How To Untangle A Bike Chain
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- Опубліковано 11 лют 2025
- Ever been in the frustrating situation of a knotted chain that won't straighten out?
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It's one of those problems that is easy to fix once you know how. Generally, your chain gets knotted when the top half crosses over the bottom half. Simply spread those two knots out and pull the chain back over your derailleur and chainset and the issue SHOULD be solved!
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After not having changed a rear bike tire in over 20 years my 12 year old son and I ran into this same problem. After much frustration we came across this video. Thanks so much! This helped!
I've watched this video like 10 times and I've gone from 2 kinks to 6 kinks and I'm a guy that can fix stuff.
Lol. I feel your pain.
I'm having this same freaking issue. I have kmfive kinks in my bike right now.
At 4 currently, tendency ascending
Has anybody fixed this with out breaking chain
Hello
I’m literally stranded in the middle of no where watching this vid thanks
Hope you fixed it
@@Southerntrainspotter315 legend has it, that man is still in the woods untangling his chain
@@andresmorfin2407 LOL bro i just died laughing.
Hes still untangling it
Me also
Sir you are indeed a most powerful wizard I proceeded with your enchantment and before my eyes the chain did unwind as a snake returning to its basket. How this was achieved remains a deep mystery to me as I am without your sorcery. Your humble apprentice. David.
Spent an hour trying to fix this never ending puzzle, watched this vid and took me 2 mins
Same here!
@Jesse Mcmullen bless gcn for preventing my suicide
I am so thankful for this video!!! My mountain bike had this problem!! I fixed it myself thanks to you!!!😁😁
May I just second this and say thanks to Si
It happens to me twice. First time it took me about 45 minutes to solve that puzzle. Last night after 5 hours of trying I found your video , trying to copy your moves but I had loop on the top in different way so it didn't work for me and I made it worse 4 loops.But after another 2 hours finally I did it , but I don't know how. For people who are frustrated by this - there is a way to beat it and I think the key is just right moment and to be calm , it just comes like a magic
I'm in the same boat. It's nearly worked, but now my chain is reversed at the peddle. Spent half an hour and left it for tomorrow 😭
Same here but I have a brain injury and effects my problem solving 🙄 and my PTSD shows when I get all mad 🤬
Best thing to do is leave and take a break lol
@@robertmcgregor5767did you ever fix it
I did it on my EBike. Idk know how but after creating 2 more loops which became 4 loops somehow. I tried this routine again and miraculously it untangled. Took about 20 minutes and 8 views. Thx
Thnx alot , i remove my bycycle chain tangle in 30 second because of you...i was just cleaning chain after get down it from spike ,omg home was 5 km away...God bless you...
Umm, where were you when I was a kid. I used to take a pin out of the chain to get it back together. Thank you so much!!
I was on the verge of doing that
Thank you so much! My BMX chain was all untangled up, and your tip about spreading the loops apart did the trick. Thank you from The USA!, Mike
This video is the only one i found that mentioned "you may think you need to push the kinks together to cancel them out, but you should actually spread them out and you may see what you need to do" . Thats exactly what happened. As soon as i heard that i figured it out on my own. And you were right about normally not wanting to turn the bike upside down because it causes this problem, thats precisely how i caused it. Awesome video and much appreciated.
I'll just send you my bike
Fr
Fr
Fr
Same
frl
THANK YOU
An hour of trying to fix it myself. A half hour of watching useless videos. Your the first to give clear instructions and show how its done.
THANK YOU
Video was a godsend...
I sat here for an hour, pulling and tugging and just looking at this chain...less than a minute after watching your video...chain fixed! Thank you!!
Don't care about anyone else but this video helped me out. So thanks a lot !
Same
Well i don't care about you either, so there!
You don’t have to share your miserable quality’s about your self online not caring about anyone else is called being a Karen
@@Thicbladi somebody's a little mad. He is just saying people had bad experiences with the video and he didn't stop raging at him
@@akmcg oof don’t know why I said that for some reason at that time
I literally have had this problem for five months and have not been able to ride my bike, thank you so much you are the best I was looking for DAYS for a video that helped me with this
I have to admit that when I saw the title I was expecting the most boring video of all time, but that wasn't bad Si. I know I am still newer to this than a lot of your regular audience, but that was worth watching.
Dude, I was messing around with a kinked chain yesterday for at least an hour and gave up. I caught your video today and went back at it - 10 minutes later, it was all good!!! Thanks for the video.
I am going to have to take my bike to a bike shop to fix this....I had two loops in my chain before I watched this video and now after watching it, I have six tangle loops all jammed together next to each other and I cant figure out which of those loops to unravel first.....The more I try to untangle it, the worse it gets....tangle loops keep multiplying.
Dude you just savedy life.. like five miles from home.. chain popped, almost broke that thing man was so frustrated.. your the man dude.. ty so much..
Simon; Yes, I see. But if the chain loops (tangles) are ‘facing’ the other direction, then this will not work. The chain will not easily lift back into place as you demonstrated. Looking forward to more of your otherwise helpful tips. Cheers, Peacham, Vermont, usa
Then what?
Thank you my friend. This saved me alot of frustration. Love your accent .
I spent like a hour bro im about to stop living voluntarily
Thanks man, i was struggling 2 hours yesterday without any result, after watching your video i fixed it in 2 minutes
Alternative title: How To Get Greasy Like A Pro
I ordered a folding bike and it came with the chain off of the chainring and 2 kinks! I spent forever trying to untangle that damn chain! I removed the brake pads, rear wheel, rear derailleur…chain still kinked! Then I came across your video and voilà! Problem solved! I’m on my knees with gratitude🙏🏼
It’s so frustrating I want to just pull the chains until it eventually breaks
Yeah dude
I jus had this problem. Th chain was crossed over itself and knotted on the actual gear cog itself... I have no idea how I fixed it...didn't look possible. Took like a hour or two
same
Thanks so much I was so annoyed when this happened. I tried to take my chain off with a chain tool which ended up breaking the chain tool and I was so annoyed but this video saved the day. Absolute legend!
Well, at 3:14 we can see just how much Si likes his Garmin ;)
this was great - i had tangled my chain a few years back and brought it to lbs and they took the chain off - obviously they didn't know - i tangled it agian this week and brought my bike to work with the intention of bringing it to my lbs but then checked out this video and did it in less than a minute! thanks to this gentleman and gcn!
Thank you! Spent almost half a hour trying to figure this out. After watching your video it took me like 10 seconds to untangle it! THANK YOU!
This video was instrumental in helping me untangle a chain on a bmx bike. It was very easy to follow. I watched another one with some lady trying to show people how to untangle a bike chain and she proceeded to tangle it more several times before finally untangling it. She didn’t really show what she was doing probably because she didn’t really know what she was doing. So thanks for the video it was very helpful.
Thanks for this! I took both wheels off to fit the bike in the back of the car, and when it came out the chain was twisted and I had no clue how. Quick, easy video tutorial - problem solved.👍
Apprezzo il tuo commento perché mi fa capire che non è poi così rarissimo smontare entrambe le ruote dell'auto per mettere la bici nel bagagliaio e ritrovarsi con la catena "annodata",,,
sometimes a visual is all one needs , i messed with my bike chain for 30 min and after watching this video i fixed it in 5 min and i didnt even have to remove the rear wheel! thank you!
Great video! A lot of cyclists get confused when their chain gets looped like that. Si does a great job of explaining the problem and illustrating the solution. Although I did laugh at the dirty fingers. I "second" the suggestion to use a removable master link. They go by many names: Master Link (Flying Horse), Missing Link (KMC), Connecting Link (RK Racing, Renthal), PowerLink (SRAM), etc. I live near Lake Michigan where sand is unavoidable. I can ride on a clean beautifully-paved road and still get sand in my drivetrain because the wind blows it from the sand dunes along the lake. It means I have to clean the drivetrain often. Every one of my bikes and my family's bikes have SRAM chains with PowerLinks. It makes cleaning our chains and drivetrains so much easier!
This was such a great help. I spent 30 minutes trying to figure out how to fix it. Watched your vid and done in 2 minutes thanks so much!
Two tips:
1. invest in a pack of vinyl gloves!
2. An old wheel with the spokes removed make a perfectly respectable chain holder.
Mine just fell off yesterday and I tried untangling it right away.. 😩😓 "epic fail under pressure" gave it a rest until i felt like searching for a way to figure it out and BOOM! I got it successfully right after watching your video! You've earned a sub my friend. Tysm! 🤜🏾🤛🏾💯
Great video. This was actually pretty easy to do without taking the back wheel off as well.
Thanks for the video. I had no idea how to untangle my son's bike chain until I watched this... You saved me a ton of money!
wow the how to s are coming to an end
after attempting to solve this problem for an hour I checked your video and fixed it in about 1 minute
You're obviously running short of ideas for maintenance videos! Now that disc brakes are more common on roadies, how about centering disc breaks, changing pads, pad types etc?
+YeahWhatever I gotta admit, I've spent a very, very long time feeling like an idiot, trying to untangle a chain in this situation. this is a nice trick!
+YeahWhatever I've got to agree, you're scraping the bottom of the barrel. How about a whole bike overhaul with the Christmas holidays coming up. I know I'd like to do one but don't know where to start!
Aaahh my last comment got deleted. If you type "Global Cycling Network disc brakes" in the UA-cam search bar, al your questions will be answered ;)
Thank you Sir. I am not mechanically inclined and following you instructions unkinked my chain with ease. I stored my bike upside down before watching this video. No more.
Thank you. I was losing my mind just now trying to repair my bike
Been trying for ages but took ten seconds after watching this video..cheers bud👍
looking forward to 'how to breathe' next week
+clive ramsbotty LIKE A PRO
+clive ramsbotty on a bike
+clive ramsbotty I love comments like this Clive when two down there is a guy saying that if only we'd uploaded this a week earlier we'd have saved him loads of time.
Hopefully no-one would say that about How to breathe, but you never know ;-)
+Global Cycling Network But GCN, how do we breathe like a pro?
haha 'like a pro'... I like your videos GCN, don' mind me having a pop x
Thank you very much! I was able to fix my mountain bike. I watched so many tutorials but it was your solution that worked. Thank you very much ❤️
Thank you for finally uncovering this mystery.
Seemed so obvious when I was helping rechain my gf's bike but I haven't used a bike in 2 decades it feels and it seems too easy to be this hard to figure out. Super helpful :)
Yeah I was replacing the derailer when this happened
Totally saved my bacon!! Thank you! Never had this problem before and had 2 knots I just couldn't figure out how to fix. Watched this and 2 minutes later all good.
I am convinced this is GCN trollin
This video saved me a cold and wet 40 minute walk home in cleats and cycling shorts, thank you very very much.
OMG! THANK YOU for this, although now I feel like a total idiot for not figuring it out on my own.
No idiot thus is harder thsm a rubix cube
Just want to say thanks, and this helped me. Man, I never realized the chain took such an intricate path with the trailer I guess it's called. Glad I got it quickly, cause I have to have it right to mount my new motor. ❤
That boy needs a PRO tip............use rubber EMT gloves to work on your bike.
I am a professional mechanic of three years, never worn gloves.
+TheMrDavidCurran Well get your hands dirty then spend your spare time cleaning grease finger prints every where. I take my gloves off and I can answer to phone, shake hands, touch white bar tape, fill out papers.....keeping it all professional & clean. You sound like the mechanic that I have to clean up after. Pig Pen Bike Man must be your nick name.
+MoJo out of four full time mechanics, one who's been doing it for 15 years, and three part times (myself included in the latter) and none of us wear gloves. Guess you could call us the Pig Pen Bike Shop, hey?
He's not a wuss
REAL MEN Get greasy hands!!!
Good tips as usual. Also this guy has about the coolest accent on any video.
Really helped me fix the problem
Thank you, my multi-gear electric bike was a bit different from the video so I felt I had some extra complications. That being said, your video was vital to my success in getting my back tire properly reinstalled after replacing the inner tube. I feel like the nature of untangling bike chains brings out the most frustration we are capable of having, along with spider-wrap you'll find in retail stores clumped together.
This happened to me today and it just fixed somehow 🤔 felt like when i found my first diamonds
I respect that comment more than anything ever
Videos like this make me love UA-cam. This was very helpful, thanks a bunch
Now make a video How to Clean your Hands....Like a Pro.......hahah
+scootosan Spray your hands with TripleQX, and then dry them over an open flame.
+CRAZEH247 Decathlon do some stuff and you spray it on dry and then run the oil/grease off...
+CRAZEH247 isn't it wd-40?
Meh, same thing.
I love this. I had to disassemble my bikes for moving, and this helped a butt load. Thankyou global cycling network!
Wow I feel slow now 😂
GCN to the rescue again! This happen to me in a BMX build and I thought I was going to die.
How about something different like go ride a recumbent and compare hill climbing and flat full out flat road riding with a standard diamond frame bike versus something like a M5 lowracer recumbent. Be DARING and try something NEW!
Took me literally one minute watching this video after waiting a couple of days THANK YOU SO MUCH AGHHHHH
Very useful video. My road bike's chain tangled luckily less than a mile from home yesterday after a long and fast ride. It's been a long time since I last encountered (and sorted) a similar issue and in my weary state I didn't have the brain power to work out how to fix it. I wheeled the bike home and watched this video this morning and fixed it in less than 30 seconds without having to take the rear wheel off. It was getting the two loops as far apart as possible that made the everything else fall in place. At least I'll be now able to ride the bike to my mechanic for him to identify and rectify the cause of the slippage so hopefully it will be a while before something similar happens again. If it does, hopefully I'll be able remember what to do.
did..i did it right away once i saw ur video lol UR MY HERO! 😁 AFTER fighting for 10 mins i feel better now.. smh #2020
I was so confused when my bike was like this took me 10 minutes and still didn't figure it out... Thank goodness for u guys
You just saved us a trip to the bike shop! Cheers! :-)
This video just saved my heiné. Thank you good sir. This is truly a public service
Thankyou. You saved me from so much anger
Patience and blind luck seems to do the trick too , just keep finessing the kinks away from each other and ensure your derailleur is all the way out
I have four knots in mine but it worked and is now fixed. I appreciate this video
Hey. Thanks a million for this video.. I watched 2 min and managed to get it right.. A few months ago we sat for 2 hours and couldn't thanks for sharing if you have more biking videos let us know 👏😊
Awesome dude. Worked for me. I was swapping out a crankset and BB. God knows what happened but I had two knots. Whipped back wheel off, jobs a good un. 👍🏻
Just finished with 6 tangles in one spot.. really appreciate this videos. Definitely going to like and sub ❤️❤️
Thanks for this video. Not sure how it happened to begin with but after watching this video I had the chain fixed in less than a minute.
I struggled with this insanity for over two hours all the while becoming increasingly mad, mad I tell you . You made it look so simple. Thanks, now that that's finally fixed, got any tips for getting dry chain lube off the bike, walls, floor, a stool and my dog and myself?
Thanks a lot❤❤. You don’t know how much you helped me getting out of this trouble😅😅.
EXCELLENT!!!! Again and again. Thanks. It was so frustrating with those knots!
Thanks bro, this video helped me and my brother from getting new chains all together 😅
Thanks GCN, this tutorial was really helpful. 🙌🏻
thank you a thousand times I succeeded thanks to you
in 10 minutes it was settled, I had been on it for half an hour😅
Thanks much. It took a few tries ... but I was able to get it to work thanks to your guidance.
Thank you! I spent an hour trying to figure it out. I was about to bring it to the shop I was so frustrated!! Thank you very much!!
You are welcome! Really pleased you found the video useful!
Very good tip! Thanks for sharing :)
Sir, you are my hero. I put my tire back on and derp, it made even more sense
This one actually helped where another video didn't. thank you
Brilliant. Thanks a lot for the video, I had this issue yesterday on my way to work, now I can go back home and fix it thanks to you.
Thanks man this video saved me a lot of time and frustration.
Fantastic vidleo, clear and precise and it works. Took me a few tries and a few look-sees and I go my chain untangled and working. Many Many thanks.
Thank you, i'm on time at work after this tube change, because of this video. Thanks 💯
THANK YOU! Also the intro, was totally me 😂
Thanks so much, I already lost my patience and all my nerves - after watching your video I could fix it:-) Thanks so much!!!
Thank you, so much for your entertaining video. I have been changing bike tube tires since I was younger than you. I left the garage in a tizzy, got into a tongue match with the wife, lost. Heading bike to the garage, gar-age. I don't like that you're smarter than me!!! Haha
Fantastic, thank you so much for sharing the wealth of bicycle knowledge !!!!