Bike Chain Removal without Tool? Replace, Open, and Repair Broken Chains w/o Tools

Today, I have brought you the money, time, and effort-saving guide about bike chain removal without tool. It is totally possible and performable at home, even by the newbies.

This guide will help you come home when you are stuck somewhere with nobody around, have lost your tool bag, and are left with a broken or saggy chain.

Removing a bike chain or putting it on at home can save bucks to spend on other necessary things. Because although it looks like nothing, the repairer can charge you handsomely.

And if you have to go through the process again and again as your bike chain keeps dropping, becomes saggy too often, or requires changing, you will be paying half of your monthly savings to the repairer guy.

Besides, there is no point in paying someone for the operations you can conduct in your garage without any tools.

So, how to do it? Let’s find out:

PS: the guide is based on your frequently asked queries:

Bike Chain Repair | Without Tools | Challenges & What to Expect

The chain is the most ignored yet essential part of your bike. When it is not there or takes off, you understand its value because a bicycle cannot even move a step without it. You can relate, of course.

Knowing how to repair a chain can save you bucks. I know you can be hesitant as a first-timer. I can second you as I have been through the same.

As novice bikers, we lack knowledge of bike kits and the tools needed to repair it. We didn’t get enough money to spend, and we don’t even know which tools are must-haves for bike repair.

However, you don’t have to worry so much about everything when it comes to repairing things related to the bike chain because, despite being the backbone of your bike, the segment is pretty easy to play with, and repair and bike chain removal without tool is possible.

It is possible to do operations with your bike chain, such as removing, opening, changing, replacing, and repairing it without special utensils.

Anything in your garage can be used and will come in handy.

Bike Chain Removal without Tool

Before I start telling you the tactics, let me tell you it will not be a smooth operation if you are a first-timer. You will need time and patience to learn and undertake the bike chain removal without tool operations.

I mean special bicycle kits such as chain link breakers or link removers with no utensils.  Whatever you have got in your garage will come in handy.

Things you will need:

You can quickly gather the following things because these are usually available in every home:

1. Hammer (any hammer you use at home for hanging paintings, etc).
2. A thin pin (anything that can move through chainplates without getting stuck is welcomed; it can be a tiny nail or 2mm hex wrench).
3. Small socket (that can withstand a beating and is tinier enough not to disturb the chain shape; it can be a bolt).

Changing Bike Chain without Chain Tool

Steps are not tough to perform but require you to be careful because the chance of damaging the chain (precisely bending) exists. Bike chains are fragile.

You need to do the following:

1. Pull the chain to a flat and even surface, specifically the floor. (For this, you can lay the bike down on the floor and place a metal piece, wood, or brick under it so that the chain lays evenly on it, and you can do the operations.
2. Bike chain removal without tool, just using hammer hits
3. Put rivet on the chain hole (selected)
4. Put the thin pin on the chain pin
5. Tap the pin using a hammer (keep it gentle)
6. You can tab the pin from all sides until it gets in the right place.

Instructions for those having chains flush pins:

Flush pins are not reusable, so after disconnecting, you will have to remove the chain plates between the link you have broken to open and put a master link between them.

Replace Bike Chain Without Tool

For this, first of all, you need to have a bike chain. If you have a multi-speed bike, Bell Links 700 chains are all you need, and you can buy it for barely $15.

This will even work for single-speed bikes, and it comes with links. Now, here is what you need to do:

1. Do the bike chain removal without tool simply by following the steps above
2. Keep the old and new chains side by side and compare their lengths; these should be equal. If your new chain is bigger, break it off using the abovementioned instructions.

You can still determine if you don’t have an old chain. For this:

3. Put the derailleurs (front and back) over the large chainring. This is the most extended position, so you can determine how long a chain should be.
4. Mount the chain to the bike

Just hang in the few chain steps, and the rest will start getting done independently.

5. On the back, put the chain through the derailleur and keep moving the pedals.

Lastly, you will fix the chain and link both ends together. Before you fix it, you should have enough chain around the derailleur to support the speed and help control it.

6. Readjust the derailleurs to fix the chain length. There should be enough tension.

If you see your chain is too big

7. Remove one link; you can choose the same method added above for bike chain removal without tool; test and, if needed, remove another.

Do not remove a huge chunk at once at first.

8. Once you get the optimum length of the chain, it is time to lock it.
9. Remove the chain from one side, or the tension won’t let you do the operations smoothly.

Take the test ride; your chainring is replaced, and your bicycle is ready.

How to Open Chain Link / Master Link without Tool?

You can open the master or quick links in your chain without any tools. How? I will help you out. It is simpler than bike chain removal without tool operations:

You will need the following:

1. An old gear cable (Make sure it is not rusted or breakable)
2. 2 pliers

That’s it!

All you have to do is,

1. Pass the cable through the link holes like this

2. Make sure it gets the shape like a knot around the master link,
3. Cut the access cable and make two holdable and pullable ends through pliers or something you would choose for pulling the ends.
4. Pull hard enough unless you hear a sound
5. The link is removed.

How to Tighten a Bike Chain without Tools?

Why does my back chain keep taking off? This is a question that every novice biker with a preloved bike asks. It can signify that the chain has lost its tension and become saggy.

Here, you can read more reasons why your bike chain keeps taking off while you ride.

Back to the discussion: how to tighten a bike chain without tools? Here, I am simplifying the guide:

Check your wheel, and it should be pulled back.

1. For this, release the skewer, pull the wheel back, and lock it.

If it doesn’t fix the problem and your bike chain is still droopy, check the derailleur

2. Check it by moving it to and fro.
3. Replace the springs to fix the derailleur

If the derailleur is working correctly, the chain has become weary. A weary old chain loses its tension at some points.

4. Find the points where the chain has increased size compared to the other ends.
5. Remove the worn links

For this, you can use the chain removal tool, and if not, choose bike chain removal without tool steps, which I guided you about at the top of this page.

6. Put the chain back on using the same tips I added in the point Replace Bike Chain without Tool.

Voila! You are done.

How to Fix Broken Bike Chain without Tool?

When you are in the middle of your expedition and suddenly see that one link of your chain is broken, you don’t have anything to repair it.

A simple hack that can take you home and help you through your ride is removing the broken link because it has lost its pin.

Still, you can fix it by loosening one or two chain links (until you get enough space left by the broken link). Now attach the pin of the loosened end with the other end of the chain ring.

The Ending Note

I hope that I have answered most of your frequently asked queries in the guide above and that it will help you out.

If you still have questions or concerns or got confused about anything in my guide, Bike Chain Removal without Tool, feel free to write to me at mtbknowledge.com.