Mr. Spadoni 

Last chain in my stock pile got used yesterday. Can’t find the KMC model that I used to prefer.

Any suggestions? I never run more that 8 speeds but usually it’s 6 or 7. I think indexing is a passing fad so performance with indexing is of no concern. Color? I can’t see it when I’m on the bike, so who cares? Price? Chains don’t last, so why pay more?

thanks

nlerner

SRAM8xx

rccardr 

Likewise. I particularly like the 870.

Jeff Neese

Shimano HG71

1989Pre 

Sachs PG. Seems pretty robust.

dddd

Another HG71 fan here, though I also get good, economical results using KMC X-series 8s chain.

The cheaper KMC Z-series chain also works well and has never let me down, but I have observed that this chain has a lot more link-to-link pitch variation when I measure using caliper's inside-measure probes centered on the rollers (and which could be as much about the rollers as the links/pins). In any case, I don't use this chain on my more-expensive or harder-to-find freewheels and chainrings, though again I've had no reliability problems and the shifting is quite good on chainrings and on Uniglide or Hyperglide freewheels.

For Suntour's 7s and narrow-spaced 6s freewheels, I prefer using 9s chain.

The HG71 chain derives from (is a reinforced version of) Shimano's earliest narrow chain, their "UG Narrow" model from the 1980's, and remains dimensionally identical to those originals.
I thus consider today's Shimano 7/8s chain to still be the world's first modern chain, a huge step forward from the innovative (compact and bushingless) Sedisport chain that preceded it by many years.

Roger M

Plus one on the SRAM 830/850/870 chains.

I usually buy an 850 when I am in a local REI. Cheap and always in stock.

Dfrost 

I get more significantly miles out of SRAM 870’s than my few experiences with KMC and Connex, using the same lube products and frequency.

Steel Charlie

Was Sedis until I used the last one I had stashed. KMC-X on everything now for me.

daka

+ 1 more on the SRAM 850. I've not tried an 870 but I find the plated finish on the 850 to be more corrosion resistant than that of the 830.

SwimmerMike 

I’ve settled on the SRAM 8 series also. Usually the 870 on keepers the lower versions for bikes that I’m not sure are going to stay.

Classtime 

Keepers get the HG71, bikes that get built and rebuilt get an 870.

3alarmer 

...they used to sell the KMC 8 X-plate series in bulk packages of five, on Amazon. I haven't bought any in a while.
I can't find that deal on Amazon any more, but Modern Bike still lists it on their website for $65. I guess the price of chains has gone up, like everything else.

Spaghetti Legs 

https://www.amazon.com/KMC-Z-72-7-8s.../dp/B001CN6QA2

According to Amazon I’ve bought this one 3 times. Used to be $11-12 but now $17. Comes with a master link, which I use on all my chains, regardless of modernity. That will set you back $3-4 if bought separately. I use the SRAM 8 speed chains as well and they’re fine.

P!N20

Wippermann-Connex 808 here.

Drillium Dude 

Sedisport - specifically black, because all vintage chains will eventually become black with extended use anyway. I recall buying them for around 7 bux at my LBS back in the early/mid-80s.

I have a couple/three Reginas that are nice, too - but IMHO nothing beats the bog-standard Sedisport when it comes to providing clean cog-swapping and a smooth, quiet drive train.

Bicycle Classics was selling bulk chain (cut to 116 links, with wonky plastic packaging) some years ago. I ordered and received eight, but now I wish I'd bought eighteen - or eighty!

DD

zedda

I remember those times, Regina's back then were considered the longest lasting chain available where I am, but when they stopped manufacturing them Sedis became a way to go. Lasting 70-80% what Regina would but significantly smoother as well, so I was glad when I switched. Good ole days...internet, what intenet? The guys from LBS' told you all you needed to know and it was no BS.

Drillium Dude 

Another enlightened soul! Virtual 'high five', @zedda

Also, IIRC, those Sedisport chains would set you back only $7.99 - and yeah, they lasted a good long time in addition to being silky-smooth and quiet. I still use them on my Regina FWs to this day. And those Reginas are made of some pretty stout metal, too; I've yet to wear out any of the cogs, but if I ever do, there are six or seven just waiting in the spares box patiently for their moment in the sun.

DD

El Chaba

I have a few (rambling) thoughts on the subject. Back in the era, Regina chains did last the longest and by a fair margin, IME. They were also laterally rigid which made them better suited for straight parallelogram rear derailleurs whose jockey pulley was often a greater distance from the cogs than that of a drop parallelogram design…or slant parallelogram design. This is a bit of a problem today for those derailleurs because everything that is available in current production is designed with lateral flexibility to accommodate modern indexing slant parallelogram designs. I think that the Wippermann chains may be the best of a bad lot, but only by a slight margin. The SRAM chains might be close behind. I hate to admit that anything from SRAM is decent, but the chains are the best products in their lineup. That is probably because they are produced on machinery that was originally owned and used by Sedis before being moved from France to Portugal. If you can find an NOS Regina chain for your friction setup with a straight parallelogram rear derailleur, you may be shocked by how much it improves the shifting. Slightly wider spacing ( normal six speed) also is better than the narrow spacing of narrow six or seven speed. An extra link or two in the chain length can also help as long as your setup can still maintain tension in the smallest-smallest cog combination that you will use. In the late 80s-early 90s one of the teams that I raced on was sponsored by Regina. We got CX and CXS freewheels and CX and CXS chains. To this day I think that the CXS was the best chain ever made for a narrow spaced freewheel in combination with a Campy Super Record derailleur. In addition to being laterally stiff, it had links with some sculpting to facilitate an earlier shift. The normal width CX chains were the longest lasting that I have ever encountered. Sadly, Regina left the bike market.

El Chaba

I share the view that the metal used for the cogs in Regina and also Maillard freewheels was hard wearing. I always thought that the freewheel bodies of Shimano Dura Ace and Sun Tour Winner freewheels were very smooth, but the cogs didn’t last nearly as long as Regina or Maillard. Of course the Maillard 700 freewheel bodies were quite smooth as well and VERY robust. When Regina ditched the ORO and introduced the CX and CXS, those bodies were very smooth as well. If you scan EBay for freewheels, Dura Ace freewheels are rare and Winner freewheels are very rare considering the numbers in which they were made. I would guess that is from them being discarded with worn cogs. One other note re longevity…If you use a Maillard 700 freewheel, all of the slide on/splined cogs can be reversed when worn which effectively doubles their life. That would mean the four largest cogs on a six speed freewheel. A Maillard 700 freewheel with a Sedisport chain was/is a magical combination that really has to be experienced. There is a certain feel that you get through the pedals when there is a good bit of tension on the chain that I have not experienced with any more modern combination.

plonz 

I like the KMC 8.99 when I want a full nickel plated 6-8 spd chain. Still available on Amazon around $22.

Drillium Dude 

100% on point!

For those who bemoan Campy's straight parallelogram performance, take heed of the above advice. As long as you stay within the designed operating range (maximum cog tooth count of 28), and use a compatible chain/freewheel combination - and adjust derailleur tension/chain length to perfection - you will find performance.

Attempting to make something work outside its designed application is bound to produce a few headaches. Take two aspirin along with the above advice, and you won't need to call me in the morning

DD

Drillium Dude 

Interesting note on swapping the cogs around front-to-back - I never had the need with Reginas (so far, but now I'm thinking about it...). I did use 6- and 7-speed Sachs Aris FWs back in the late 90s (before discovering Ebay), and they were silent and conveyed that 'feeling' you described above. There's just something about the feedback from a cleanly-working drivetrain - particularly on a steel bike - which is difficult to describe, but heavenly to experience.

Btw, on the subject of French FWs: I've been working with a fellow Forumite on making a 6-speed Aris a part of my drivetrain lineup. Today was the test ride of a fully-overhauled Aris with slightly-worn 15T and 17T cogs; the teeth are ever-so-slightly 'squashed' at the loaded portion of the tooth wells. As soon as I left the driveway, the chain began jumping off both cogs

It seems that these cogs are made of softer metal - or the PO was a beast! - and they are thinner in section that those of Regina. I wonder: if we swapped them front-to-back as suggested, might I be able to get some miles out of them?

Food for thought...

DD

Jeff Neese

Can KMC or SRAM chains use Shimano chain pins?

El Chaba

With the introduction of indexing, Maillard ( by then part of the Sachs group) modified the tooth profile slightly. The top of the teeth was given a “Y” shaped cut to aid in chain pickup. To keep the cogs oriented properly, they also added a fourth spline to the non threaded cogs. You could use the older three splined cogs on the newer bodies, but obviously not the reverse. Also, you could use the four spline cogs on an older body if you filed off the fourth spline (three splines were located as the previous model with the fourth spline in an asymmetrical position). If you reverse one of the newer four spline cogs to get more wear out of it (obviously with the fourth spline removed) you may experience some hesitation in chain pickup when shifting as the tooth profile is “fighting” the engagement of the chain. I think you may not even notice on cog intervals of one or two teeth, but it is likely to be more pronounced with larger intervals.