Bike chain help

[jack]

I hate being the equivalent of someone who buys a computer and then doesn't know what a file is, but can I solicit another snippet of advice?

I have a Sturmey-Acher hub, the chain that fitted which snapped, and on examination has several links broken on one side. The chain which fit the old, broken bike, and the spare chain don't appear to fit.

Wrapping the chain around the gear sprocket, if the teeth mesh with the holes in the chain at the top, they don't at the side, and a tooth meets a roller preventing the chain going tight. This makes it look like the distance between links is too long, and laying the chains side by side make the snapped chain longer than the other two, but only by a fraction, as if it's stretched, not 25% longer! The spare chain is 3/32" width and the others are 1/8, I think, and as far as I can see the roller diameter looks the same.

An hour of googling doesn't answer the simple question "Which replacement chain should I buy"? Is there a dummies guide which would tell me the basics? I'm don't know which variables are used as opposed to being universal.

Is the hub worn so only one chain fits it? Does the chain only fit because of the broken links? If so, how the hell did it fit in the first place?

Comments

[miss-next.livejournal.com]

I suggest you ask sir_dave. He'll know.

[tig-b.livejournal.com]

If you don't get an answer here let me know, as my male offspring is a bicycle mechanic (but not online much so it may take a couple of days to find him).

[tienelle.livejournal.com]

Chains and sprockets, I'm told, wear so that only that chain will fit well; this may be what you're running into, in which case you'll need to replace the sprocket and chain together. In general, in your situation, I'd find a bike shop and get them to fix it for me.