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Tech Chains - Shimano v Sram

Chris Williams

Maximum Pace
Dec 21, 2013
459
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I have always matched my Shimano gear with Duro Ace chains but like the idea of the Sram power link etc to remove, clean chain etc. Reading some reports from Chainreactions web site has me thinking - people says - brilliant but then say the Sram change snapped after 600 miles!!! Should I just stay with Shimano - which has never let me down with thousands of miles on them (saying that now - you watch it will snap next week!)
 
Road chains don't need to be anything special. Just use a DA one. They always work.
 
Starting a sentence with 'Just', hardly indicates feeling 'very strongly' about something, does it.

I realise though, that you are one of the fruity little gang on my case at the moment, and here you are doing that thing where people say that a person is displaying strong emotions when they are not, in a bid to make them come across as angry, and therefore in some way negative. Can read you like a book mate.

Chains; I have never snapped a Dura Ace chain, either 7900 or 9000. I have never seen anyone snap a Dura Ace chain, either 7900 9000. Come to think of it, I have never seen anyone snap a chain on a road bike ever no matter what the chain. Road chains don't really go through any kind of stresses that snap them. I have been happy with the shifting on every Dura Ace chain I have had. They are cheap and they are the top of the line that Shimano offers, and are used by all the Shimano sponsored pros in the world without snapping. Seems pointless trying to find an alternative to something that is basically perfect. No harm in that though, obviously. Just saying.
 
@TCC sometimes you sound like a self righteous jerk, "just" sometimes...

Only when I am right, eh son? Your reaction here tells me this is one of those times. You continue 'internet disapproving' of my antics though, yeah, and I will continue being correct.

Anyway, back to chains!
 
Oh shit - did not mean to start a fight - I only wanted to ask about chains - some people use DA with a powerlink for convience
 
I used a variety of diffrent better quality chains from Campagnolo, Shimano, SRAM, KMC und Wippermann and all of them are more or less the same in my opinion. I never experienced a snapped chain. Perhaps one wears out faster than the other, but again the diffrence in usage time doesn't seem too big.

I really do see the benefits of a chain link so that one can easily remove the chain from the bike and clean it properly. Chain links with one pin on each plate are great, the cheaper solution with two pins on one plate and none on the other side are more difficult to handle. In this respect I don't like Shimano chains (special pins) or worse, Campagnolo chains which require special tools or parts for assembly and removal. If using a chain link I would recommend to buy the respective tool for home usage to make things easier:

prod46600_IMGSET
 
I have always matched my Shimano gear with Duro Ace chains but like the idea of the Sram power link etc to remove, clean chain etc. Reading some reports from Chainreactions web site has me thinking - people says - brilliant but then say the Sram change snapped after 600 miles!!! Should I just stay with Shimano - which has never let me down with thousands of miles on them (saying that now - you watch it will snap next week!)

@Chris Williams, I've used the Shimano chains with KMC links, KMC actually make the chains for Shimano so they are 100% compatible. However at last years Tour of Kumano I had a mechanical and twisted the Shimano DA chain and the team mechanic switched the chain to a KMC X10SL with quick link. Since then all the bikes have been switched over to them including my Cyclocross bikes.

They perform no different to the original Shimano chains - they just look nicer and we get them for free :D
 
Campagnolo chains which require special tools or parts for assembly and removal. If using a chain link I would recommend to buy the respective tool for home usage to make things easier:

Hahahaha.....
 
One thing you need to know about these missing links is that they do stretch quicker than the rest of the chain so you may need to replace them more often and the more you disengage them the more ware on the pivots and likelihood of failure. To be honest you really don't need to remove a road bike chain to clean it if you have good maintenance habits.

@TCC looks like @Robert is out to teach you young whipper snapper a thing or two, time to bend over and receive the yew branch like the very naughty boy you are.
 
I have always matched my Shimano gear with Duro Ace chains but like the idea of the Sram power link etc to remove, clean chain etc. Should I just stay with Shimano - which has never let me down with thousands of miles on them (saying that now - you watch it will snap next week!)

I've been riding SRAM for years and really like the power link. Never had a chain snap, never had chain issues, I think maybe user error is the problem. You boys getting all snarky and pissy need to get out and ride your friggin bikes more. TGIF.
 
I use the KMC quick link (and chains) for both Shimano and Campy (10s and 11s) never an issue. The only reason I take chain off is for bike packing. In fact I also agree - there's no reason to remove a chain for cleaning. If it's prepped right from the beginning you'll generally wear it out (stretch) before you need to deep clean it and re-prep it. The DA chains suck, in my opinion, except for the earlier 'flat plate' designs. They stretch the fastest of any I've seen in our shop. SRAM chains are tougher, as well as the Ultegra, Campy or KMC. Generally what makes a chain noisy is simply they have become stretched and or, you've run them stretched so long that now the chainring is 'set' to the distorted pitch.
 
How much is a Dura Ace chain? 4,000yen...

You could buy a new one every week!
 
I used to run the SRAM with power lock. The power lock is not supposed to be reusable, as opposed to the power link which is used for 8,9speed chains. Maybe if I had the tool above they could have been reused.

Now I run the Ultrega chain with a KMC missing link for both 10 and 11speed set-ups. I like the missing link as I remove my chain relatively frequently, as I prefer waxing over oil for my lubricant.
 
Personally, I can't see the need to remove the chain for cleaning. I generally clean my bike at least once a week during the riding season. I use Morgan blue chain cleaner and a chain cleaning device with a small reservoir for the cleaner and roller brushes. I thought the device would be a pile of poo but I couldn't believe how clean it got my chain after the first time I used it. I have never removed my chain for cleaning since. I used to remove the chain to clean it every now and then but it is such a messy job, getting muck all over the place and all over your hands that it
Really isn't worth it now that I use a chain cleaning device.
Id stick with a DA or Ultegra chain if I were you. They really aren't very expensive and, unlike Apple, "just work"
(disclaimer- the use of "just" in the previous sentence was not an attempt to forcefully convey a strong feeling of love and devotion to DA chains).
 
Leave the chain on the bike, and go at it with 7-11 Wet Tissues, Wakos SuperJumbo Brake and Parts cleaner and an old T-shirt (or Egyptian Mummy rags from the British Museum soaked in the wine from The Last Supper if you are an Alpha male).

Sorted.
 
Park tool chain cleaner works for me, just be careful closing the metal latches as the plastic might break. Also look around for some industrial size organic degreaser, way cheaper than bike specific ones.
 
Thanks for all answers - the main reason for asking was not for road bike as this ones stays quite clean but for childrens bike (moulton) as I use this in all weathers and on the green lane it gets covered in mud, sand and very small stones that get everywhere.....
 
I ran an ultegra chain for a while last year. Found it really noisy on a SRAM crank/ Shimano cassette. Swapped to KMC SL chain and found a massive improvement in noise. The SL chain responds really well to a dry lube, but its open holes in the side plates fill up with crud if you use a thicker lube and those plastic tools don't have a spinny wheel to clean that bit out! otherwise a fabulous chain - never had a problem and with di2 I never think twice to shift so I'm probably pretty rough on it

Just upgraded to 11 spd so changed my cassette and chose a SRAM one because it had the best cog selection for me - changed the chain at the same time. This time went with the SRAM chain. Initially noisy but within 100km as quiet as a mouse. However to your power link point, the SRAM one is an utter B***** compared to the KMC one. The SRAM took me 15 mins to fit - doubt I'll ever bother trying to use that as a quick way to remove it. The KMC quick links take a minute of wiggling at most to remove. I'll let you know if this chain gives out early
 
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