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There really isn't any one place to get all the information you need for this job, so here it is. Replacing a chain is easy and it's like riding a new bike. Very smooth pedaling. Highly recommended. It's a 15 minute job.
First, count the number of sprockets on the back wheel. Sprockets are the gears. For me it was 7.
That's the number you need to order. This is a 6/7/8 chain, so it will work if you have 6, 7 or 8 sprockets.
Next, decide which chain. The quality goes up with the numbers. 50, 60, 70, 91. This one, 50, is at the bottom.
You'll need a chain tool for about $12. I got the IceToolz Chain Tool 7-10 Speed Shimano HG/IG/UG chain tool, but note that the 7-9 size costs about half as much. Your chain tool should also have a number that matches any number on the chain (not the number of sprockets). My tool says 7-10, so with 7 as one of the sizes of the chain I'm good to go. Note that even if you have 6 sprockets, because this chain *could* fit 7, the 7-9 or 7-10 tool will work for a 6/7/8 chain. It would not work for a 5/6 chain because 5 and 6 are not within the 7-9 or 7-10 range of the tools.
A chain tool lets you break links and put links on. There is no such thing as a master link: you just use the links that are on the chain to connect to one another. One reviewer said he used a missing link you DON'T need a missing link or other kind of master link. The only thing a missing link will do is it will let you put the chain on without a tool, but putting the chain on with the tool is easy if you use the trick I describe below, so I'd skip the link and just buy the tool. If your chain is broke, you can use the missing link if you really want to otherwise, you'll need the tool to pull the chain off, so you can use it to connect the chain without a missing link. Connecting the chain is trivial.
You might also want disposable gloves probably two pair. The new chain is greasy. You'll probably want a newspaper to put the old greasy chain on, a cable tie or twisty tie to tie back the deraileur and a zip lock bag to put the extra links from the new chain in for storage. You may want to consider cleaning your rear gears when the chain comes off. I carefully use carburator cleaner, avoiding getting any into the hub by just spraying the bottom.
Take the chain out of the box it's in a plastic bag. Find the extra pins that come with it. Save those for emergencies, you don't need them now.
Shift to the smallest diameter sprocket, front and back. Note where the chain goes: it's usually over the top derailer sprocket and then under the bottom one.
Now, here's the difference between a 15 minute easy job and a half hour of problems: pull the rear derailer all the way forward and use a wire or cable tie to tie it to the bike frame.
The chain links are connected by pins. Pick any one on the old chain and use the tool to push it through. Pull the chain off. If you want to clean the rear gears, now is the easiest time to do it.
Hold the old chain up to the new one with the top ends matched and find the link on the new one that matches the last link on the old one. Be careful: a very old chain will have stretched a bit, and so you may have to match the links halfway down the chain so that you get the same *number of links*, not the same *length* chain of a stretched chain.
Hold what should be the last link of the new chain with your fingers and set down the old chain. Push the lower pin on the link you are holding completely out of the new chain. The lower pin is the one that connects the link you are holding with the next one, the first one you don't need.
String the end of the new chain through the sprocket and derailer, starting with the end that has no pin. The other end has the pin sticking out of it so that you can push it right back in to link it, but with that pin sticking out, you can't thread that side through, so use the side with no pin to thread it through the deraileurs. If you can, you want the pin sticking out on the other end to be facing away from the bike, but it's not fatal if it's not. Note that the chain will be threaded *through* the bike frame: you can only string it through before you connect it: you can't connect it and then get it on the bike somehow. The two ends of the chain should be hanging down. Note the chain needs to go through the front deraileur, and if there is a tab sticking in between the top and bottom sprocket of the rear deraileur, the chain will go inside the tab.
Match up the links and place them together. If they won't go together, separate the open end a bit with your fingers, and then slide the open end over the midpoint of the link on the other end, then pull it back to the proper position so that the ends line up.
Use the chain tool to push the pin sticking out back in fully so that it lines up with the others on the chain. The two end links should swing somewhat freely (though not as much as the others): you may have to push the pin in a little more or push it out from the other side. Now work the link up and down and side to side to get it to swing a bit more freely. (You'll note a reviewer below points out that you have to use a special pin, but I don't believe that's true until the chain breaks: the special pin is already installed sticking out when you receive this chain, so that all that is necessary is to push it fully in to install. If the chain breaks, he is correct that you have to replace the pin you use to connect the links with one of their pins).
Undo the wire or cable tie you used to hold the derailer forward against the bike frame. Save the extra links in a zip lock bag and the extra pins that came with the chain.
Get a chain lubricant and lube the chain. The grease on the chain will last a few miles: it's primarily a rust inhibitor. I use Tri Flow oil, but I'm not a super serious biker. More serious bikers will want something pricier.
Ride about a mile to let the oil work its way in to the nooks and crannies of your chain, then take a paper towel or rag and wipe the excess oil off. This will keep the road dirt from attaching to the oil, gunking up the chain and grinding it down.
The "new bike feel" really comes from having a new chain (it's very smooth to pedal) and a fully adjusted set of brakes with new pads. I changed the pads, and adjusted my brakes, and a used bike I bought with a rusted chain really felt like new.
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This is a well built chain from a reputable company. It's not one of Shimano's best chains, but will serve the purpose and is reasonably priced. I'm giving it three stars, though, because I found Shimano's included instructions more confusing than helpful. A previous reviewer supplied relatively detailed and generally helpful instructions, but he also included some relatively significant misinformation. He was correct in his description of a "master link" (and the absence of such master links in most chains), but incorrect in his understanding of how cut links are joined. Older chains allowed users to choose any rivet to remove and replace. Newer chains have rivets that are peened (mushroomed at the outer plate). Extruding those pins destroys the peened surface and weakens the chain (if the same pin is pressed back into the link). Shimano provides special joining pins that must be used to connect links (and those pins are then permanent...if you need to remove the chain, you need another joining pin). The problem with the Shimano instructions is that there are at least 4 different styles of joining pins available, and each pin requires a slightly different installation (some are left slightly extruded, some must be flush, some are longer, etc.). The instructions include information about all of the pins, but it's difficult to match up the product number on the package with the instruction sheet. Even the Shimano website is confusing (three different information sheets for this particular chain, depending on a model number that is not evident on the packaging). I chose to keep my pin edges flush with the outer plates. Updates to follow, if the chain fails.Best Deals for Shimano CN-HG50 6/7/8-Speed Chain, Black
I bought this chain to replace a snapped one on my 2012 Specialized Hardrock SE. There isn't too much to this chain, its a very basic and low-level chain that will work with many entry-level bikes, though you should definitely double check to make sure it'll work with your drivetrain.The only real issue I had with it was partly my fault I left the chain at its original length, thinking that it "looked about right" and then joined it together. Turns out, it was too long and when in lower gears the derailleur is fully contracted and the chain rubs on itself, not good! Since this chain uses a break-off pin to connect, it means that you'll have to use another pin if you ever want to disassemble the chain for cleaning or to shorten in. If a couple pins were included, this might not be a big deal but you only get one with the chain itself. So I had to spend $9 for a 3-pack of extra chain pins, not ideal.
So overall it'll work nothing fancy, no powerlink or handy features, but at this price point I'd say its a good deal. If Shimano would include an extra pin or two, maybe I'd even give it 5 stars!
Honest reviews on Shimano CN-HG50 6/7/8-Speed Chain, Black
Got this for my Next mountain bike (after 1000 miles I wore out the original chain). Good replacement chain for the money. It was easy to install using the Topeak Super Bicycle Chain Tool I ordered at the same time.I would recommend this chain and the Topeak Super Bicycle Chain Tool to a friend.
