Baby Puke

Review: So far digging this KMC 710SL. It's noticeably quieter than the Japanese chains I've been using.

carleton

Yeah, that's been my experience, too over the years.

Also, it has "drop buster" system where it tries to prevent the chain from dropping off the chainring. Make sure that the chain is mounted this way:



Notice the cut-out in the plates.

On a related note, the Australians were using them back in 2009 or so:

Baby Puke

Haha, I took those photos of the Aussie bike, Carleton! Nice to know some elites have been using them.

carleton

Hahahah! really? Wow! The internet has come full-circle.

I remember when those were posted to FGF. I didn't realize it was you that posted them.

Baby Puke

Yep, that was an international invitational race in Tokyo, Anna Meares and Dan Ellis were brought over from Australia, there were national teams from Taiwain and Hong Kong, and several domestic pros (pro keirin guys) were entered. Fun scene. The race was at a pro keirin track, and those machines in the background are betting terminals.

Quinn8it

I thought someone had their bike in the Laundry Room of their apartment complex

Baby Puke

Ha, yeah, they didn't let us use the track's "back stage" area where the pro's usually warm up on rollers and have chill-out rooms. Instead everyone was set up in the area where drunk punters are usually staggering around.

carleton

I seriously thought that.

carleton

OK. I think it's safe to add the KMC 410H to the list of beefy track chains. I believe "H" means heavy duty.

I just bought one for my spin bike (I plan on doing standing starts with it). It literally took 2 hours to break it. I broke one of my 2 chain tools in the process. The plates are beefy just like the K710/K710SL but are shaped like a normal chain.

My calipers show the plates to be thicker than my Izumi ECO and Izumi V Supertoughness chains.

$12 on Amazon: Amazon.com : KMC #410H-NP Bicycle Chain (Silver, 1/2 x 1/8 - Inch, 98 Links) : Bike Chains : Sports & Outdoors

410H » KMC Chain

I'll report back on how noisy it is.

This chain was about $10 less than the K710 at my local shop.

TurtleRacer

2 hours!? That must be some kind of record It took me 1 hour to break my K710 (slowest part of building my bike).

How does the "drop buster" work? I don't see how it would prevent chain drops any more than a normal chain. I just thought those cutouts were to make the chain look good...

carleton

I'm not sure. It may be marketing hype.

dunderhi

What chain tools are you using? Is either designed for 1/8" chain? I broke a pin on my Park Master chain tool setting up my Izumi toughness, do to a poor fit on the thick chain. This fall I bought the Pedros Tutto multi-chain tool which has a specific setting for 1/8" in chains. I haven't used the Pedros tool yet on a track chain, but I will for my next track bike build. Both of these tools have replacable pins and spare pins can be found online.

carleton

I was using a Park CT-5 to start...



It wasn't going very well because the plates were too thick to fit like this:



Then I tried the chain breaker from the Park IB-3 which actually gave me a decent grip on the pin:



...till the harness broke.

So I went back to the first tool and I had to take a file and file it down so that the thick plate could squeeze in there. I had to file and hammer the chain into place.

I need to buy a shop quality tool, but damn, they are like $40-90! I'll resize a chain like 1-2 times a year.

dunderhi

A $90 quality chain tool will last you for the next 30yrs - assuming they still have chains in 30yrs. I don't like to skimp on tools, I think their quality should match the bike's quality.

I know you guys don't like my flashy Cipollini, but who would argue that this doesn't have the makings a beautiful tool. I just needs a bit of color.

carleton

Yeah, I value nice tools, too. The things that I use the most are all shop quality:

- Hozan lockring pliers
- Park Chain Whip (with 3/32 chain replaced with 1/8")
- Craftsman ball-head allen wrenches
- Craftsman 15mm wrenches, one in the gear bag and one in the trunk (for easy loading/unloading of the bike without having to dig the wrench out of the bag)

I've had all of those since 2009 and the only thing that needs to be replaced are a few of the Craftsman allen wrenches which are starting to round-off on the edges. I *think* Sears will replace them out for free based on their lifetime warranty. Not sure. But, the set was $25 new. I may just buy a new set.

dunderhi

That looks like a decent set of tools. Have ever used an EAI cog tool? It's expensive, but I think it's worth the bucks.

I had a junior team coach visit me in my tent and while he was checking out my bike he laughed and said "a lock ring, no one uses lock rings anymore." I replied that I did and that's it's weight was insignificant when compared to it's potential value. A couple of weeks later, one of his juniors needed to remove a stuck cog. After a lot of frustration and two broken chain whips I visited their tent with my EAI tool. I tried with all of my strength to remove the cog, but it wouldn't budge. I was pretty much at the point of giving up when I noticed the 8mm hex opening at the end of the tool and realized that's for the cheater bar. I inserted an 8mm hex wrench and then there was sufficient torque to pop the cog right off. At the point that same coach asked where I got the tool and how much it cost. I answered his question and then I offered up that it also removed lockrings. He smiled and said "got it."

carleton

Ha! Great story.

I've used lockrings most of the time. I tried not using one once...during a sprint night. My opponent slammed on the "brakes" and tried to force me forward. I responded with a forceful back-pedal and spun the cog right off. We were going fairly slow, so no harm done. But, yeah, I did the re-ride (and every ride since) using a lockring.

taras0000

i'm surprised you got a re-ride. Not supposed to be one for a mechanical.

defspace

I've had a KMC 710sl on a bike I bought last June (or July?). It's already reading .75 on my Park Tool chain checker. I only use my track bike on race days. I live too far from the velodrome to justify training there. If I ride ~35 miles/race night and we race every week from April - Oct, that's under 1,000 miles for the chain.

This chain is younger than my 10s road bike chain, yet has worn out faster. What's going on? Is it possible I'm running my chain too tight, leading to premature wear?

Thoughts?

queerpunk

well, how tight do you have your chain?

defspace

How do I quantify this?

A tap on the chain with a wrench or finger (about as hard as you'd tap on your buddy's shoulder to get his attention) causes the chain to move about 1" without much resistance.

I don't sense any droop on the chain

queerpunk

The good news is, your chain isn't too tight.

700wheel

Perhaps the roller diameter on your track chain is smaller than that on your road chain (The ANSI specification only specifies a maximum diameter)

Suggest you try measuring some other chains on your next track visit.

ruudlaff

Resurrecting an old thread rather than creating a new one...

Ordered what I thought was a blingy standard Izumi track chain...got an Izumi Jet Black through. Not seen much comment on them here. Interested to know what folks thoughts are on them if they have any previous?

Not the Slowest

I have an Izumi Eco chain and wanted to know if I could use a KMC or similar quick connector link on the chain vs the standard pin so I could remove it and swap with another length chain.

Not sure Izumi sells a quick connector link, so thus my question.

thanks all