chains
 

some chain questions ...

what chain do I need for my curvy? 520? 525? what do the numbers mean?

can I get a chain in one loop or do I need to split/join it?

how many links for 14 or 15 front & 44 rear?

many thanks

~andy

It's 525 for the curvey and the numbers are the pitch of the chain
For a 14 or 15t front and 44t rear you need 108 link chain and most come with a soft link so you'll need a chain riveter!!!

Chain size is a strange carry over of imperial measure mixed with metric multiples without a decimal place :?

The first of the three numbers gives the pitch (distance between the pins along the sideplates) in multiples of 1/8" , so a 5** is 5/8" pitch, a 6** is 3/4" pitch etc.

The second and third give the thickness of the sprocket it will run on in multiples of 1/8" with the decimal point missing (see, told you it was weird), so a *20 is 2.0 eighths, i.e. 1/4" , and a *25 is 2.5 eighths or 5/16". The one oddity is a 428, which is 5/16" and I'm not sure why it's not 425, but there you go.

http://www.ekchain.com/images/EKcatalog.pdf

The other different designations usually refer to whether it has O-rings, X-rings, thicker side plates, bigger diameter pins (not rollers) etc.

The stock SV650 chain is 525. The use of a 520 will reduce the life in real world use. Racing folks often use a lighter chain, they're plenty strong enough and a bit lighter and cheaper, and they ar enot usually that bothered about wear. I'd recommend sticking to 525 for road use, and fit a Scottoiler if you haven't already.

great answers, many thanks :-)