Daft question: How do you use a chain? :)

OK, so it does sound stupid, but I've never had a bike before, so heres the question:

I'm going to get an SV (after hopefully my second and final test) and after chatting to the nice northerners at Almax (don't knock it, the north's got less traffic and they're further away from the French....) I think I'll be getting a 1.5m Almax Series III, a ground anchor, and a shiny CISA lock. Tell me if that sounds wrong, but I want to put the chain through the bike overnight, when its garaged using the anchor.

The only thing Alex at the shop told me (I liked Alex, he was very helpful), was that it might not fit through the body of the bike, because the gap on the older SVs (curvys?) are quite small.

So, which first - buy bike, or buy chain? Ideally I want a good chain the first night I buy the bike....so I can go to sleep easily

Anyone using a Series 3? if so - does it fit through? - or are you forced to use Almax chains on just the wheels? how do you use yours?

Ta v much

Kev - (a little bit northern still)

I have an Oxford Revolver cable/chain and it gets passed through the rear wheel from just above the chain-guard, then it is passed under the bike and back over the chain guard & swingarm, down through the chain (so that it is now wrapped round the rear-wheel, and the chain & swingarm in a sort of "doubled over figure-of-eight"). Sounds complex but it's not really ... and it's the only way I can think to secure the chain/bike/rear-wheel without the chain or its lock laying on the ground (and therefore making it susceptible to brute-force from a lump hammer or the like).


HTH,
Pete

Have a look at www.torc-anchors.com they do a
special pin (anti-pinch pin) that will go through the frame
and secure the chain with the top of the range Squire padlock.

Thankyou both - especially for he good explanation on the chain, but - does this mean I cant fit the chain through?

Id like to hear from anyone who has an Almax III??

I use an Almax 1.5 mtr series 111 chain through an Oxford wall anchor
and the back wheel in a well locked garage and feel happy with that.
I don't think it's possible to get a 16mm chain through my SV650-K5 naked
frame that's why I considered the 'anti pinch pin'. also i'm sure you would need a longer chain to go through the frame.

[northwind]

Not really any better chain than the Almaxes out there, but they're anchor hains, which is why I don't have one- if the bike lived outside I would though, a good long one for easier fitment. Not sure where'd be best to fit it, if it'll fit through the swingarm loop that'd be ideal but I'm not convinced it will. Just going round the swingarm and wheel is the next best if you can't get it through a frame loop, makes it a fair bit of effort to remove enough bits to get to it. And that's basically the order of the day, you can't make it nick-proof so instead you make it harder to nick than the next bike.

Enter Almax in the search box. loads of stuff in threads.

If you can, get it wrapped round the rear wheel and swingarm, then through the anchor. I can't quite do this, so I have a chain round the front downpipe connected to the wheel, then through the iddle of this and round the front wheel my almax, which goes through a ground anchor

Matt

If you could get one long enough, you could put it over the seat and into an anchor that is directly below the bike?

[tigersaw]

See here for a picture of my bikes (of old) secured by almax chains in two different ways - one through the wheel, one wrapped around the centre, linked together to a hardie wall anchor