Which chains and cassettes to avoid.

[Sweep]

The best 7/8 speed chain at the moment is the KMC X8.99, very hardwearing

May be but i take my chains off to clean them by shaking them around in a plastic milk bottle (easy peasy) so it has to be sram for me.

Been using them for years, despite mercalia's recent attempt to point me at clarks

[Brucey]

KMC X8.99 is nickel plated where lesser models are partly or differently plated. I do not think this affects the wear resistance of the chain.

The best 7/8 speed chain at the moment is the KMC X8.99, very hardwearing

May be but i take my chains off to clean them by shaking them around in a plastic milk bottle (easy peasy) so it has to be sram for me.

KMC X8.99 (and others) includes a re-usable quicklink, allowing cleaning in exactly this fashion.

cheers

[Sweep]

Many thanks for the reply brucey but i had the impression that the kmc situation was mixed, variable info from kmc, some models single use, others multiple, differences between different generations of the same chain?

I'm not sure i can take the complications - sram are wonderfully straightforward.

Thanks again for the reply.

[Brucey]

well the X8.99 is presently advertised as having a reusable quicklink, and as for SRAM being 'simple', forget it; they also do different links that are either re-usable or not....Powerlink or Powerlock, there is a clue in the name admittedly.

So I'd suggest that other than your lack of personal familiarity with them there is really not much difference in their ability to be removed and cleaned....

cheers

[MikeF]

What about the quick links? I was of the understanding that you could take them off and put them back on at will? But other places say you can't?

I suppose they are useful for taking a chain off? But since you have to cut a new chain to size anyway they don't seem that useful?

Some KMC links are reusable and those I've had with 8 speed chains are and are marked CL573R. I think the "R" stands for reusable. The 10 speed reusable links seem to be marked CL559R.
You are very likely need to take out link or so for a new chain to be the right length, but you still connect the chain by using the connecting link. That link is an easy way to remove the chain and reconnecting it eg for cleaning. However I must say it always seems to click tighter the first time it is used rather than subsequently. You can buy separately connecting links, but these are relatively high priced compared with the chain, but something easy to carry in case of a broken chain (or lost and found one even http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=95227&p=879812&hilit=+chain#p879812.)
Shimano chains have a special connecting pin, but most other common makes use connecting links.

[Samuel D]

Some KMC links are reusable and those I've had with 8 speed chains are and are marked CL573R. I think the "R" stands for reusable.

I think you’re right about that. I bought a pair of BTWIN (Decathlon own brand) 8-speed connectors that were actually made by KMC and marked CL573. The packaging gives no hints, but a shop assistant told me they were single-use. Furthermore, they have a little groove at the wide end of the slot that seems to be present on all the single-use KMC MissingLink parts, but absent on all the reusable ones. See here for pictures. So I think that groove is another way to tell if the link is reusable or not.

[Brucey]

Some KMC links are reusable and those I've had with 8 speed chains are and are marked CL573R. I think the "R" stands for reusable. The 10 speed reusable links seem to be marked CL559R....

I think you may have cracked the code; I just looked at all the KMC derailleur chain quicklink inages on SJS and all the reusable ones were indeed marked with an 'R' suffix on the link itself.

cheers

[Samuel D]

Wouldn’t it be nice if companies, KMC in this case, would voluntarily divulge the meaning of these codes? Sigh.

[Brucey]

wouldn't it just....

BTW I just checked all the images on the KMC website and although I couldn't see the marking clearly on every single link they do, the pattern (R = Reusable, no 'R' = non reusable) held for the 80% or so of those where I could see the marking OK.

cheers

[Sweep]

well the X8.99 is presently advertised as having a reusable quicklink, and as for SRAM being 'simple', forget it; they also do different links that are either re-usable or not....Powerlink or Powerlock, there is a clue in the name admittedly.

So I'd suggest that other than your lack of personal familiarity with them there is really not much difference in their ability to be removed and cleaned....

cheers

I've never heard of the powerlock brucey. I suspect, particularly because of it's somewhat macho sounding name, that it is for a form of performance cycling i have no wish to enter into. Have never had any probs with figuring out sram, whereas the posts that follow yours pretty much confirm my idea that i would have to enter the kingdom of runes to figure out kmc. I am sure that you are fluent, i can't be bothered with product mystification.

All the best, sweep.

(One of my bikes, abroad, has a kmc chain - i don't really know what sort of link it has - it was just what was available at the local bike shop - i have no doubt that kmc chains are good chains)

[Brucey]

...I've never heard of the powerlock brucey. I suspect, particularly because of it's somewhat macho sounding name, that it is for a form of performance cycling i have no wish to enter into. Have never had any probs with figuring out sram....

currently I think you get a (reusable) powerlink with a typical sram 8s chain, but that could change, (or indeed already vary with chain model...) there is a (non reusable, or at least more difficult to remove) 8s 'powerlock' link that they sell right now; they could easily make that the default link to package with 8s chains at any time...




spot the difference...?

The only certain thing is change....

cheers