yashinon

I see some members asking about the best chain for their bikes. Is there a difference in quality, life span, materials, etc?

I imagine that most people walk into the LBS and say replace the chain. Will appreciate the info to better educate.

GlennR

First you need the correct type of chain for your drivetrain. Different sped cassettes use different chains, a 9 speed chain will nto fir a 11 speed cassette.

Then there's different levels, generally a more expensive chain will be lighter.

Then there's color, silver/black/gold and others.

PeteHski

Like everything else there are different quality levels of chain. It's also a good item not to skimp on - after all it is the hardest working part of your entire bike, except for the rider!

dmanthree

Buy one that's designed for your drivetrain. I use the Shimano ultegra.

PeteHski

Agreed, can't go wrong with Ultegra on compatible drivetrains.

MinnMan

But obvious brand names are not always the best guide. Shimano has more name recognition, but KMC are in most cases just as good.

Also, depending on your drive train, you can run SRAM chains on Shimano drive trains and vice versa. AFAIK, this is true for both of their 10 and 11 speed lines. Not so for 12 speed, I believe.

MoAlpha

Since chains are a wear item, are easily replaced, vary widely in price, and are made from steel, which can be recycled cheaply, it is not automatically true that the “highest quality” or longest lasting alternative makes the most economic sense. Obviously everyone wants a quiet drivetrain and flawless shifting, but aside from that, I want the chain that costs me the least over time, whether I have to replace it twice or five times.

CliffordK

One of the most extensive chain tests was run by Wippermann. Of course, an in-house test, their chains were on top.






Now, I tested some Wippermann chains a while ago. I need to do more testing, but I started blowing out cassettes after switching to Wippermann. I need to watch that more and try to figure out what apparently happened.

KMC also has "e-bike" chains which I'm not sure made the test.

Racing Dan

Sure, tons of little variations that are often poorly explained or not known at all. How much does different chains wear on cogs and chain rings? Does chrome or "gold" plating enhance chain life or reduce friction, and if so how much?- Enough to justify the additional price? What makes a e-bike chain "e-bike". Do they all shift the same or close enough to not matter, - or do I NEED a Shimano chain? etc., etc. ...

SoSmellyAir

Relative hardness? Assuming that you had used the same replacement cassettes, then it seems fairly obvious the Wipperman chains are made from harder grades of stainless steel, which make the chains last longer, but increased the wear on cassettes (and probably chain rings too). While it is not possible to isolate the wear onto the chain alone, I would prefer to replace multiple chains before I have to replace a cassette.

canklecat

I use KMC, SRAM and Shimano HG53 chains, all affordable, not high end. Can't say I notice any difference in performance or durability. I replace 'em about once a year, or every few thousand miles. I don't use a wear gauge or measure them precisely, but after about a year I'll remove the chain and hang it next to a next chain to eyeball the "stretch" from wear. If it's more than a smidge longer than new I'll replace it. I don't think I've ever ridden a chain so long that it caused problems with shifting, etc.

Somewhere around here I have a Dura Ace 10-speed chain, waiting for me to finish putting together a basic TT/tri-bike. We'll see whether it makes any difference.

It's tempting to replace chains more often, because nothing feels or sounds like a brand new chain. It literally feels and sounds like nothing -- silent and smooth. But, nah, too pricey. And I can't say that new chain feel consistently translates to improved performance. The few times a new chain seems to be "faster," I attribute that to enthusiasm over the new chain. IOW, placebo effect.

Sy Reene

Since we're having fun with charts:

Kimmo 

I was pretty sure the main thing that causes cassette wear is chain wear, since it elongates the chain and concentrates the load on individual teeth.

MoAlpha

Nice chart, but what’s on the y-axis: km to 0.5% wear or cost per 10,000 km?

Kimmo 

Dura-Ace stacks up pretty well there, cheaper than HG40!

noglider 

In theory, higher end chains are made from harder steel. All things being equal, harder steel lasts longer. But it just might be the case that conditions vary more widely than the hardness so the length your chain lasts is luck of the draw with respect to rain and road grit. I've never seen evidence that a better chain lasts longer in real life. I use KMC chains because they're cheap and they seem to work as well as all the others.

Troul 

Shimano tends to ride quieter than other most common brands available at the LBS. I go for the quiet ones.

Sy Reene

I currently have a KMC chain on my bike, but I keep seeing these references that KMC is cheaper. Here's their 11-speed lineup. Their bottom couple models are competitively priced, but really not much different from what eg. the 105 series chains price at. As soon as you're in the $50+ range, you can buy Record or DA chains.
https://www.kmcchain.us/X11-Chains_c_60.html

noglider 

Right, but I haven't seen a compelling reason to spend $50 on a chain. To quote Bartleby the Scrivener, I would prefer not to.

Sy Reene

Ok, but you can get Shimano or Campy chains in the $30s as well. So I don't necessarily understand the KMC love as a value play.

noglider 

Right. Sometimes they are not less expensive. In that case, the brand is a tossup. I really don't find differences in quality, though I'll buy a name brand. These new Chinese copies with weird names do not tempt me.

Kimmo 

Ultegra or Dura-Ace, no brainer.

Racing Dan

Assuming the assumptions made to do the calculation are true. Imo they are not. The fine raw data is polluted with unproven assumptions, leading to conclusions not supported by the data.

Kimmo 

Yeah nah, because Shimano.

Sy Reene

Related to this phenomenon, is the evident increase in chain longevity as each iteration in increased gearing has occurred.
https://cyclingtips.com/2019/12/the-...ciency-tested/