Chains - recommend me a chain Options

[Rod]

good reliable chains x 2 required but which chain?

9 speed required sub £20 (strewth they have gone up in price since I last bought one!)

Any deals out there at the moment...


IN THE RUNNING:

KMC X9 .93 = £18:00 - CRC
HG53 = £18:00 - Wiggle
PC991 = £20:00 - CRC

Anyone want to chuck a recommendation in?

Rod

[Gareth]

How about two times SRAM PC971 = two for £28.

Only difference from the more expensive versions is a couple of grams and a less shiny coating (which does offer some resistance to corrosion but I don't miss it as it wears off).

[Rod]

N1 Mr.Gareth

[Rod]

got 2 from the seller... top seller :-)

[Gareth]

got 2 from the seller... top seller :-)

Me too, fast and they are boxed SRAM not 'grey' imports in poly bags which is what I was expecting.

[martyn748]

My scram chain that came on my X9 groupset on my bike was rubbish, lumpy shifting and noisy and turned rusty no matter what I oiled it with!!

KMC X9 for me every time, never boken one, needs very little cleaning, silky shifting and last me 2 years min.

And they come in gold lol

[old dude]

i,ve been getting loose chain in poly bags from je james,
also dropped on sram when at the right price, and keep them as spares ,
the point i,m making is about the quality of them, the conditions we ride in, are so variable, you can,t really compare the new chain
to the one that,s getting replaced,
also, it,s easy for counterfeit goods to get sold these days, i know it goes against the principle of false economy'
but i buy cheap, then carry a few spare links, for when the worst happens,
i,ve tried sourcing bike chain from different engineering suppliers, but even if our firm has an account with them.
it,s rather expensive!!
makes bike shops look good value for money,...

[Gareth]

My scram chain that came on my X9 groupset on my bike was rubbish, lumpy shifting and noisy and turned rusty no matter what I oiled it with!!

I've never had these problems with SRAM chains and I've had dozens over the years. Seems the one you had was the very bottom of the <ahem> food chain.

[Freester]

I've always found SRAM equivalent of XT (HG93?) wears a lot quicker for me. And even an XT will go from new to 0.75 in a month in my usual local conditions.

Still buying bulk from Merlin unless someone has a better suggestion...

[martyn748]

I've never had these problems with SRAM chains and I've had dozens over the years. Seems the one you had was the very bottom of the <ahem> food chain.

Your prob right, All companies do it to save a bit of money. And you'll not really notice while looking at in a shop. chains a chain until it goes wrong

[Gezzza]

Ive used a couple of the top line Sram chains hollow pins of course every gram counts and they were the worst chains ive ever used both snapped with only a few 100 miles on.
Now KMC x10sl on a 9 speed are just great lightweight, last well and available in gold what more could you ask for i here you say well how about this Check this out

[Gareth]

Ive used a couple of the top line Sram chains hollow pins of course every gram counts and they were the worst chains ive ever used both snapped with only a few 100 miles on.
Now KMC x10sl on a 9 speed are just great lightweight, last well and available in gold what more could you ask for i here you say well how about this Check this out

$111? Seriously? What's going on there?

[Gezzza]

$111? Seriously? What's going on there?

Its around £60-70 in the UK and allegedly the DLC coating increase the life? a normal KMC X10SL in gold is around £40 so for 50% more you can be cool and have a red and black chain. when ive run out of chains im having one Gold chains are so last year
Have you seen the box it comes in?

Or how about Pink or Black

[Gareth]

You is into bling chains my man: I'm more of a cheapskate but I do take your point about longevity, I just haven't found in my experience any chains that last much longer for my own riding. There are many factors which affect wear but as almost all chains are of steel the differences should not be that great. Some of the factors affecting wear are (in approximate order of importance):

The local (mud) grinding paste.
Existing wear on your drive-train.
Your chain cleaning regime.
Whether you ride regularly in foul weather.
Your lubrication routine.
Your mileage.
The gears you choose (crossed or not).
How hard you pedal.

Not an exhaustive list but it does make it close to impossible to know whether your own experience will match that of other riders.

[Gezzza]

You is into bling chains my man: I'm more of a cheapskate but I do take your point about longevity, I just haven't found in my experience any chains that last much longer for my own riding. There are many factors which affect wear but as almost all chains are of steel the differences should not be that great. Some of the factors affecting wear are (in approximate order of importance):

The local (mud) grinding paste.
Existing wear on your drive-train.
Your chain cleaning regime.
Whether you ride regularly in foul weather.
Your lubrication routine.
Your mileage.
The gears you choose (crossed or not).
How hard you pedal.

Not an exhaustive list but it does make it close to impossible to know whether your own experience will match that of other riders.

Hey its not just chains

you pays your money you take your chances