Chains ain't chains

stirk

stirk

Burner
With all this talk of swapping chains I thought to myself I only have the one chain, if it gets munted I'll be off the trails on my good bike until I purchase a new one.

So I start looking up some chains I probably should buy as a back up and holy fek what a selection!!

I've kind of narrowed it down to a short list but they all have apparent benefits over others just to confuse you or make you drink the kool.


Throw me some preferences/experiences/others. Thanks in advance :)


My short list.

Shimano HG-X MTB
Dyna-sys compatible - directional design blah blah


KMC X10-93 10 speed
Stretch proof, (yeah right!) non directional blah blah


KMC X10 Vivid
X-Bridge system provides smoother pricise gear shifts blah blah
 
Art Vanderlay

Art Vanderlay

Hourly daily
Been running KMC X10EL chains for years on road and mountain bikes. No probs, highly recommend.

Edit: Shifts great on both shimano and sram set-ups
 
redbruce

redbruce

Eats Squid
stirk said:
With all this talk of swapping chains I thought to myself I only have the one chain, if it gets munted I'll be off the trails on my good bike until I purchase a new one.

So I start looking up some chains I probably should buy as a back up and holy fek what a selection!!

I've kind of narrowed it down to a short list but they all have apparent benefits over others just to confuse you or make you drink the kool.


Throw me some preferences/experiences/others. Thanks in advance :)


My short list.

Shimano HG-X MTB
Dyna-sys compatible - directional design blah blah


KMC X10-93 10 speed
Stretch proof, (yeah right!) non directional blah blah


KMC X10 Vivid
X-Bridge system provides smoother pricise gear shifts blah blah
Click to expand...
All are reportedly good, it's just that one (Shimano HG-X, XT) is 60% of the cost of the Vid and less than the X10-93.

Haven't tried the latter two yet in 10sp but XT has given me great (performance/$) service in 9 sp.

Also had interest piqued by said thread, and deferring to type, am planning a three (chains) by three (brands) experiment to examine the merits (or otherwise) of cycling versus sequential, and brand/model, with those above, no wait one will be the bling SL gold version, one the infamous Wipperman and the trusty Shimano (HG-X, I assume XT) with next major drivetrain refurb.
 
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redbruce

redbruce

Eats Squid
Live2DieTrying said:
SRAM and KMC chains include a quick link, shimano does not...
Click to expand...
BBB one works fine. That's what I will be using for experiment with Shimano, which admittedly does put total price point at X10-93 level. Not an issue for sequential users though.
 
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S

SummitFever

Eats Squid
I've been using the KMC X10SL chains on 9 speed and 10 speed setups for the last 5+ years and they last along time (between 2500-4000km riding in all conditions). They are around $35-40 off fleabay. Before that I used $20 SRAM and Shimano chains and would be lucky to get 1000km out of them. The more expensive Shimano/SRAM chains might be better, but the KMC's were cheaper in the long run and a small weight savings as well. The lack of a quick link on Shimano chains is really sucky.
 
pink poodle

pink poodle

気が狂っている男
If you dont get hollow pins, you're carrying too much extra weight.

I have been running the kmc x chains for years. I am a sucker for the gold! It looks great. They work really well and last a long time. Also (as already mentioned) they come with anquick link. Shimano need to join us in 1997.
 
B

bikeyoulongtime

Likes Dirt
...another punter pretty happy with KMC X chains. Work even on SRAM X01/force CX setups!

Pretty solid units, not stretch *proof* but pretty hard wearing, Quick links are ace.
 
The Duckmeister

The Duckmeister

Has a juicy midrange
Just to further confuse the situation, which level of Shimano chain are you looking at? There are at least two, possibly three levels in circulation (there were seven, four levels at any one time, plus an evolution of XTR, XT and SLX levels, but XTR [M980/981] was discontinued with the advent of 11-sp.). Link profiling (thus shifting performance) is the same between levels, but surface coatings differ, which does affect durability.
 
pharmaboy

pharmaboy

Eats Squid
The Duckmeister said:
Just to further confuse the situation, which level of Shimano chain are you looking at? There are at least two, possibly three levels in circulation (there were seven, four levels at any one time, plus an evolution of XTR, XT and SLX levels, but XTR [M980/981] was discontinued with the advent of 11-sp.). Link profiling (thus shifting performance) is the same between levels, but surface coatings differ, which does affect durability.
Click to expand...
Surface coatings only effect rust. pin bushing wear, not so much, so a top level shimano chain should look blingier when it's rooted than a bottom level.

Not that there's anything wrong with shiny......
 
The Duckmeister

The Duckmeister

Has a juicy midrange
I have found the improved coatings keep the surfaces smoother longer, which translates to better wear. I've had XTR chains (sadly no longer available in 10-sp.) last noticeably longer than XT (HG94/95) and SLX (HG74).
 
Flow-Rider

Flow-Rider

Burner
pharmaboy said:
Surface coatings only effect rust. pin bushing wear, not so much, so a top level shimano chain should look blingier when it's rooted than a bottom level.

Not that there's anything wrong with shiny......
Click to expand...
The cheap Shimano Deore chains rust really bad to the point that they seize if you leave them wet for over a week after riding. The rust also ends up into the pin area and it gets grindy. With the xt chains you just seem to get some minor corrosion on the rollers and it's easily cleaned and away you go again.
 
C

ChrisJC

Likes Bikes and Dirt
The KMC X10 are pretty good value and seem to last OK. I get a lot of sand and dust where I ride so I have 3 chains circulating which I switch every 5-7 rides.
 
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