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The old chain was a Shimano 9 speed that I installed 18 months and about 5000 miles ago. It had stretched modestly and was full of winter cruft/grime. The new chain is a SRAM 9 speed, my first time using the gold snap ring system. I followed instructions and made sure I have the same link count as the chain that came off the bike.
1. Directional are only some high-end chains for example XTR. This can be determined by inspecting the chain. If it is blank on one side, but has company logos and chain number on the other, it is probably directional and the side with the writings need to be facing outword i.e. towards you while installing it.
17. The correct length of a chain is irrelevant at purchase since they all come at a set length. (Usually 114 1/2" links, sometimes 120 1/2" links). In special cases, like tandems and recumbents, you may need to join 2 chains to have enough length. Sizing a chain to length for a particular bike is a set process.
Chain size is specified by pitch and width. The pitch is the distance between rollers (1/2" on all modern bicycle chain). The width is nominally the width where the sprocket teeth fit in. Bicycle chain comes in four basic widths: 3/16" (.1875", 4.76 mm), used until the middle of the 20th century on many bicycles; this was inch-pitch chain.
You have to: pass hole through first pin. slide hole towards second pin. move the plate on top of the second pin. bend the chain inwards a bit so that the second pin will go into the hole. Removal is a bit easier, you can just bent inwards a bit and stick a screwdriver to pop off the second pin out of the hole.
1. You should check for chain stretch (see this question) and replace the chain if it has stretched too much, otherwise you might go over the handlebars like I did once. Don't worry, a new chain will get grimy from road dirt very quickly so that nobody will be able to tell that the chain is new. – rclocher3.
However, the two best guides I know of for preparing a chain for waxing both recommend manually agitating in a jar rather than using a cleaner. The general process is to give the chain many cycles in mineral spirits until they are completely clear after agitation. And then follow up with a methylated spirit/alcohol cycle to clean any residue.
Better use a specific Teflon based dry chain lubricant. If you want a "clean" lube, I prefer something that describes itself as "wax". There are various formulations that contain wax mixed with some fluid that evaporates after application. I do 20 kilometres a day, 7 days a week. After reading all the answers, I have decided to use regular drip ...
Failing to replace a worn chain results in more cluster wear, more chainring wear, and an increased risk of both shifting difficulty and thrown/broken chains. You will of course eventually need to replace your cluster and chainrings. My experience is that you need a new cluster about every five chains, and new chainrings about every two clusters.
Lubricating: First the new oil goes on, 1x drop per chain roller. After applying I let it sit for a couple minutes without turning the cranks to let the oil seep into the internals. Second I spend a few minutes slowly running the chain through a clean rag to remove most of the excess--maybe a couple-minutes worth.