Halfords Clarks 8 speed chains & other cheap chains

[Sweep]

I have the impression that sram links can be re-used a fair bit which is one of many reasons I have pretty much standardised on them.

[Bikefayre]

Always stick to KMC and the Ventura chain from sjscycles.co.uk is only £3 and is also a KMC. My bikes use the KMC anti-rust chain plus the special single speed one. All the bikes that are condemned find the KMC chains seem to still work so see no reason for changing as have been using this brand for over ten years! All the local bikes fixed by myself use the Ventura. So far no complaints and no punch in the face either so must be good, the fault with them is the letters on the plates are not put up the right way amongst the ones that are so it looks odd and none have failed so far.

[mercalia]

Always stick to KMC and the Ventura chain from sjscycles.co.uk is only £3 and is also a KMC. My bikes use the KMC anti-rust chain plus the special single speed one. All the bikes that are condemned find the KMC chains seem to still work so see no reason for changing as have been using this brand for over ten years! All the local bikes fixed by myself use the Ventura. So far no complaints and no punch in the face either so must be good, the fault with them is the letters on the plates are not put up the right way amongst the ones that are so it looks odd and none have failed so far.

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/ventura-3-32 ... prod14030/

this one?

any 8 speed ones?

[niggle]

I've a Taya working for me on the 3speed but I have been using KMC Z series on anything else lately so I am not sure. The quick link was par for the course on the 3speed but it's a different design (plate with pins, plate with holes plus a clip) to narrower chains, like all I've seen.

KMC 1/8" chains often come with a two-piece quicklink, where one plate has two shaped holes in it and the other has two pins. The second (back-) plate is flexed slightly to allow the first to be popped over it, and is then retained by grooves in the pins. The QL rivets stick out slightly which is fine with a 1/8" chain provided you are not using a derailleur.

A similar two-piece QL is used on TAYA 3/32" derailleur chains, but in this case the rivets come flush instead.

Such QLs (where the backplate needs to be flexed) are meant for 'one use' applications but I'd assume they are not that likely to break if you have to reassemble them more than once (eg for a roadside repair).

cheers

My KMC 1/8" chain on my Nexus 8 hub gear bike came with the traditional split link just like the one on my old 3 speed bike in the 1970s and the same design as used on most non o-ring motorcycle chains:

Easy to use, reliable (as long as fitted the right way round) and long lasting, but no use for derailleur gearing.

[Brucey]

this is a TAYA 'sigma' connector for derailleur chain



and this is the KMC connector that comes with some (but not all) of their 1/8" chains



it is similar to the TAYA one but it sticks out like other 1/8" connectors; not as much as a traditional three piece one, but far enough that it won't run through a derailleur.

cheers

[niggle]

I have met similar ones before on cheap chains, e.g the £4 one from Asda in Bell branded packaging I used on a family member's bike- easy enough to install but not so easy to detach as you have to force the one sideplate to bend to remove the other one, but once you have bent it enough to get the pin grooves clear of the lips in the sideplate hole the pins are converging which stops you pulling the plate off I assumed it was designed just to be fitted once when installing the chain and left in place.

[mjr]

The connector on my Taya chain is like the ones pictured by niggle. I notice that KMC no longer seem to sell one in that style, or rate any of their single-speed missing links as re-usable: http://www.kmcchain.eu/products-connect ... sing_links - more income in selling single-use ones?

[niggle]

The connector on my Taya chain is like the ones pictured by niggle. I notice that KMC no longer seem to sell one in that style, or rate any of their single-speed missing links as re-usable: http://www.kmcchain.eu/products-connect ... sing_links - more income in selling single-use ones?

You need to go to their 'Other Connectors' page: http://www.kmcchain.eu/products-connect ... connectors to see the traditional split links, which are obviously re-usable.

You can buy them on their own for £3: http://www.tweekscycles.com/components/ ... ink-1-8-pr or buy with a new chain for £2 more: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMX-BIKE-CYCL ... _972wt_952

If you can wait a while you can order the split link from Taiwan for £1.20 inc P+P: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-KMC-Uni-C ... 765wt_1400

[Bikefayre]

This is a budget KMC chain from sjscycles.co.uk and says it's suitable for eight speed bikes-
KMC Z51 Chain 116 Links 7 / 8 Speed
Manufacturer: KMC
SJS Cycles Part Number: 14135
Manufacturer Part Number: K81
Price:
£5.49
Description
7.1mm pin length
Tensile strength 1020kgf
Pin power 250kgf
Brown finish
Compatible with 7/8-14/16-21/24 speed
Bushless construction
Supplied with end pin pushed out

[mercalia]

This is a budget KMC chain from sjscycles.co.uk and says it's suitable for eight speed bikes-
KMC Z51 Chain 116 Links 7 / 8 Speed
Manufacturer: KMC
SJS Cycles Part Number: 14135
Manufacturer Part Number: K81
Price:
£5.49
Description
7.1mm pin length
Tensile strength 1020kgf
Pin power 250kgf
Brown finish
Compatible with 7/8-14/16-21/24 speed
Bushless construction
Supplied with end pin pushed out

Not sure your chain belongs here? this is the real cheapo thread lol

[BigG]

I was surprised by yostumpy's comments (on Boxing Day) which I have only just read regarding TAYA chains. I have used TAYA TB50s for about 2 years now with no problems. I weigh about 92 kg but no longer have the acceleration of my youth. Nonetheless the breaking strain on these is equal to that on dearer chains and £3.00 plus postage on ebay makes them for me a best buy. I bought 3 to save on postage making the actual cost just under £4.00 each. I have asked before on this forum if any one has had problems with these cheap chains but no-one came forward at the time.

[Steveo2020]

Well I have fitted my first 7/8 speed chain and it seems fine. Nothing to report, in a good way, in terms of shifting etc. I didn't pay too much attention to the quick link but I don't think I'll be taking the chain off until it is worn, so I'm not too worried.

Steve

[Bikefayre]

Mercalia you cannot just put any old cheap rubbish onto an eight speed bike so for a £5.49 the KMC is really cheap and also well made, my local bike shop charges £7 for a cheap rubbish Chinese chain so cannot see how this chain does not belong here when a branded chain is CHEAPER than an unbranded one!

[s1965c]

By way of an update to the OP's original post, I've been running one of the 7 speed zinc plated Clarks chains on my commuter. I've got a mixed commute, taking in roads, cycle paths and a short muddy section that's usually got a little standing water, not an ideal environment for any chain.

The Clarks rustproof now tops my list as "The Worst Chain I've Ever Used", comfortably beating the previous hold of the record, a Bell branded chain from Asda. It is indeed rustproof, the zinc plating's done it's work and it's still shiny when I wipe it over. But, the amount of wear that's occurred in such a short distance has to be seen to be believed.

My cleaning / lubing frequency and method means I'll get around 1600 miles from a mid-price chain until it's elongated by a rivet's width over 12". This one's managed 400 miles and it's already nudging two rivet's width of wear.

It's been an interesting experiment and at £3, not an expensive one, but it's back to something a little better for me next time.

[niggle]

By way of an update to the OP's original post, I've been running one of the 7 speed zinc plated Clarks chains on my commuter. I've got a mixed commute, taking in roads, cycle paths and a short muddy section that's usually got a little standing water, not an ideal environment for any chain.

The Clarks rustproof now tops my list as "The Worst Chain I've Ever Used", comfortably beating the previous hold of the record, a Bell branded chain from Asda. It is indeed rustproof, the zinc plating's done it's work and it's still shiny when I wipe it over. But, the amount of wear that's occurred in such a short distance has to be seen to be believed.

My cleaning / lubing frequency and method means I'll get around 1600 miles from a mid-price chain until it's elongated by a rivet's width over 12". This one's managed 400 miles and it's already nudging two rivet's width of wear.

It's been an interesting experiment and at £3, not an expensive one, but it's back to something a little better for me next time.

I fitted a Bell brand chain bought for £4 from Asda on my daughter's 8-speed hybrid a couple of years ago. It is fine but then it has probably only done a couple of hundred miles in all that time....

Meanwhile the KMC 8 speed X8.99 full nickel plate job on my tourer is still within the 1/16th" over 12 links wear limit at around 6000 miles of fairly mixed use and continues to shift just fine, the Campag C9 on my Genesis Equilibrium is not showing any measurable wear at about 4000 miles of on road use and the KMC brand grey finish bushed 1/8th" single speed chain on my Nexus hub gear bike has done about 8000 miles of very mixed dirty/gritty off and on road conditions with minimal maintenance and although somewhat elongated still functions.