One of our goals on our recent Minnesota bike trip was to cycle those parts of the Paul Bunyan and Heartland trails we had not done previously. On Day 1 we rode from Walker to Cass Lake on the Heartland Trail, and around Pike Bay (near Cass Lake) on the Mi-Gi-Zi Trail. Delightful!
That left only the short Paul Bunyan Trail extension from Baxter down to the Crow Wing State Park. Day 2 was also a great ride, but on the way back, after crossing under the bridge and starting the climb back to grade, I downshifted into my 22-tooth front chain ring and promptly lost the chain. For a few seconds I thought the lower limit screw wasn't adjusted properly, and that the chain had come off, but no, it was broken.
Fortunately, I was carrying a chain-breaking tool and a replacement Quick-Link.
Now here's the embarrassing part: I got the chain back together quickly, but realized that I'd missed running it through the front derailleur.
(The bike was sitting upside-down.) I've always found the Quick-Links difficult to separate, but found a way. I cut a short piece of spare shifter cable off, passed both ends through on either side of the link, and twisted them together with Vise-Grips. The link popped apart, I ran the chain through the derailleur, and we were on our way. Phew!
It's always interesting deciding what to carry for tools. Locally I always take a patch kit, tire irons, and pump for a flat. For something longer, I'll take more. Glad I had the chain repair stuff on this occasion - we were still perhaps 7 km out from the parking lot at this point.
That left only the short Paul Bunyan Trail extension from Baxter down to the Crow Wing State Park. Day 2 was also a great ride, but on the way back, after crossing under the bridge and starting the climb back to grade, I downshifted into my 22-tooth front chain ring and promptly lost the chain. For a few seconds I thought the lower limit screw wasn't adjusted properly, and that the chain had come off, but no, it was broken.
Fortunately, I was carrying a chain-breaking tool and a replacement Quick-Link.
Now here's the embarrassing part: I got the chain back together quickly, but realized that I'd missed running it through the front derailleur.
It's always interesting deciding what to carry for tools. Locally I always take a patch kit, tire irons, and pump for a flat. For something longer, I'll take more. Glad I had the chain repair stuff on this occasion - we were still perhaps 7 km out from the parking lot at this point.