anonymouse99

I hold the standard understading that the Silver Sram Powerlink should work with Shimano IG chains. I can testify to that, too, as I have a bike with an IG chain (either IG 71 or IG 90, don't remember) that has the silver powerlink and it works great. However, on a new bike with a new IG 31 chain, the powerlink will not close no matter what. Is there a difference in spec between the Shimano IG chains that I don't know about. I figured all IG chains would be the same spec. What's going on? Was my chain made slightly out of spec, with slightly fatter inner-plates? Too bad sydney's not around for this one. Thanks.

MudPie

There was a recent discussion (earlier this year) of some Shimano chains being a little too thick to accomodate the Powerlink. I forgot the outcome of the discussion.

You can also email SRAM and get their version of the story. Shimano will probably tell you to only use Shimano parts.

HillRider

SRAM is even more doctrinaire that their Powerlink should be used ONLY with their chains.

Matt Gaunt

Hardly surprising though, to be fair. You can't imagine two rivals plugging each others' products in any sort of free market economy, really. The IG31 chain is new, therefore I reckon Shimano have got wise to the powerlink idea and somehow managed to make them incompatible without any mention.

Just a theory...

MudPie

You are 100% correct. SRAM goes as far as predicting use of non-SRAM chain, "WILL result in chain failure." They emphasize the "WILL". The don't say "MAY", or "CAN".

So hypothetically, if do use a Shimano chain with the Powerlink and chain failure does not occur, can you sue SRAM for misleading advertisement?

af895

I remember the discussion about this; the term "muppet" and "carpet smoker" came up.
(searches...)
Here it is: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ight=powerlink

sheba

I have been using powerlinks on Shimano chains for years now without any chain failures.
And yes, I once did try to put a silver powerlink on an IG chain only to find that it wouldn't fit. I fixed the problem by using a chain tool to push the pins just a hair farther out on the powerlinks. True, it may have weakened the powerlink slightly, but this chain has not failed after a year of heavy use.

mactheknife68

SRAM also says the Powerlink is not reusable, like Shimano's connecting pin. Maybe a new Plink will do it for you though if you have a chain tool installing a Pin is just as easy...and cheaper

MudPie

LOL

af895

For the muppets who won't read the linked thread, I'll quote Sydney.


I personally have a bike with an 8-speed drivetrain using a Shimano IG-51 "narrow" chain (7.1mm) and a silver SRAM PowerLink. I've successfully put 1,000km on this bike with no failures of the link. It gets removed weekly to soak the chain in a can of Varsol.

KMC's "missing link" is non-reusable, however, others here on the forum have found that grinding down a ridge on the KMC will make it reusable. Or you could just buy a Powerlink.

Stop smoking carpet people. (he says firmly tongue in cheek)

mactheknife68

Ignore my previous. When I read the opener I was picturing a Missing link. MEA CULPA big time

anonymouse99

I did a side-by-side somparison of the inner plate widths of both IG-31 and IG-51 chains and they look identical. I tested the new power link on the IG-51 chain on my other bike. It works fine, just as the powerlink that had already been on there. On the new IG-31 chain, it definately won't work. I tried pulling hard as heck to make in snap in, but no amount of screaming, yelling, and pulling was working. If it did, after all that, I would suspect there to be problems down the line, anyway. Therefore, I put the link back that I had removed in order install the powerlink.

I ultimately believe there are two possibilities: 1.) I messed-up the plate while removing the one link with my chain tool, such that it is no longer to spec, or 2.) the IG-31 chain is slightly different than the rest.

Thus, later I might try breaking the chain again in a different place and testing the link to see if it works there. If not then I have a solution to overcome IG-31 being slightly out of spec, but it will involve going in to the LBS on Tuesday when they reopen. Since the IG-51 links work, but those of the IG-31 don't, I could replace the corresponding link on each side of the master link with IG-51. (Hopefully the LBS will have two spare IG-51 links laying aroung they can give me at a nominal fee.)

...-31-31-31-51-PL-51-31-31-31-31-...

af895

tgarcia2: your LBS might even be more generous than that.
Mine was happy to go into the junk box and find a lightly-used (read: practically new) IG-51 chain from a wreck they handed over gratis.
I figure they don't see as much 8-speed gear these days with the popularity of 9/10-speed mechs so it's no biggie to give away something like that.

sheba

Actually, a powerlink is reusable; a Shimano connecting pin is not.

mactheknife68

Please read further for my correction, Sheba...I smelled my own brain fart.

anonymouse99

Update: I never bothered adding "compatible" links to the ends of the IG-31 as mentioned above to make it compatible with the powerlink, since I called my LBS and they said they never hold on to spare links.

However, I recently acquired a new Trek SU200, this time with a Shimano IG-51 chain. I popped out two rivets to try the Silver 8 speed powerlink with it, and it too would not work. I noticed that with the one shimano chain that I was successful at getting the Silver 8 speed SRAM powerlink to work with, the inner plates were silver, and these two chains in which the powerlink will not work, the inner-plates are black. I suspect that the spec on the Shimano chains with the black inner plates is slightly different than the equivalent Shimano counterparts with silver inner plates. Having silver inner plates may be the key to Shimano chains being compatible with Silver 8 speed SRAM powerlinks.

I tried pushing the rivets just a hair farther out in this instance. However, the rivets did not budge at first and then with continued pressure it shot out of the hole all at once. Therefore, the powerlink rivets must be welded in place. By pushing in on it I snapped the weld. I was able to reinsert that rivet in the hole and push it back in the rest of the way with the chain tool, however I'll only be keeping this powerlink in my goodie-bag for extreme emergencies.

On this more recent IG-51 chain that I could not install a powerlink on, I replaced the two rivets I popped out with two the Shimano replacement rivets. However, I'm a little upset that I can no longer take my chains off to clean them like I did before on my previous bike, unless I go out and buy a SRAM chain. I certainly won't bother getting another Shimano chain since their chains are not apparently compatible with SRAM powerlinks in all instances. Indeed, I believe this must have been one of the companies' intentions in this resulting incompatibility, to require one to stick with only their brand of chain/link.