Chain installed on recumbent trike

Continuing the custom recumbent tadpole trike project, here are the last couple of posts:

• Solar panel frame for trike take-2 — August 09, 2024
• Fenders for custom trike — July 25, 2024

Have now installed the chain. Knowing nothing about bicycle maintenance, watched a few YouTube videos, then tackled the installation...

Photos of recumbent trikes show the plastic tubes that the chain goes through, kind of unattached at the ends. However, at the front, decided to secure them in place, so as more accurately guide the chain onto the sprocket. It would be different if there were multiple sprockets on the front, but this trike only has rear gears. Made a bracket and mounted it:

...have decided to move that bracket back a bit, compared with first installation shown in the above photo.

At the rear, had to shorten the chain, and this is where the YouTube videos were invaluable. There was, however, a difficulty; just could not get the chain pin out. I have a cheap bicycle toolkit, that includes a chain-breaker tool; however, it would not push the pin out. A bit of online research, found others reporting the same difficulty.

Examining the breaker tool, the thread feed does seem a bit sloppy, allowing the pin to wander off-centre, so it may have been not entirely centred on the pin. This is the toolkit:

"Product 3" is a crank-puller, already used to change the pedal cranks from 170mm to 165mm, and it worked OK. Do not yet know what "Product 1 and "Product 4" are for.

Found another chain-breaker that has good reviews and bought it. This one:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006113300993.html

...notice the longer thread. It is also a snug fit, no sloppiness. Easy-peasy, pushed the pin out, no trouble.

The tricky part for this newbie was deciding where to break the chain. Made the decision and used a master-link to join the ends:

...this is on the smallest sprocket. Well actually, the second-smallest. The cassette has 9 sprockets, while the derailleur gears mechanism only has 7 positions, and is setup to move between second-smallest to second-largest sprocket.

Maybe could have taken out a couple more links, but the above does seem OK. Have not yet tested changing gears to the second-largest sprocket.   

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