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Questions and answers about sports

What is the maximum force that an average bicycle chain sprocket can withstand?

5 min read

Asked by: Lamar Dixon

How much force can a bicycle chain withstand?

Wippermann’s internal standard is 9,500-11,000 Newtons of breaking force for its bicycle chains, and they achieved that; some of the others fell short of that.

How much force can a chain handle?

ALLOY STEEL CHAIN (GRADE 80)

Trade Size In Inches Working* Load Limit Lbs. Feet Per Drum
1/4 3,500 800
5/16 5,100 500
3/8 7,100 500
1/2 12,000 300

Can a bike chain break?

Chains, like anything else on your bike, can be damaged if it gets hit hard enough. While not as common, chains can break if they are involved in a rock strike or other impact. Impact damage to chains can be more difficult to repair than if the chain breaks due to wear.

What is the life of chain sprocket of bike?

On average, you can expect to replace your chain and sprocket between 20,000 to 30,000 kilometers, less if you ride fast and hard. However, if you spot any damage to your chain or sprocket, it’s better to just go and replace the prematurely-worn part right away.

How much force does it take to break steel chains?

Steel has very high tensile strength. For chain tension to permanently deform a chain link plate (permanently stretch but not break), the tensile force would likely have to be at least 200 lbf per plate.

How often does a bike chain break?

about every 2,000 to 3,000 miles

Most mechanics agree that you should replace your chain about every 2,000 to 3,000 miles, depending on your riding style. Many Tour De France riders wear out two or even three chains on their primary bike over the course of the three-week race.

What grade of chain is the strongest?

Grade 100. Next to Grade 120, Grade 100 chain is the strongest type of chain offered by most industrial hardware suppliers. It is 25 percent stronger than Grade 80, making it the best choice for extremely heavy overhead lifting use and other extreme applications.

What is the breaking strength of grade 70 chain?

Example: Grade 70 chain is rated at 700 Newton per millimeter squared (101,526 Pound-force per square inch) while Grade 80 is rated at 800 Newton per millimeter squared )116,030 Pound-force per square inch). Grade 70 chains, also known as transport chain or trucker’s chain, are designed as load securement.

How do you calculate chain load capacity?

Formula: SWL (kg) = D2 (mm) x G x 0.4



For example: Chain diameter, 10 mm.

How much pressure does it take to break a chain?

A study conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that a new chain can withstand up to 1,500 pounds of force before it breaks. As a chain wears, however, its strength diminishes.

Why do I keep breaking bike chains?

1) Your chain might be too loose. 2) Your chain might be dirty or rusty. 3) Your front gears might not be working well with your back gears. 4) Your bike chain might be too long or too short.

What is a bicycle chain made of?

Bicycle chains are made of multiple pairs of steel outer plates and inner plates held together by rivets. A roller separates each pair of inner plates. The rivet (pin) is pressed tightly through both outer plates. The rivet then pivots freely on the inner plates and roller.

What pressure can steel withstand?

Metal Strength Chart

Types of Metals Tensile Strength (PSI) Yield strength (PSI)
Aluminum 3003 22,000 21,000
Steel A36 58-80,000 36,000
Steel Grade 50 65,000 50,000
Yellow Brass 40,000

What is breaking load of chain?

Minimum Breaking Load (MBL) is the minimum force of which the chain must withstand before failure. The mean stress at this load is 800n/mm2 (MPA). The minimum elongation before failure is 20%.

How much force does it take to crush steel?

The breaking strength for structural steel is 400 megapascals (MPa) and for carbon steel is 841MPa.

How much torque is enough for a bike?

Normal horsepower ranges for full-size motorcycles are probably between horsepower. (Yes, exceptions exist, but most will fall within that range.) Torque specs will usually ring in at 10 to 175 foot-pounds. In general, the bigger the torque number is, the stronger a bike will feel low in the rev range.

How much torque is needed to move a bicycle?

If you want to connect a motorized drive wheel, you will need to be able to generate that much force on the edge of the drive wheel. If you have a 5 cm radius wheel you would have a torque of 10 Nm (0.), with a speed of 400 rpm (5 times greater than the speed of the pedals).

What are forces acting on a bicycle when you ride it?

The primary external forces on the bike are gravity, ground, friction, rolling resistance, and air resistance.

How is bike torque calculated?

Torque is the rotational force applied to the pedals during each pedal stroke. It is calculated by multiplying the force applied to the pedals, by the crank length (lever arm).

Does more torque mean faster acceleration?

So the more torque your car has, the greater the acceleration. Torque is a crucial part of generating power from a car’s engine, as it represents the load an engine can handle to generate a certain amount of power to rotate the engine on its axis.

How tight should bike bolts be?

A god rule of thumb is to tighten your headset cap bolt until it is causing some friction with steering and then back it off until it’s tight enough to keep the stack neatly in place. This is typically 1/8th to 1/4 of turn. Give your headset spacers a twist.