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Best Chain

bullcrew

3 Dude Approved
2nd vote KMCX9sl
X3 for the KMCX9sl-Ti
I have one on the bike now and so far it takes water and dirt great as well as its performed really well overall...

Aside of that PG991s (sram) are pretty stout and take alot of abuse... I have ran several over hte years and its a go to chain.

NOW I have heard and cant verify but apparently Shimano chains are supposed to be good.

I like shimano cassettes and sram drivetrain so if anyone can pipe up to Shimanos that might help.
 

Runner

Monkey
Sep 21, 2007
377
0
CT
I've heard great things about Shimano chains so I'm going to try the 7701 next. The KMC ones look good but I doubt they are worth 2x the cost.
 

BMCarter

Monkey
Oct 10, 2007
297
0
Santa Barbara
I've always run the 7701.

Light(ish), strong, no master links. They last, shift great and its a part of the bike I never have to worry about.
 

bullcrew

3 Dude Approved
i rock the cheapest **** i can find, all my gears hit fine, its DH not road, who cares
I like better shifting and it staying that way I was snapping chains when I hammered down, broke 3 back to back now I swap them more than not as soon as they get fatigued my 235lb @$$ will find its weak spot and its not cool anymore to fly over the bars or send knees to the bars LOL... I occasionaly snap one still.
I dont have tons of endurance but have a ton of power so a good chain in good shape means less embarrasing moments...

Had 2 rings with ripped off teeth and no impact so I think (not sure) that was due to a bad chain as well.
 
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AzN_devil

Monkey
Jun 18, 2009
101
0
Hong Kong
pg991 cross step?
holds up pretty nice...compared to other chains imo
i have power but no endurance...
i go through 3-4 chains per year depending on how much i ride
 

ozzemale

Chimp
May 3, 2004
88
0
sydney
Rohloff chains are the longest lasting chains ever. Have the strongest side to side compliance. I owned one for three years on my dh bike after riding europe and many dh races in australia. It never snapped, never slipped and never ever miss shifted.

Probably one of the most expensive too but so worth it.

nicho
 

MarkDH

Monkey
Sep 23, 2004
351
0
Scotland
I've had bad luck with SRAM chains, the side plates just seem to burst open around the pin holes. This doesn't happen when I'm shifting either, broke one just cruising round a car park once. Anyway, I switched to Wippermann 908, on my second one now and I'm happy with them. The first one I ran for a year and I could roll the chain about 45 degrees by the end (my bad, should have replaced it earlier), but it never snapped on me and it's nickel plated so it still looked good after a wizz through the chain cleaner.
 

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,645
5,562
UK
i've pretty much always used the cheapest SRAM (and Sachs before that) chains I could find as I think spending more on a shiny looking chain is just mental and in 20yrs and hundreds of bikes I've yet to snap one, only ever damaged them from mech in spokes or chain jamming incidents but I've witnessed 2 other riders snap my chains within 2mins of jumping on my bike. I guess some folk just snap chains and some don't. I tend to change gear as little as possible tho bigger problem for me is bending/breaking cassette sprockets.

what was the question again? :/
 

daisycutter

Turbo Monkey
Apr 8, 2006
1,657
129
New York City
I've had bad luck with SRAM chains, the side plates just seem to burst open around the pin holes. This doesn't happen when I'm shifting either, broke one just cruising round a car park once.

I have had the same issue as well... no SRAM chains for me .
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,073
5,986
borcester rhymes
ultegra/XT for me.
The first time you break one full sprint, you'll care.

Good chains also last longer and stay in chain guides better than cheap crap.
:stupid: I prefer an XT level chain (sram is fine too) and then replace it as soon as it gets worn, rather than an XTR and let it stretch. XTR/KMC gold/whatever might be the latest and greatest, but they all wear out over time unless you are meticulous about maintenance or ride your bike on a scale only.
 

Kntr

Turbo Monkey
Jan 25, 2003
7,526
21
Montana
I just built up 2 new bikes this winter and both have the exact same drivetrain; XT cassette, Sram X9 derailers, and HammerSchmidts. The only difference is my DH bike has the 991 and my AM bike has the KMC. The KMC is actually quieter and shifts better and quicker. I have run 991s for a long time and I have never broken one though. The last chain I broke was the XT and it broke 3 times in one month.