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Tell me about the bike chain thing.


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I've heard this is the cool new way to attach your pedals to your board -

can someone explain it to me? I hate velcro, and some folks have said that zipties are not perfectly suited for the new Pedaltrain 2 I ordered. Is Bike chain the answer for me?

 

Please explain to me the details of this pedal-securing method.

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just place the link between the the screw and the hole on the underside of the pedal then secure another screw into your board. Pretty simple in concept and works great. Im quite the fan

 

131_5638.jpg

 

A board i had at one point, woulda been better if i had had cables like george L's or something

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I seriously thought this was a joke but I googled it and it looks like you just go to the store and get individual bike chain links and use them to screw your pedals down. You place one end on the corner screw of the pedal and another you screw into the board.

 

This is the best picture I could find:

1420829269_86924c8ff5.jpg

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i've done it to my entire board. hard to get it just right with certain pedals, as they either don't have screws close enough to the edge or they simply don't have screws. hammond enclosures, boss, ibanez and most mass market are easy...some aren't.

 

i recommend it to everyone who have at least a somewhat consistent signal chain.

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I use it.

 

Notes:

Does NOT work with digitech pedals (x-series size like the digidelay, synth wah, etc) because they use weird allen key screws that are deeply recessed into their shafts.

 

With wahs, you usually have to get all 4 screws, and take off the rubber feet. YMMV

 

Boss, Ibanez, MXR, and most boutique (hammond) pedals work great.

 

Behringer mini pedals have bottom screws on one end, and side-mounted screws on the other, meaning to get a secure fastening you have to use a bent bike-chain link or velcro.

 

Overall, it makes your board very sturdy (I was quite comfortable holding mine upside down) but you have to make sure the wiring's the way you want it before you fix your pedals down, because it takes a lot longer than velcro to fix a mistake.

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2 links was enough to hold down my Wah (weeping demon).


Actually, since I paid a bit more via Ebay, I only use 2 links per pedal. It's still very sturdy, and making adjustments is easier.

 

 

The ibanez is probably put together differently from other wahs. Although, right now I'm holding down my budda which is basically the crybaby enclosure, using only two screws, but I have the 2 pads on the other 2 screws to kind of counterbalance it.

 

I made the links myself, didn't buy them from ebay. All you need is a chain tool and some extra #35 bike chain lying around. If you're not in to biking, though, it might not be worth it to get the chain tool.

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just place the link between the the screw and the hole on the underside of the pedal then secure another screw into your board. Pretty simple in concept and works great. Im quite the fan


131_5638.jpg

A board i had at one point, woulda been better if i had had cables like george L's or something

 

:love:

 

Brilliant!

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I ditched velcro because it's not as sturdy, it leaves crap on the pedals, and sometimes it rips off the pedal or the board when I try to move or remove a pedal.

 

 

Yeah I've had troubles with velcro, the hooks and loops always stick, but the glue; not so much. I got the industrial strength stuff, but it became useless when I left my pedalboard in my cold car overnight. Someone will probably say that's not good for the pedals, but I don't feel like loading up my car at 5:45 AM, so I do it the night before when I have to.

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Yeah I've had troubles with velcro, the hooks and loops always stick, but the glue; not so much. I got the industrial strength stuff, but it became useless when I left my pedalboard in my cold car overnight. Someone will probably say that's not good for the pedals, but I don't feel like loading up my car at 5:45 AM, so I do it the night before when I have to.

 

 

That's the problem with industrial strength velcro. It is REALLY TOUGH on the velcro side, but the adhesive wears down over time, and then, bam, you just tore up a strip of velcro with that pedal you were trying to take off, and now you have to buy more or reglue it.

 

And as for the cold... the components are generally made to withstand temperatures down to -10 or something, so as long as you're not out in the tundra, I doubt it will do any harm.

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Very cool idea but it only seems good if you're set on the pedals you have, I'm usually moving things around and buying/ selling pedals so if I did that I'd have a board with tons of holes everywhere.

 

 

That's my situation. Fortunately, mine are screwed into plywood so it's not that big a deal.

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