This is a ride review of the KMC X10SL Gold titanium nitride coated 10-speed chain pictured below:
First off, it's advertised weight is only 240 grams for a 116 link chain, with its hollow pins and slotted plates. That was one thing that initially drew me to the chain, as it's about 55g. lighter than most standard 10S chains. Mine weighed in at 236 grams for 116 links so that was a good start.
I'll do some comparing to the Wippermann 1008 chain, which has been my favorite 10S chain up to this point. In handling the chain before shortening and installing it, it didn't seem as "tight" or "firm" laterally as the Wippermann. Shortening the chain to length and then connecting the ends with the "Missing Link" was a breeze. The Missing Link can be installed in either direction unlike the Wippermann ConnexLink.
The test course today was 53km of hills up to 10% grade with some high-speed descents so I had a chance to shift through the whole cluster and both front rings. This was a real treat! The KMC shifts so smoothly and quickly! (Drive train is Campy Chorus 10S with an FSA 50-34 crankset and IRC RD compact front derailleur.) From the very first shift, the KMC dropped into cogs almost instantly; faster than the Wippermann, which I don't think is bad at all. No missed shifts all day, and shifted well even under load. It runs virtually silent, as does the Wippermann. The titanium nitride coating looks well done and should help prevent chain wear. For performance it gets a full 5.0 stars from me. It's a little pricey ($75 at fairwheelbikes.com but only $55 at totalcycling.com), but when you consider that both Wippermann's 1011 hollow pin at $70, and Campy Record C-10 Ultra Hollow Pin at $60 are both 25+ grams heavier than the KMC and neither are TiN coated, I'd give the blue ribbon to KMC for 1st in top-of-the-line chains. I'd certainly buy one again
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Cheers! - RJ