end of the chain and bring it up to the side of the chain until it meets the chain at the spot where it is taut. From the spot where they meet, count three whole links down. This will be the spot where you will break the chain. Once you have found the spot where you will shorten the chain, mount the chain tool to the spot you are going to shorten it to. Use the chain tool to push the pin out at that section, but do not push it out all the way. You will be using that pin to reassemble the chain.
Now, open up the master link pliers and put it on either end of the link. Squeeze the pliers together and the quick link/master link will hook into place. Your new chain has now been installed. It is best to run through the gears on your bike to make sure it is shifting well and indexing through all of the gears.
If your chain has come off mid-ride, you can try to use your gear lever to move the front derailleur to the big ring position and then pedal the chain back on. If that doesn't work, get off the bike and use your gear levers to move the derailleurs to the positions of the smallest sprocket at the back and the smallest chainring at the front.
To prevent your chain from coming off, you can loosen the bolts on the rear axle, pull back the wheel until the chain becomes taught, make sure the wheel is straight, and then tighten the bolts on the rear axle.
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How to size a new chain to your bike
To size a new chain to your bike, you must first remove the old chain. Then, take the new chain and drape it over the chainring and the large cassette ring at the back. Bring one end of the chain up to the side until it meets the other end of the chain at the spot where it is taut. From this spot, count three whole links down and this will be the spot where you will break the chain. Mount the chain tool to the spot where you are going to shorten the chain. Use the chain tool to push the pin out at that section, but do not push it out all the way. You will be using that pin to reassemble the chain. Once the chain is the correct size, open up the master link pliers and put it on either end of the link. Squeeze the pliers together and the quick link/master link will hook into place. Finally, run through the gears on your bike to make sure it is shifting well and indexing through all of the gears.
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How to break the chain
To put a chain back on an electric bike, you will first need to remove the old chain. To do this, you must break the chain.
To break the chain, you will need to use a chain tool. First, you need to find the spot where the chain will be broken. This is done by draping the new chain over the chainring and the large cassette ring at the back. Take one end of the chain and bring it up to the side until it meets the other end of the chain. From this spot, count three whole links down. This is where you will break the chain. Mount the chain tool to this spot and use it to push the pin out. Do not push the pin out all the way, as you will need to use it to reassemble the chain.
Once the chain has been broken, you can remove the old chain and size the new one to the bike.
To put the new chain back on, you will need to run it through the gears to make sure it is shifting well and indexing through all of the gears. Open up the master link pliers and put them on either end of the link. Squeeze the pliers together and the quick link/master link will hook into place.
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How to put a chain back on after it falls off
If your bike chain comes off mid-ride, you can try to pedal the chain back on by using your gear lever to move the front derailleur to the big ring position. If this doesn't work, you'll need to get off the bike and use your gear levers to move the derailleurs to the position of the smallest sprocket at the back and the smallest chainring at the front.
To put the chain back on, keep one hand on the chain to guide it and slowly start pedalling the bike. This should put the chain back on both gears. You should then check that the wheel is straight, otherwise, the bike may wobble when riding.
If you are installing a new chain, you will need to size the chain to the bike. 6, 7 and 8-speed bike chains all use the same chain, so you will need to size/cut the chain down to size for the bike. To do this, drape the chain over the chainring and over the large cassette ring at the back. Take one end of the chain and bring it up to the side of the chain until it meets the chain at the spot where it is taut. Count three whole links down from this spot and break the chain here. Mount the chain tool to the spot where you are going to shorten it and use the chain tool to push the pin out at that section. Be careful not to push it out all the way unless the chain uses a quick link/master link. You will need this pin to reassemble the chain. Finally, open up the master link pliers and put it on either end of the link. Squeeze the pliers together and the quick link/master link will hook into place.
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Frequently asked questions
First, check if your chain has come off the smaller chainring at the front. If so, use your gear lever to move the front derailleur to the big ring position and try to pedal the chain back on. If this doesn't work, get off the bike and use your gear levers to move the derailleurs to the positions of the smallest sprocket at the back and the smallest chainring at the front. Then, slowly start pedalling the bike, keeping one hand on the chain to guide it.
6, 7, and 8-speed bike chains all use the same chain, so you will likely need to size/cut the chain down to size for the bike. To do this, drape the chain over the chainring and over the large cassette ring at the back. Take one end of the chain and bring it up to the side of the chain until it meets the chain at the spot where it is taut. From this spot, count three whole links down and this will be the spot where you will break the chain.
Once you have installed the chain, run through the gears on your bike to make sure it is shifting well and indexing through all of the gears.
