Skip Tooth Chain

1935 Girls Elgin Bike With Skip Tooth Chain

1935 Girls Elgin Bike With Skip Tooth Chain


Many vintage bicycles collectors are looking for information about Skip Tooth Chains. Common questions are if they were any better, or were they just a natural progression in the history of bicycles? Why don’t they still make them? Are they harder to find parts for? And what are they anyway?

What Are Skip Tooth Chains?

The difference between a standard, modern chain, and a skip tooth chain is in the link/cog spacing. While normal bike chain has a 1/2 inch pitch, skip tooth chain has (or had) a 1 inch pitch. To be more exact, it is not the spacing between the chain links, but it is the space in the cog spacing. The image on the left illustrates it perfectly.

Skip Tooth Chain

In the good old days, the blockchain was simple and easy to manufacture. A metal block with two holes onto which side plates were riveted, creating a link. The spacing of this chain was a 1-inch pitch. However, the blockchain tended to wear out rather quickly. Then came a better idea: roller chain constructed of hardened rollers sandwiched between metal plates and riveted together. It was more durable and less noisy than blockchain.

The 1-inch pitch standard had already been established by blockchain. 1-inch pitch roller chain (what we are calling the Skip Tooth chain) is the same spacing as the earlier blockchain.

Later in the 1910s, a few bicycles started to adopt a different standard, 1/2 inch pitch. 1/2 inch pitch chain ran quieter than both blockchain and 1-inch pitch roller chain. Both standards 1/2 inch pitch and 1-inch pitch continued side by side until the 1950s were 1-inch pitch started to be phased out like “charlie chain-drive” mentioned. Both 1-inch pitch and 1/2 inch pitch roller chains were durable; however, 1/2 inch pitch chain is quieter and works better for derailleur systems. 1-inch pitch chain was simply a carryover from the blockchain 1 inch pitch standard established and used primarily in the 1890’s.

Another reason why bicycle manufacturers don’t make skip tooth chains anymore is because they were hard to tighten on the bikes. So, the natural evolution of bikes phased skip tooth chains out after a while.


Finding Skip Tooth Chains

While skip tooth chains are quite hard to find, vintage bikes that have skip tooth chains are easier to find. You are invited to take a look on Dave Brown’s 1935 Girls Elgin restoration project, here.

1935 Girls Elgin Bike With Skip Tooth Chain
1935 Girls Elgin With Skip Tooth Chain and Cog


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