How to replace a bike chain

Reviewer As thorough and correct as chain replacement instruction gets.

Moderator Comprehensive, on-topic, and honest about its own scope — explicitly points you elsewhere for single-speed or Campagnolo instead of half-covering it here.

Reviewer One of the best in this batch -- clear reasoning plus a full walkthrough.

Moderator Squarely and thoroughly chain replacement: directional chain orientation, three schools of measuring chain length with the trade-offs explained, and the full pin-connection process step by step.

Reviewer Thorough and technically sharp - covers edge cases most tutorials skip entirely.

Moderator Comprehensive, precise coverage of the entire task - both removal methods, chain length matching with and without an old chain to reference, correct threading through the rear derailleur, both joining-pin and quick-link methods. Nothing extraneous, all of it is the actual skill.

Reviewer Clear, complete walkthrough — wear check, removal, fitting and joining a new chain, explained well enough to actually follow along.

Moderator This is exactly the job: checking wear with a chain checker tool (plus the bend-test backup if you don't have one), removing the old chain with the right tool for your speed count, then threading the new one through the derailleur cages, joining it, and trimming the extra link. Nothing else competing for screen time — it's start to finish on replacing a chain.

Reviewer Excellent — covers the steps AND the small details that actually cause mistakes (chain length, link orientation, degreasing before you ride).

Moderator Caption text is a garbled mashup (starts on MTB-vs-gravel comparison, then pivots to keyword-stuffed chain-replacement copy), but the actual transcript is clean and entirely devoted to replacing a bike chain start to finish. Going with the transcript over the messy caption, as instructed.

Reviewer The most complete walkthrough here - actually finishes the job, master link and all.

Moderator Full cycle: check wear on both sides of the gauge, remove the old chain, size the new chain against the old one link-by-link, thread through the derailleur and drivetrain, and join with a master link. Covers the entire job start to finish without gaps.

Reviewer Full of the small practical tips that actually prevent you from messing this up.

Moderator Covers the full arc: checking wear with a proper tool, choosing the right chain, removing the old one, sizing and cutting the new one, threading and joining it, then verifying the install. All of it is squarely the task.

Reviewer Matching link-by-link instead of just overall length, because a worn chain reads longer than it should, is the kind of detail that prevents a real mistake.

Moderator Entirely about getting chain length right - two methods, matching the old chain link by link, or the largest-cog method when you don't have the old one to compare.

Reviewer Careful, correct, and explains the reasoning at every step - a great reference video.

Moderator Checks wear with a gauge, explains why to replace, removes the old chain with a chain breaker, explains inner and outer plate construction, sizes the new chain against the old one, cuts it, and starts threading it through the drivetrain. A direct, complete walk-through of the actual task.

Reviewer Explains the actual failure mode (too-short chain wrecking your derailleur) and how to avoid it -- genuinely useful, not generic.

Moderator This is the part of replacing a chain that people actually get wrong -- getting the length right. Covers gear count, chainring setup, and specifically full-suspension chain growth, which is the single biggest reason a fresh chain ends up too short or too long on a mountain bike. Squarely on topic.

Reviewer Explains the sizing principle properly instead of just telling you to copy the old chain.

Moderator Full job, start to finish, correctly scoped to derailleur bikes with quick-link and pin-style finishing both covered.

Reviewer Packed with the small details that actually trip people up — direction, break-in, sourcing a link for an oddball chain.

Moderator Full removal and install, on-topic throughout, plus he covers the master-link sourcing question (KMC makes links for nearly any speed) which a lot of other videos skip.

Reviewer Clear reasoning, not just steps — you'll actually understand why you're doing each part.

Moderator Nothing but chain replacement start to finish — tool needed, chain matched to cassette speed, Shimano pin vs SRAM master link both covered, full re-thread and shift check at the end. Doesn't wander off into anything else.

Reviewer Telling you exactly how to spot the quick link (it looks different, has an arrow) is the kind of detail that actually saves you time.

Moderator A clean, complete walkthrough - finding the quick link, using the tool correctly, routing the new chain through the ring, cassette and derailleur, then reconnecting it.

Reviewer Solid, efficient technique from someone who clearly knows bikes — just moves quickly.

Moderator Description text is scraped/garbled (unrelated product-ad fragments), but the transcript is squarely a bike mechanic putting a new chain on — jockey wheels, cassette, front derailleur, master link. Going with the transcript per the instructions.

Reviewer A few real shop-mechanic tips in here you won't get from a generic script.

Moderator A full, hands-on chain swap from a shop mechanic - breaking the old chain, sizing the new one against it, orienting and driving the connecting pin, checking tension. This is the task itself, not something adjacent to it.

Reviewer Homegrown but solid — explains the plate logic clearly, which is the part people usually botch.

Moderator Real bike, real rusted chain, full removal-to-install walkthrough with the missing link. On-topic the whole way through.

Reviewer Compressed into 60 seconds, so you'll want to pause it, but every step is technically correct and nothing important is skipped.

Moderator A full, accurate walkthrough of installing a new chain - derailleur position, routing through the pulleys, sizing and cutting to length, then testing across the gears.

Moderator This is a full, concrete walkthrough of installing a bike chain -- gear positioning, sizing and cutting to length, and joining it with a quick link.

Reviewer Covers the parts people usually get wrong -- sizing the chain and checking tension across all the gears.

Reviewer Three solid, correct methods for sizing a new chain — worth watching before you cut one to length.

Moderator Sizing a new chain correctly is one of the trickier parts of fitting one, and this covers it properly — three separate methods (big-big, small-small, and a teeth/chainstay equation), all aimed at getting a freshly installed chain to the right length.

Reviewer More careful than most - tests both gear extremes before committing to a cut.

Moderator Sizing correctly is the single easiest step in chain replacement to get wrong - cut too short and it is ruined stock, too long and it shifts poorly or drops. This video is entirely about nailing that one step: threading through both derailleurs, testing on both small-small and big-big combinations, and adjusting notch by notch before committing to a cut.

Reviewer Gives you the actual numbers to check your chain wear by, not just a vague 'replace it eventually.'

Moderator Directly covers replacing the chain -- the tools you need, and specifically how to tell WHEN it's actually worn out enough to replace, which is half the battle for anyone doing this the first time. Paired with cassette replacement since they wear together, but chain is a core focus, not an afterthought.

Reviewer Good diagnostic tip on reading tooth thickness, plus a master-link detail people often get backwards.

Moderator Covers picking the correct chain width for a single-speed or BMX drivetrain versus a derailleur chain that will not fit the fatter teeth, then sizing and installing with a master link. Chain replacement and installation for a specific but common bike type, taught properly from scratch.

Reviewer Efficient and accurate, if a little fast-paced.

Moderator Covers both diagnosis (wear-indicator thresholds by sprocket material) and the actual replacement process (measuring against the old chain, a pin-engagement quirk, cleaning the new chain). Squarely on-topic, dense but efficient.

Reviewer Excellent depth once you know it's single-speed-specific — proper sizing and tensioning method, not just 'good enough.'

Moderator It's genuinely chain replacement, just for a narrower case — BMX/fixed-gear/single-speed two-sprocket drivetrains, not the derailleur bikes most people mean when they say 'my bike chain.' Someone with a normal geared bike would be in the wrong video for most of this.

Reviewer Accurate but very condensed — good refresher, not enough detail to be your only source the first time.

Moderator Transcript is entirely about swapping a bike chain — quick link, matching length, routing through crank and cassette, relinking. On-topic front to back.

Reviewer Solid on installation, but doesn't tell you how to get the length right first.

Moderator Straightforward, on-task walkthrough: find the master link, release tension with chain pliers, set the right gear, route the new chain through the derailleur, reconnect the master link. Every step is part of replacing the chain.

Reviewer Solid but brief — good refresher, not enough depth for a total first-timer.

Moderator On-topic chain swap, quick-link based. Slightly generic — doesn't address non-quick-link chains at all, doesn't discuss chain speed matching — but everything it does cover is squarely the job.

Reviewer Walks the derailleur threading in real detail -- the part people usually botch on their first chain job.

Moderator This is a trailside repair rather than a planned full swap, but the actual mechanics -- breaking the chain, threading it through the derailleur correctly, joining it with a quick link -- are the same skills you need for a full chain replacement. Close enough to count as squarely relevant, just field-repair framed.

Reviewer Three real methods with the specific details that actually matter -- like why you can't just reuse a Shimano pin.

Moderator Same logic as the other trailside-repair video -- fixing a broken chain requires the same core moves as replacing one: breaking it, removing damaged links, and rejoining with a master link or pin. Framed as an emergency fix rather than planned maintenance, so not a perfect match, but the overlapping mechanics earn it solid relevance.

Reviewer Teaches a smart length-check trick the other how-to videos skip - worth watching even if you are not troubleshooting a sag.

Moderator Framed as diagnosing a sagging chain, checking wheel position and derailleur spring first, and once wear is identified as the cause, spends real time replacing the chain - matching new to old length using a wire tool to preview link removal, marking exactly where to break it. Covers the actual replacement, just inside a broader troubleshooting story.

Reviewer Handy tip, but only covers one small step of the job.

Moderator About correctly routing a new chain through the derailleurs -- logo orientation, the S-shape threading pattern. A genuine and often-missed step of chain installation, though narrow -- it doesn't cover measuring, cutting, or connecting.

Reviewer The steps given are the right ones, though there's not enough here to judge how well they're actually explained.

Moderator The steps laid out - break the chain and remove it, count and align the links with the new one - are exactly the right steps for a chain swap.

Reviewer Essential context before you replace a chain, even if it's not the how-to.

Moderator Thorough on diagnosing chain wear -- why chains wear, three measurement methods, specific numeric thresholds by drivetrain speed -- but explicitly defers the actual replacement how-to to other videos, so it's the prerequisite step rather than the replacement process itself.

Reviewer Good grounding before you start, but you'll need the rest of the video for the actual replacement steps.

Moderator The visible portion is mostly the why and when - debunking the chain-stretch myth, two ways to check wear, how to pick the right chain - and it's just getting into removal (master link vs. chain tool) when the transcript excerpt ends. Real and clearly headed toward the actual replacement, but what's visible doesn't show the hands-on replace steps yet.

Reviewer Good motivation to not put this off, but you'll need to look elsewhere for the actual replacement steps.

Moderator Centred on why you need to replace a worn chain and what tools you'll need to do it, though it points you elsewhere for the actual step-by-step.

Reviewer Clear, well-explained technique that carries straight over to a full chain replacement.

Moderator This is a roadside splice repair - removing a damaged pin and rejoining the same chain with a quick link - not swapping in a whole new chain. But the actual mechanics taught (chain tool use, correct derailleur and pulley routing, managing chain tension while you work) are core techniques that transfer directly to a full replacement, so it's a genuine, if partial, overlap rather than a different topic.

Reviewer Decent to watch someone do it, but the actual chain-fitting steps (link count, master link) go by too quickly to learn from confidently.

Moderator This is a real customer bike getting a new chain and cassette fitted — you see the sizing of the new chain, the derailleur positioned on the smallest ring before threading it through, and the chain closed with a master link. It's genuinely a chain replacement, just told as half of a bigger repair job alongside the cassette swap, so the chain steps move by quickly rather than getting a full walkthrough to themselves.

Reviewer Worth it for the pin-reuse warning alone, rest is cleaning advice.

Moderator One of the four mistakes covered -- reusing the connector pin when breaking a chain -- is directly relevant to replacing/connecting a chain, but the majority of the video is about degreasing and cleaning, a related but different maintenance topic.