Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 44,332
Likes: 6,619
From: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
I would expect hills to have an effect on chain life for at least some riders.
Chain width definitely has an effect on chain life. As chain width decreases, so does chain life.