Accessories, Upgrades And Mods To The Trucker (WIP)

I plan to do the following upgrades/modifications/additions to the Trucker after it comes. I shall keep adding to the list as and when I learn about something new and useful.

A. I need to add a pair of pedals to start with. I think the MKS Sylvan Double Sided Touring Pedals is the best value for money. Have read good reviews for them on international websites. The are available on Happy Earth for Rs 2654. Let me see when I can spend that. The design is a copied one from Campagnlo. But it is a good set of pedals, they say. (I placed the order today - 1st November 2018. Will write a review once they arrive)

B. A pair of mudguards. These days they call it fender. To me they are mudguards. SKS, a German brand, looks like is a hot favourite and is available in India. I have to ensure that I buy the correct size that will be able to accommodate wider than stock tyres. These were purchased from Happy Earth and fitted to the bike in February 2019, prior to the planned Darjeeling trip.

C. A Brooks B-17 saddle. Some time in future. Not now. As of December 11, 2018 - I bought a Pro Bike Gear Griffon. Will write a review after at least 500 km with it.

D. Racks and panniers, if and when I go for long multi-day rides. I guess I will do the research then. Happy Earth stocks some Surly racks. But they are ridiculously expensive. I think the Axiom Journey series rear racks are decently priced at Rs 2500. As of March 2019, I bought a cheap carrier from Decathlon for around 700 bucks.

E. A distant possibility is to change the crank for better mountain climbs.

F. Tyres and tubes - I think I would prefer to have a Schwalbe Marathon Plus touring tyre. They come with Kevlar and are more or less puncture proof. But they cost a bomb. I must get a spare tube immediately after the bike arrives.

April 4, 2019

As of today I can tick off three from the above list. A pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour, a pair of MKS pedals, a pair of SKS Bluemels mudguards and a Shimano Griffon saddle (it's not in the list though).

My current wish list includes the following

• Lezyne Micro Floor HV (available on Amazon US)
• Brooks B17 (available with BOTS)
• Surly rack front and rear (rear first perhaps - off Happy Earth)
• Ortilieb panniers 
• Garmin Edge 520
• Apidura handlebar, top tube and small saddle bag (all water proof)

July 20, 2020

Of the above list a few more can now be ticked off. Lezyne Micro Floor pump, Brooks B17, Tubus rear rack, Ortlieb panniers, Garmin Edge 130. I have to get the Apidura handlebar bag. I wonder if the rear rack and Ortlieb panniers are practical for the Himalayas and whether bike packing is the only answer. In that case a saddle bag will also be needed. But then how does one carry the tent? On the handlebar?

Trigger Is Pulled On The LHT

As on 11th November 2018 after initial set up

After dilly dallying with the idea for months, today I finally pulled the trigger on a Surly LHT. After long discussions with various representatives from the store, I chose size 52 with 26 inch wheels. It's in colour silver grey. That's the only colour they have in my size. I would have loved the Khaki. But the silver is okay too.

The seller is Happy Earth of Bangalore. They are the India importers for Surly. Currently they are offering a 15 per cent discount on the regular price. It cost me a total of Rs 1.06 lakh.

A dream is born. I will one day go out with the bike to tour at least India, if not the world. I just hope it fits me well.

In case they should delete all this information from their website at some future date, let me copy the complete list of bike parts from the Surly website for posterity

As I realised, although Surly is an American company, most of its parts are sourced from Taiwan. Some parts are American and Japanese Shimano also has a strong presence.

Why I Bought The LHT

When I bought my first digital SLR, I was advised by a photographer friend of mine not to go for it but rather choose from one of the various compact cameras available in the market. I told him, "a camera must look like a camera and not a toy". The same logic applied to buying a bicycle. The cycle must look like a cycle. While I grew up on normal traditional Indian bicycles (with originally English design of the pre-world war), I always wanted a racing cycle. Possibly my father sowed those seeds of ambition in me. So I went for the Merida.

When I bought the Merida I wasn't too well aware of bicycle geometry and its impact on riding. I just wanted a bicycle that the Tour de France riders ride - or at least something that looked like one of those. So in came the road bike. It was my first bicycle with a dropped handlebar. I wasn't too comfortable riding it at first but soon got the hang of it and loved it.

But I soon realised that it is too aggressive a style of riding which cannot be sustained for long journeys.

I learnt that there is a type of cycle called touring cycles, that people use for long distance relaxed riding, often with big loads - which is my idea of a cycle ride. I remembered the old advertising slogan of Royal Enfield - why ride just a bike, when you can ride a legend. So, I went for the Surly Long Haul Trucker, which enjoys a cult status in the world of global cycle touring. I must confess here - if I had the money, I would've bought the Koga Miyata with Rohloff hub gear. But I cannot afford it. So, let that remain a secret dream till one day I land in Amsterdam with loads and loads of money and buy it. As of now it starts from euro 3400. So about Rs 2.38 lakh in Amsterdam. :-) Perhaps the model with my Rohloff gear will cost Rs 3 lakhs. So let's talk about something else please, like how pleasant the weather is in Calcutta this November.

Complete bike spec subject to change

Frameset

Sizes

26˝ wheel 42, 46, 50–62cm; 700c wheel 56–62cm

Frame

Surly Long Haul Trucker,, 100% Surly 4130 CroMoly steel. Main triangle double-butted. TIG-welded

Fork

Surly Long Haul Trucker, 4130 CroMoly, lugged and brazed. Proprietary sloping crown with threaded eyelets, tapered and butted curved blades with mid-blade rack eyelets, dual dropout eyelets

Seatpost clamp

Surly Stainless, 30.0mm (Surly stainless included)

Drivetrain

Crankset

Andel RSC6, 26/36/48t. Square taper interface. Silver

Bottom Bracket

Shimano UN-55, Square taper interface. 68 x 118mm

Front Derailleur

Shimano Deore T611-3, Silver

Rear Derailleur

Shimano XT-T780-L SGS, Black

Cog or Cassette

Shimano HG-50-10, 11–36t

Chain

KMC X10, Nickle plated

Components

Headset

Cane Creek 40, 1-1/8˝ threadless. Black

Brake

Tektro M730, silver

Brake Levers

Tektro RL520

Shifters

Microshift BS-M10 10-speed shifter, friction/index adjustable; Black

Stem

Kalloy AS-009, 26.0mm bar clamp. Aluminum. 4-bolt face. Silver

Handlebar

PMT, 26.0mm. Silver

Saddle

WTB Volt

Seatpost

Kalloy SP-368 non-offset [42-50cm]; Kalloy SP-248D offset [52-62cm], 27.2mm. 300mm. Silver

Extras

Kickstand Plate

Wheels

Hubs

Shimano LX T670. 36h, Silver

Rims (26")

Alex Adventurer 2 36h, black

Rims (700c)

Alex Adventurer 2 36h, black

Tires (26˝) 42–62cm

Continental Tour Ride, 26x1.75"

Tires (700c)

Continental Contact, 700c x 37mm

Frame Size	Stem Length	Stem Angle	Handlebar Width	Crank Length
42cm	75.0	35.0	400.0	165.0
46cm	75.0	35.0	400.0	165.0
50cm	75.0	35.0	400.0	170.0
52cm	90.0	17.0	420.0	170.0
54cm	100.0	17.0	420.0	170.0
56cm	100.0	17.0	440.0	175.0
58cm	110.0	17.0	440.0	175.0
60cm	120.0	17.0	460.0	175.0
62cm	120.0	17.0	460.0	175.0 The Geometry

26-inch Geometry

Switch to inches

	42cm	46cm	50cm	52cm	54cm	56cm	58cm	60cm	62cm
Seat Tube Length (Center-Top)	420.0	460.0	500.0	520.0	540.0	560.0	580.0	600.0	620.0
Top Tube Length (Center-Center)	492.7	508.4	525.4	535.0	549.7	564.5	580.3	594.8	603.8
Effective Top Tube Length (Center-Center)	505.0	515.0	530.0	540.0	555.0	570.0	586.0	600.0	610.0
Head Tube Angle	70.0˚	70.0˚	71.0˚	71.0˚	71.0˚	71.0˚	71.0˚	71.5˚	71.5˚
Seat Tube Angle	75.0˚	74.5˚	74.0˚	73.5˚	73.0˚	73.0˚	72.5˚	72.5˚	72.0˚
BB Drop	47.0	47.0	47.0	47.0	47.0	47.0	47.0	47.0	47.0
Chainstay Length	460.0	460.0	460.0	460.0	460.0	460.0	460.0	460.0	460.0
Wheelbase	1036.6	1042.7	1046.8	1053.1	1064.0	1079.8	1091.2	1100.4	1105.1
Standover Height	702.1	723.2	756.1	774.5	792.4	811.9	829.7	847.9	866.6
Head Tube Length	110.7	116.7	144.0	163.0	182.0	203.0	222.0	238.0	259.0
Fork Length	376.0	376.0	376.0	376.0	376.0	376.0	376.0	376.0	376.0
Fork Offset	45.0	45.0	45.0	45.0	45.0	45.0	45.0	45.0	45.0
Stack	497.2	502.9	532.3	550.3	568.3	588.1	606.1	623.3	643.2
Reach	367.2	371.3	374.5	374.6	379.4	388.3	393.5	402.5	400.5

All dimensions are preliminary and subject to change

* Standover is measured from the top of the TT, at the center, with a tire measuring approximately Ø628 or 690mm

Waking Up An Old Soldier

Today's project was - revive an old soldier, a foot soldier to be precise. They go to sleep but they never die. This is the cycle on which I learnt to balance and ride about forty five or six years ago when I was about eight years old. Half pedal only though. I couldn't sit astride the saddle back then. I could hardly reach both the ends of the handle and instead would hold the saddle with my right hand. I cannot remember the countless miles of sheer joy this bike gave me when I would go to Shantiniketan. My uncle Popul who owned it rode it till he was past 80 and I think this bike is one of the reasons why he hardly ever had any disease. 

I had stopped Mezda from scrapping it and took it from him a few years ago when they closed down their establishment in Shantiniketan and sold off most of the stuff and brought back some unsellable things over. This was one of them. 

It was lying idle at home in Metro Park. Yesterday (a Saturday that was a holiday) when Kushuda brought our washing machine from home on a mini truck, I had requested him to bring the cycle over also, which he did. 

The adapter

My first priority (after dusting it, particularly the seat and handle grips) was to pump up the two wheels. I had to push it to the tyre repair shop to blow in some air. I had thought that these old style valves (they call it Woods or Dunlop valves) work like Schrader valves because all tyre repair shops use the same nozzle to fill these in as they do with cars. But I soon realised that it doesn't work like that. At least my 12 volt car tyre inflator didn't fit on it. I later learnt that you use the Presta to Schrader adapter on it and then you can use those 12 volt car tyre inflators. So these have the same thread as the Presta. It didn't strike me why the Presta nozzle of my pump wouldn't work. Will check that out later. (Later addition: I checked out. These Dunlop valves work perfectly with the pump in Presta filling mode). 

Anyway, I pushed the bike to the tyre repair shop next to Mudiali Meat Shop. They inflated the front wheel fine but said the rear tube is punctured. No air was going in. Again I pushed it back home. I thought I would take the wheel off and take it to a cycle repair shop to see what was wrong. I had no clue how it is done. I have never even seen any mechanic take these wheels off.

Someswar, my dial-in advisor for bike repair (he is a fantastic, properly trained and educated mechanic but lives quite far) told me how to take the wheel off. But he gave only half the advice. He said take the brake pads off and then take out the nuts on either end of the rear axle. The brake pads came off fine but taking the axle nuts off seemed like a near impossibility. The drive side nut was not as obstinate as the non-drive side one. This side had the added problem of the kick stand which was limiting the range of motion for the spanner to work. 

Anyway, I put in a lot of WD 40 on both the nuts and closed the project down for the day. I shall revisit the project another day.

The thin tube for valves

Later during the day I had a brainwave. Why was air not going in at all? I thought may be the valve-tube was damaged. Unscrewed it from the valve and checked it. I had sort of melted. I had some spare thin tube in my IceToolz repair kit. I used it to change the valve tube (our local mechanics use this term. I have no clue if it is correct.) I used the Presta to Schrader adapter and used the car tyre inflator. Nothing doing. Nothing went in.

I thought now that I have a way to inflate the tube at home let me try to repair it without removing the wheel. Prying the tyre out with a plastic tyre lever near the valve I realised the tube had almost melted. It was pointless trying to repair it. The tube has to be changed.

I tested the rear axle lock nuts. Today they had softened up it seemed and turned relatively easily. I was quietly ecstatic. Today is the day to learn this intimidating subject of taking the rear wheel off an old soldier.

I called Someswar up again. Hell bent on taking the tyre off. There is no youtube videos showing how to take off the rear wheel of an old style fixie with a mudguard and carrier rack. Someswar told me the rest of the story to really take off the wheel. I think yesterday he didn't take it too seriously and had given me a very superficial advice.

What I did is as follows. Step by step.

1. Turned the bike upside down.

Two chain tensioners and a bit of kickstand

2. Took off the two brake pads using spanner size
3. Took the lock nuts off from either side of the axle using spanner size 15
4. Took the kick-stand off, removed the stays for the mudguard and the carrier rack. The entire mudguard or carrier do not need to be taken off. They keep hanging from the bolts that attach them to the frame.
5. Take the chain tensioners off using spanner size (see pic)
6. Just pull the damn wheel out
7. Take photographs for viewing later and for showing off to friends who walk home after a puncture on the road
8. Forgot to mention - one has to take the chain off the free wheel at some point of time. In my case I didn't have to do anything as it was already off the gear.

Broken Park Tool tyre lever

Now, I tried to take off the old tyre - off the rim. Idea was to take it to a cycle repair shop and buy replacement tube and tyre (the tyre also looks brittle now) as per the size. I didn't realise how hard it is to take the tyre off from these old style bicycles. The beads are really deep. In the process I broke one of my Park Tools tyre levers :-( . The plastic tyre levers are fine for road bikes. For mountain bikes and these sort of older bikes one would need metallic levers. I have to order for them.

As of now the wheel is waiting to be taken to a shop and replaced. I shall put it in the boot of the car and see who can help. I would love to go to this store near Biplav's house in Golf Gardens. The guy is a gentleman there. I once asked for an old tube to cover my locking chain. He gave me one and refused to take any money for it.

Let me see how the reassembly goes. I am feeling a little intimidated. Far too many parts were taken off. They have to be reassembled one by one. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Like a beetle turned over

Sunday Night

I went to the cycle shop in Golf Gardens with the wheel. The shop owner was quietly impressed that I had taken the wheel off all by myself. He said he had the tyre and tube but it was behind a lot of stuff. It would be nice if I could come tomorrow. I didn't leave the wheel there because a. I would love to do the replacement myself. b. I want to come tomorrow on my motorcycle and taking the wheel back on my motorbike would be difficult. It will cost me Rs 310 (Rs 220 for tyre and 90 for tube). 

I also ordered for two steel tyre levers on Amazon for Rs 270 plus Rs 80 for delivery. Let me see when they arrive. I am not in any particular hurry. These can be used for my MTB Hero as well.

Sunday Afternoon (22nd July 2018)

Much as I would have loved to get the tyre and tube from the shop in Golf Gardens, ultimately I couldn't. I had called the shop up on Monday and they said the owner wasn't around and he is never around after 6.30 or so in the evening. I went to the shop on Saturday evening - at around 6.30 pm. He wasn't there. His old mother was at the cash counter. The assistants at the shop didn't seem too interested to understand what exactly I needed. And they started asking irrelevant questions. This is a hall mark of illiterates who know a little bit of something. I have dealt with many of them in the past.

The new tyre

The Tube

I muttered a quiet "fuck you" and came home. This shop is quite a distance from my house and I have no reason to go there except from a sense of gratitude. But beyond a point I cannot keep visiting it in search of an ordinary tyre and tube, especially when I have so many cycle shops closer to home. I also have a feeling that the owner probably goes for a drink every evening. Otherwise, it is not believable that he goes to the market every evening for buying supplies for the store. That's what the boys were trying to make me believe. The cycle market in Calcutta is in Bentinck Street and no one in his sane mind goes there in the evenings, leaving a busy shop. Anyway, enough is enough. I closed the chapter.

This afternoon I bought the tube and tyre from the shop in Kalighat called Bipul Cycle Stores.  Before that I had called up Someswar and he told me to check the tyre wall for the size. If it's too large then it's possibly 28x1.5. That was what was written, I found on the old tyre (on the tyre wall it's actually written one and a half and not 1.5. I believe when it comes to tyres there is a difference between the two though mathematically both are same). . So there was no more confusion and no need to take the old one to the shop.

Together they cost me Rs 355 at Bipul. The tyre is some brand called Varosa and the tube is Fargo. Obviously these are more expensive than quoted by Golf Gardens store (I think the shop name is Lokenath). They folded the tyre in a figure of 8 and it was quite handy for Mampu to hold it while sitting pillion on my motorbike. We came home. I have told them that if I cannot fit it to the rim I will come back with the rim and get it fitted by them. They assured me that they would stand by me :-) Now I am waiting for the steel tyre levers. Hopefully by next week they should be with me.

28 by one and a half - that's the size

Monday 23rd July, 2018

I finished a Herculean task this evening. Took the old tyre and tube off the rim. Put the new tyre and tube on. And then pumped it up. Believe it or not, it was a huge task and had to learn something new at every step of this process.

First taking the tyre off. Actually this I found was the most difficult part. I guess because it's an old tyre. Success came after I did two things. A. I loosened up the tyre sitting on the tube by pressing it all around and moving it a bit. B. I held the lever close to each other. Like 5/6 inches apart only. Even after half the tyre came out of the wheel and was hanging out of the rim it took me some time to actually take it off the rim.

Next was putting the tyre back on. I had thought this would be a lot more tough. In the end I managed to put it on. It took a lot of back  and forth pushing but I succeeded in getting the entire tire to sit on the rim properly. I had used some talcum on the new tube before putting it on. I inserted the tube in the tyre and then put the tyre on.

Next step was pumping the tyre up. This turned out to be the most challenging part. Air was just not going in. I would pump in and could hear the hiss of the air flowing back out.  I was quite at my wits end and was about to opt for "dial a mechanic" - my all time dependable Someswar Rao. I was using my good old Fire Fox floor standing pump in Schrader mode and added the Presta/Schrader adapter. It would just not work. Tried several different things including replacing the inner core with the old inner core of the old valve.

Dunlop Valve

Promptly returned with full refund

Finally a simple solution did the trick. If you look carefully at the
photograph of the valve (to the left) there is a small nut at the base of the valve. This sits on the rim. I tightened it against the rim with a spanner. Before that I was keeping it a bit loose, thinking I might need to take it out some time in future and it might get jammed. Turns out, this has to be really tight against the rim. Look at the raised edges of the base of the valve. That creates a space between the valve base and the rim. If you don't tighten the screw the pressure in the tube pushes the air out through the valve. These are very very old systems and have probably survived only in the Third World.

Earlier in the day, the tyre levers had arrived but much to my disappointment I found they were totally different from what was promised. Just a pair of cheap rusty screwdrivers. I did the job with them but am definitely going to return them. Learnt a lesson. Never buy anything that is not Amazon fulfilled.

Wednesday 25th July, 2018

Chain Tensioners

Although I didn't write about it, I fitted the tyre back to the bicycle on Monday night itself. However, I didn't quite like the fit. The chain is a bit lose. I should have pulled the wheel back a bit and adjusted the chain tensioner. That part of the bike is so old and jammed that the screw had to be tightened and loosened using a spanner. Somehow managed to put everything back on but as I said it didn't quite fit properly.

On Tuesday, I went to Bipul Cycles and bought a pair of chain tensioners. It cost me a royal sum of Rs 30 for the pair. On Amazon there is some joker who sells it for Rs 180 plus Rs 60 for courier. The guy at the shop told me an interesting thing. Keep the bulging side on the outside. The ring kind of thing that sits on top of the screw is not welded to the middle of the screw. It is on one side of the screw. That side should be on the interior part of the bike. The side that is bulging out should be on the exterior part. I don't know if this is clear to someone who has not seen the tensioner closely. Incidentally, in the shop I didn't ask them to give me a pair of chain tensioners. I was more than certain that they had some local name for it. So I showed it to them fitted on a cycle. They said it's called a "chain chabi". Chabi means key. Some call it chain adjuster also, he said.

What I have In My Saddle Bag

Cycliste Saddlebag

I think I have finally come to a stage where I can say my saddle bag is complete with all the necessary spares and tools needed for a reasonable road trip. I have the following items in the small bag.

Two spare tubes (because I have them and I know how it feels to get a puncture on the road)
A Crankbrothers 19 multitool (it can do everything except take the pedal off)
Park Tool tyre lever set of three (to take the tyre off the rim)
A Presta to Schrader converter (in case I need to pump up some serious pressure from a repair shop)
USB cable for headlight (not really needed for routine rides but it's a safe place for it)
Two KMC Missing Links 9R for 9 speed chains (in case the chain snaps)
Topeak pressure gauge (back pocket - for measuring tyre pressure)
Park Tool mini pump (strapped on the frame)

My saddle bag Cycliste is not large enough for the Topeak pressure gauge. The back pocket of my cycling jersey is more suitable for it. If I went on an overnight trip, I would probably carry a long nose kind of pliers and the Ice Toolz puncture repair kit.

A small disclaimer. I forgot to include the KMC Missing Links in my photography (look right). Because they were not in the bag. They are still on my shelf, waiting to be put inside the bag and that's why I missed photographing them. Just goes to show how one has to be doubly sure that one has taken everything before a ride. Forgetting something is very easy.

Here is an index of the picture to the right (you have to expand the image to see the number written on each item in red).

Contents of the Bag

1. Cycliste bag from ViaTerra
2. Park Tool mini hand pump
3. Maxxis tube
4. Park Tool tyre lever set
5. Charging cable for headlight
6. Presta to Schrader converter
7. Topeak Pressure Gauge
8. Schwalbe tube
9. Crankbrothers Multitool 19
10. Crankbrothers case
Missing link is missing.

I must also add that the Park Tool mini pump is not easy to take off the bike frame. It's strapped with a rubber band with a small tongue that you pull with your fingers to engage. But it's so tight and hard that I had to use a screw driver to prise it open. I wonder who is going to supply me with that on the road. I tried with the multi tool. Didn't work. It is possible that the hardness of the band might loosen up a bit (like the cap of the Crankbrother multi tool has) with use but one does not take it off every day.

A small explanation as to why I have two new spare tubes. Well, I had only one which I used up during the first road side repair. First thing I did after coming back home was to order a new one. After this, I fixed the punctured tube and put it back on. So the first new tube that I used up was taken out. Thus I have two spare tubes. If there is space no harm carrying both.

Chain Repair

A broken link

Ever since I became confident about my ability to fix punctures on the road (read about it here), I have been thinking about getting a grip over this problem of fixing broken chains as a next DIY thing to learn. A broken chain on a road trip can stop you and force you to walk to the nearest repair shop or home (whichever is nearer). I started watching a lot of chain fixing videos on youtube. What I learnt is this - you either carry a "missing link" in your saddle bag or you learn how to repair a chain for a temporary fix. Even if you carry a missing link, you must know how to break a broken link. I realised that I have a basic tool with me to break and repair a chain in the form of a Crankbrothers Multi Tool 19. So all I need is some practice. Breaking a link is also an important skill to learn. I do not want to do something on the road for the first time. It just does not work. Before starting to drive on my own, I learnt how to replace a flat tyre and put the spare wheel on. I did it several times at home and then one fine day I had to do it on the road and I was pretty much prepared for it. It was the same for puncture too. It has to be the same for chain repair too. I know a broken chain is a very remote kind of possibility. But no harm in learning a new thing. Baba would have approved of it.

This morning, I stopped near a cycle repair shop in Kalighat and bought for myself an old, rusty discarded chain. They charged me a royal Rs 30 for it, which is a good investment to make if one wants to learn how to break and repair a chain. Incidentally, if you are new to the subject - breaking a chain link is an important part of repairing it. 

First was the dirty job of cleaning the old chain. I don't think it has ever been cleaned during its long life, perhaps pulling a cycle rickshaw. I soaked it in kerosene for about four hours - brushed with an old toothbrush and then washed it in detergent water. Nothing much happened except that both the kerosene and the soap water turned opaque black. Finally, I used some IceToolz degreaser and the gunk somewhat went away. 

I managed to learn quite a few things about chain fixing. But before that let me explain a few things. A bicycle chain is a series of male and female links attached by pins - somewhat like a rivet. In the picture above (on the green table cloth) you can see one male with two females attached to either side. The male remains outside and the females remain inside, so to speak.

Usually it is the male part that breaks under stress. When that happens you have half of a broken male link on either end of the snapped chain attached by two pins. You break those two pins which keep the broken bits attached to the females. Now, you have one less male link. You take out the spare "missing link" from your saddle bag and attach it to the two females. It is a relatively easy thing to do. I don't have a missing link. But if I had it, it should not be much of a problem.

In case you don't have a missing link with you there is a way out. It is not a permanent fix but enough to take you home pedalling. On one side you break the male along with a female but you take care not to push the connecting pin entirely out of the link. On the other side just break the broken male part out. So now you have a blank female on one end and a half open male on the other end with the pin attached to one side (see the picture to the left). What you need to do is connect the female with this male, align the holes and the pin in one line and push the half taken out pin in. What I learnt is that the Crankbrothers tool is not capable of doing this last part. At least not on this chain that I was experimenting with. Because the part of the pin that is protruding out is a micron longer than there is space on the tool. This point will not be clear without a video or without you actually trying to do it. To do this one would perhaps need a dedicated chain breaking tool. Even if you carry a chain breaking tool and can do the job, the chain that you get will be one link shorter. There is yet another option. Carry a portion of the chain in your saddle bag and cut out a part of it and put it in your broken chain. But my cycle has the OE chain and I do not have any spare length of chain. Might as well carry a new replacement chain with a link.

I think the easiest thing to do is to carry a few spare missing links. I am yet to buy them but I will. If you are novice and reading this, please remember one thing - these days there are different types of chains with different sizes. You have to know the type of chain you have and carry the missing link that will fit your size of chain. The chain size depends on the gear speed of your cycle. There is a yet different type of chain called half links. They are totally different and used in BMX cycles. They don't have male and female links. 

What all did I learn today ?

Aligning the tool is critical

1. Aligning the chain breaking tool's piston with the pin to break it is critically important. It is not easy to do this precise alignment. It will take some time and practice to do it like an expert. There are two teeth or cogs on the unit (which also double up as spoke tightening wrenches). You have to position the link in such a way that the holes are engaged on the cogs or teeth (if you look at the accompanying picture carefully you can see it). If the alignment is not right nothing will move - certainly not the pin. 

2. Pushing the pin out to break a link is a little tough in the beginning but then a cakewalk. It gets slightly tough again when it is about to move out of the link. If you want to reuse the pin you have to learn where to stop. If you over push it then you are jacked. Don't expect it can be pushed back a little to compensate for your over pushing. It cannot be. Take my word for it.

3. Pushing a hanging pin back in from the other side using the Crankbrothers multi tool is perhaps not possible. Because the pin length (that is sticking out) is more than there is space to accommodate it. At least this experimental chain that I had was too large. I don't know if my real chain on my Merida has smaller linking pins. It's a matter of a few microns perhaps. But in precision engineered products like chain links and Crankbrothers Multi Tool, such microns make a hell of a lot of difference. 

4. If you push a pin even a fraction of a millimetre in, the link will get stiff. It is possible that this happened with me because I was using a very old chain. But I wouldn't take chances with my real chain. 

5. Cleaning a dirty chain off the bike is not easy. Handling the chain itself is quite difficult as it is totally inflexible when it comes to sideways movement. And kerosene does not work too well at all. Using a  good quality degreaser is far better, quick and effective. Unless you have used a degreaser you don't know how bad and useless and dirty and stinky kerosene is. 

Further Learnings on July 3, 2018

After wasting an entire evening watching a boring world cup match between Sweden and Switzerland I decided to destress myself by once again taking up the old chain and see if it is possible to repair the link with my multi-tool. What I learnt is that yes, it is possible. So I stand corrected. The Crankbrothers 19 multitool is quite capable of repairing a chain by half breaking it.

I had, a few days ago, sprayed the old chain liberally with WD 40. Today I half broke a link - pushing the pin just a bit out and then wriggled the male out. After this I rejoined it. It worked more or less smoothly. As shown on youtube channels. Therefore I can do it. Yaaaaaay.

Two things worked in my favour. A little experience. I think last time I had pushed the pin too far out. This time I pushed it a little less. One has to learn from experience by looking at the pushed out pin and decide. Also with liberal WD40 the pin was much smoother to come out and go back in. After the repair the link seemed a little tight. Exactly as shown on youtube. I pulled it back and forth and it became flexible again.

Doing this at home is one thing and doing it on the street, with the chain on the bike is quite another. But at least I have some practice, albeit at home. Something is better than nothing. But one has to remember that this is a temporary, emergency fix. The particular link that is repaired becomes a weak link. The chain must be replaced immediately after the road side emergency is over.