You’d think after 4 years of bike commuting, I’d have seen every bike malfunction possible.  But today on the way in to work, my chain snapped.  That was a first.  As Murphy’s Law would dictate, it happened while I was crossing an intersection in traffic, going uphill, trying to make a left turn.  At first I thought the chain had just fallen off the small chainring, but upon stopping, I found that one of the links had broken in half.  Only one side of the link broke, and the other side was a little bent from being pulled apart, so I’m wondering if it actually broke earlier, held together for awhile, and just decided to pull apart the first time I pedaled hard on it.  I’ll never know.  Fortunately, the multi-tool I carry with me includes a chain tool, so I was able to take out the bad link, put the chain back together, and ride the rest of the way to work.  The bike doesn’t shift as well with the shortened chain, though.  I’ll be hitting the bike shop soon, hopefully tonight, to pick up a new chain.  The funny thing is, earlier in the ride, I was thinking about how it was about time to replace the chain anyhow.  It had over 1000 miles on it and had started to stretch out a bit.  Well, I guess today kind of seals that deal.