Field repair by the Mississippi!

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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.
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(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.

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I carry spare Powerlinks and Wolftooth makes this excellent little pair of pliers that actually stores Quicklinks in the handles. I love Macguyver repairs on the trail. Only time I've ever walked back in my life was the time I broke my Stumpjumper frame.
 
Originally Posted by maxdustington
I always liked the SRAM Powerlink, easy to break with your bare hands.
"Oh, easy for Leonardo" - Dylan Thomas
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Too hard for a simple fellow like me.
 
Originally Posted by NYEngineer
I carry spare Powerlinks and Wolftooth makes this excellent little pair of pliers that actually stores Quicklinks in the handles. I love Macguyver repairs on the trail. Only time I've ever walked back in my life was the time I broke my Stumpjumper frame.
I will look for that tool! Thanks for the tip. Frame repair ... yes, I have yet to see a compact all-in-one bike tool that includes an arc welder.
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Originally Posted by eljefino
I would be eating my shoes with vultures circling.

My dear wife was with me ... it was more of a pride thing!
 
Originally Posted by NYEngineer
https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/collections/tools/products/pack-pliers

These are them. Worth twice the price when you need em.

Nice tool! I'll look for this, and alternatives - a good excuse to hit my local bike shops.

There is a YouTube video of an Aussie fellow pinching a link and moving thumb and forefinger in opposite directions, but I've never been successful in making that work. The wire and locking pliers method works, but is not ideal.
 
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