Hey everyone!

I'm having big trouble with the SRAM PC971 chains. Last October I got 3 new PC 971 chains. First one was bent. The second one was snapped twice! After using it with 3 powerlinks for a few more rides, I replaced it with the last one. About a week ago, one of the links on the third one got stuck. I thought a tiny piece of rock was stuck between the links, but actually the metal was chewed off. So I removed that link, and now I'm using the chain with 2 powerlinks.

I've been using SRAM chains (pc99, pc99 hollow pin, pc89r) for about 2 years and I have never had a single problem until these last three. Is it just my bad luck, or are there others who are having problems with these chains?

So anyway, I'm thinking about getting shimano 7701 and kmc x9-sl. Do you guys have any bad experiences with these two? Any other suggestions?

Hey erhan, you must be putting too much power to the drivetrain.

I've been runnining the kmc for over a year on my big bike with no problems. The 'missing link' was a little stiff at first, but loosened up over time.

shimano is doo doo... SRAM and KMC are where its at!!

Thanks gastro. That's good to know.

PC 971's are all I use. I love 'em.

Actually I didn't. I twisted it back, and it was fine (not skipping gears at least). I still use that chain indoors when the bike is on the trainer.

I didn't think about that. I just took the damaged ones out, and put powerlinks on the trail, and honestly I didn't feel like fixing them later.

That day I did a few high toque shifts, but no cross chaining.

All of the failures could be my fault, but I've been riding the same way as did before, and I'm having hard time trying to understand why these last three chains failed.

Thanks.

I've had pretty good luck with SRAM chains over the years. The last Shimano chain I used was back in '98, and it died pretty quickly. I'm currently using a Sachs-Sedis chain on my daily driver that I bought in '96. It's on its 4th bike right now, so I'm pretty happy with the durability.

I've had great luck with the SRAM PC-951 chain. They are a little lighter on the wallet and put up with a lot of abuse. After using the powerlink...its hard to go back to Shimano chains...