jbucky1

Just replaced mine with a shimano cn 701, better shifting and nicer sound! thank goodnesss.... and dropped some knowledge here

https://buckyrides.com/chain-life-the-lies-the-truth/

philbob57

I'm sorry to say this, but it looks more like opinion than knowledge. I hesitated to post this this, but too often people push their opinions as facts. As a society, we really need to distinguish between fact an opinion. That's an opinion that may actually be a fact.

Geezerdan

So how does a rookie know what to look for...what to avoid?

Flip Flop Rider

you use quick connect link?

Geezerdan

The existing chain is not quick connect, haven't removed it yet, waiting for chain tool, would like to have new chain be quick connect.

dedhed

Price, availability, ease of use, and correct for your drivetrain. Pretty much any mid range chain from KMX, Sram, Shimano, Wipperman will give adequate service to the average user, especially if maintained regularly.

shelbyfv

You can use a link even if the chain didn't come with one, they are sold separately as well as with chains. Folks often used KMC and SRAM links with Shimano chains, for example.

Metieval

I had forgotten how Crappy SRAM chains are. I bought a used bike with SRAM, I then bought a new SRAM cassette and chain.


Oh how I wished I had just swapped it to Shimano 1x!!!!

bonsai171

Can you substitute a shimano chain for sram?

Dave

Koyote

If your drivetrain performance improved so much after putting on a new chain, then you waited too long to do it.

Metieval

run a shimano chain on Sram stuff?

id rather just convert the entire bike. or I could just steal the XT 1x10 from my hybrid.

Metieval

Or the SRAM lovers just don't know what good is. which is the point I was making. Even my old worn out shimano XT is better than the new SRAM stuff.

I have XT on 2 bikes, my road bike is di2. the new to me mtb is SRAM and I hate it, even with new SRAM components.

My previous road bike was shipped with KMC, I swapped it for a shimano and the Shimano chain over the KMC was a huge change for the better.

Shimano is smooth , and quiet in my experience.

RiceAWay

1. You cannot clean a chain on the bike. Even that Park Tool cleaner while better than trying most other on-bike cleaning methods still doesn't properly clean the chain unless you change the cleaning fluid about a dozen times which is expensive and wastes a lot of time and effort.
2. If you go to an auto supply store they have a very heavy duty degreaser which is sort of like a Super Soap. It is in purple plastic gallon bottle and is pretty cheap.. I'd give you the name of this stuff but the label washed off long ago.
3. Mix this stuff between 50:50 to 3/4 water and put the entire chain in and let it sit for an hour or so.
4. You have to rinse the heck out of this because with that soap around lubrication won't stick to the chain. I also suggest you wear gloves since this soap is so strong it can mess up your fingernails and dry your skin.
5. By far the best lubricant is regular wax. But it is difficult to apply - Get a pan specifically for this project; place it in a pan of boiling water (double boiler) with some canning wax or just candles cut up a bit. Put the chain in a warm oven and allow it to get warm - still able to handle but just. After the wax is fully liquid put the warm chain into it and let this sit in the melted wax in the double boiler for at least a half hour so that the chain and the wax are the same temperature. Shake it a bit now and then. And since the wax has a high viscosity give it plenty of time to work into the rollers of the chain. When you remove the chain from the wax allow the excess to drain back into your special waxing pot. If you have not given it enough time the chain won't be warm enough and the wax will solidify between the links. No harm but it means that there was insufficient time for the wax to penetrate the links.
6. Have the tools to remove the cogset and clean that as well. Clean the crank rings as well.
7. This will usually last about 250 miles before it should be redone to maintain maximum chain life.

In wet weather be absolutely certain not to leave a wet dirty chain on the bike without a thorough washing with dish detergent and warm water. In wet weather wax doesn't last long and if you cannot take this sort of time to treat the chain, washing and rinse the chain again with normal dishwashing detergent and use Rock and Road. This is a very good lubricant if applied as the label tells you. But it is expensive as hell. And in general you should wait a half hour for the carrier to evaporate so that it doesn't just flush off.

I've found that most of the chains wear at the same rate except for Connex which has about double the life of the others. It isn't a light chain because it doesn't cut slots in the sides. But it is cheaper than a Campy chain which says something.

RiceAWay

I think you sure must be sensitive. But then again I'm damn near deaf not.

Metieval

I'd describe it as in tune.

Koyote

When do you find time to ride?

'02 nrs

add rear derailleur jockey wheels.

jbucky1

I use quick connects all the time, many people make them, SRAM, Shimano, KMC and Wipperman. Newer chains often come with quick connects to join them instead of the snap pin.

burnthesheep

1. Remove chain
2. Park tool chain cleaner and Simple Green
3. Ultrasonic cleaner 50:50 Simple Green with hot hot temperature.
4. Repeat step 3 with water.
5. Dry
6. Slow cooker wax job.
7. Win
8. Win and take pics of your gold chain

Save $100 over a pre done super waxed chain in a box.

Whatever. Just toss wet lube on for the thousandth ride then get **** on your calf and smear junk on the door jambs in the house from your nasty neglected drivetrain. Sounds great!

VegasTriker

Yes, you can use any brand of chain with any brand of drive train components as long as you match the number of cogs on the cassette in the rear with the "speed" of the chain. My recumbent trike uses 2.7, 116 link, 10 speed chains. It came from the builder with a KMC chain and SRAM derailleurs and cassette. They are completely compatible. I'd also never again buy a chain without a master link. You can buy a link opener for around $10 that makes removing the master link a 30 second task instead of horsing around with a dirty chain trying to remove it for cleaning. Wipperman chains are a little rich for my blood. I can buy three KMC X10 chains for under $60 from a bulk chain seller and have them leave it in one length. Three Wipperman Connex 10 speed chains would cost me around $150 to $300 depending upon whether it is plated steel or stainless steel. As far as which chain works best, remember that going from an old worn chain to ANY brand of new chain is going to seem like an improvement.

jbucky1

You can interchangeably use SRAM, KMC or Shimano chains as long as you are swapping speed like for speed like ie 10 for 10, 11 for 11 etc.
I personally find SRAM chains to be noisy on a Shimano based drivetrain so I stay away from them.

BlazingPedals

I tend to stay away from Shimano chains only because I like having a quick connect instead of a one-use pin. Otherwise, they all work equally well for me. I have SRAM and I have Shimano drivetrains and I've never noticed a difference between chains. You need a chain tool even with a quick-link, because you still have to break the chain to the correct length.

Drew Eckhardt 

Apart from the Shimano TL-CN42, chain checkers include roller wear which doesn't impact life.

You're better off using a $1 ruler and measuring between pins which should be 11" apart. Replace at 1/16" (0.5%) unless shifting to your big ring has degraded unacceptably from increased flexibility due to side plate wear.

2000 miles is about 2X too often running a chain with harder pins and plates like Campagnolo.

Drew Eckhardt 

KMC sells missing links for other chain brands.

I buy a $13 card of six every few years to go with my Campagnolo chains (10CR).

Pin and plate hardness varies between brands, and more or less can double or halve chain life. Pick a chain brand for life and silence, and use a separate master link if your chosen brands comes with single use pins for joining the ends.

Drew Eckhardt 

Riding on the road you don't need to clean chains beyond wiping off excess lubricant so it doesn't drip.

I get 4500 miles out of C10 chains doing that with 1/32" of elongation or less, at which point I replace them because shifts onto my big ring are starting to degrade perceptibly from increased flexibility due to side plate wear. I have over 25,000 miles on my current cassette because cassette wear results primarily from pitch change due to inner plate hole and pin wear which is nearly absent as indicated by the length change.

Conversely, you'll never achieve the same lubricant penetration as the factory hot grease bath. Cleaning chains with solvents often reduces life.

Wax is a horrible lubricant. It fails suddenly producing squeaks, not gradually where your chain goes through an increased mechanical noise phase.

Campagnolo plates and pins are harder and longer lasting.

I paid $25.02 each for my last order of 10 speed Campagnolo chains from Ribble, plus $2.20 each for matching KMC 10CR missing links.

While not Walmart cheap, $0.006 per mile still rounds to free for practical purposes.