How do I determine chain speed?
07-09-25 | 07:14 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2022
Posts: 1,193
Likes: 236
How do I determine chain speed?
Howdy all. I recently purchased an Ultegra 10-speed chain to replace a 9-speed. But I discovered that the 9 presently on the bike might be a 10. How do I determine this? Thank you.
07-09-25 | 07:24 AM
#3
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 19,381
Likes: 5,527
From: Rochester, NY
Bikes: Stewart S&S coupled sport tourer, Stewart Sunday light, Stewart Commuting, Stewart Touring, Co Motion Tandem, Stewart 3-Spd, Stewart Track, Fuji Finest, Mongoose Tomac ATB, GT Bravado ATB, JCP Folder, Stewart 650B ATB
Measure across the chain pins and consult with the manufacture's specs to match with a specific cog count intention. Andy
__________________
AndrewRStewart
AndrewRStewart
07-09-25 | 12:05 PM
#4
Old fart
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 26,411
Likes: 5,350
From: Appleton WI
Bikes: Several, mostly not name brands.
Chains are narrower the more sprockets they are designed to handle. A 10-speed chain will be narrower than the 9-speed chain, which will be narrower than an 8-speed chain, &etc. You can generally use a narrower chain on a wider cluster (e.g. a 10-speed chain on a 9-speed cluster) but not generally the other way around.
