Chains

Great news! I just went around the place with my chain wear tool and pretty much all of my favourite bikes need a new chain. I’ve also got about 3 builds on the go, all of which will need a chain.

Ok maybe it’s not great news that I need to spend out on boring consumable parts just when I should be buying Xmas pressies, but I’m pleased because it means that I’ve spent more time riding than spannering.

So I need to buy a few 6/7/8 speed chains. I used to have a good (trade) source of reliably decent cheap generic chains but that has dried up, and I’ve realised recently from buying crap Chinese eBay chains that not all chains are the same. The one I used on my 97/98 clockwork seems to have worn really quickly, either that or I’ve ridden it much more (and harder) than I thought. I also bought a 9 speed “Shimano LX” that turned out to be a fake...

So what do people recommend these days, and where do you get ‘em?

Re:

I like Campagnolo chains, they seem to be noticeably longer lasting than the Shimano and SRAM chains I've had. 9 speed chains work just fine on 7, 8 and of course 9 speed cassettes; I'm not sure about 6 speed, I haven't had anything 6 speed since the 80s.

Not cheap though.

9spd chains from KMC are good quality and make 6/7/8spd shifting that little bit nicer.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KMC-Z72-Bike ... Sw1kxdlSWt

Re:

Been using KMC chains for a while, good value and quality.

I hunt out Sachs ones for older builds....getting harder all the time though.

Always hear good things about kmc chains but usually end up with sram as i know them and have used them for many years on all sorts of bikes with no trouble at all.

I always try to use the top end versions, hollow pin are great, and if you shop around online you can find good deals on them now and again.

Re:

Cool, thanks guys, went with KMC in the end, have ordered a couple of Z8s and an X8 for my most posh bike.

If anyone has a good source of really cheap chains let me know, there are various cheap generic brands/and rebranded OEM chains out there, having bought a couple of duff chains recently I’m wary. Thing is I also know from experience that some £3-£4 chains are fine... good enough for kids bikes and quick fix-up projects...

Ordered yesterday from CRC... came today (Sunday)... wow... and a free pack of haribos.

The X and the Z look nearly identical. I’m thinking the X was probably a waste of money but we’ll see...

+1 for KMC if you're building a rider.

But if you look afar and have patience, maybe you'll find one of these like I recently did! Got a full XTR build underway for it to go on.

KMC are good and if you’re feeling really flush and you can find one, Rohloff SLT-99 are amazeballs, although they’ve been discontinued for some years.