2lo8

Wikipedia says BikeRadar says KMC said they make chains for Shimano. KMC making chains for Shimano gets tossed around a lot because of that. The only proof is that Shimano didn't demand BikeRadar take it back.

Shimano has factories in Japan, I'm pretty sure at least Ultegra/DA chains say made in Japan, and engineering the chain is usually one of the more difficult parts of making a new groupset. Indexing and making narrow cogs is not the hard part. A chain probably has more parts than the rest of your drivetrain combined. Shimano, Campy and SRAM all design chains in house to optimized shifting and such.

I think it's a reasonable assumption to say that Taiwan based KMC does not make the Shimano chains made in Japan.

CliffordK

I have boxes:
CN-6800, 11spd (Ribble?)
IG-51, 8spd, (bought from China Ebay)
HG-73, 9spd (bought from China Ebay)

All thee chains list on the box:
"Product of Japan / Fabrique Au Japon"

I see no notes of anything other than Japanese Shimano production, other than not using the word "made".

One never knows the truth about Chinese grey market products.

2lo8

I don't have a pile of Shimano chain boxes next to me right now, but some random person on Amazon said their lower end HG-53 chain says made in Taiwan.

icyclist 

I haven't busted any chains since sometimes around 1975! That's when I first got serious about cycling, and I was regularly - often daily - riding the steepest hills I could find leading up into the Santa Monica Mountains above Los Angeles. Two of the chains, Sedis, broke during the course of a year, popping apart on the hills.

Back then, cleats were held in place with toeclips and straps and it was, of course, impossible to get out of them, particularly when on a 14% slope, before toppling sideways and hitting the ground, which is what I did in about one second.

While I still ride the steepest streets I can find in the Santa Monicas, and I've gone through a fair number of chains, I've yet to break another one.

noodle soup

So no real proof.

Thanks

Shimagnolo

Same thing happened to me with about 300 miles on the first Wippermann chain I ever used.
But I've *never* had a Superlink/SRAM/KMC link fail.

2lo8

I'm not sure what kind of proof you wanted? Insider invoices and contracts? I was responding to someone that already thought that KMC makes Shimano chains, not trying to convince him KMC made some Shimano chains.

2lo8

The official blurb from KMC is the rather ambiguous
But KMC only makes chains. KMC making X million chains a year with clients such as Shimano seems to be part of the standard press release package when a a cycling journalist writes them up. KMC making Shimano chains is not a hotly disputed topic.

CliffordK

Just twist like you do clipless... Perhaps a bit harder if the straps are tight, but they'll come out.