Im trying to decide what chain to put on my first fixed gear... give me some opinions...

Thanks, as always.

-Seth

if your drivetrain[edited because i am not swift] is 1/8 then you don't have a choice. i have a durace cog. therefore, 1/8 for me.

i'm guessing you meant drivetrain?

i use 3/32.

well... whats better, I found a Pake Crank that comes in either 1/8 or 3/32... its a good price (i think) so im just trying to figgure out what size is best... is there any advantage to either size? any disaadvantage?

yeah sorry, im on hour 11 at work, 10th day straight. whooo life.

3/32 = the best. Every shop has chains in this size, chainring availability = better and cog availability = higher. Did I mention it was quieter and lighter?

Advantage to the 3/32": they're usually quieter if everything is set up right. And supposedly they're stronger, although many will argue. Good track components come in 1/8" commonly, which might be prohibitive. The best chains (arguably) are all in 1/8" like the Izumi's, and if you want a nice colored one by KMC, they only make them in 1/8".

EDIT: This is nicely contradictory to the above post. Just what I've found.

Shimano makes 3/32" dura-ace cogs.

so if i get a 3/32 crank then i just have to get a matching cog?

3/32 is the real deal

^^ Maybe I missed something big, but isn't Dura Ace a product line of Shimano's? Therefore only Shimano makes Dura Ace? And yeah, I know for certain that there are 3/32" Dura Ace cogs.

ElSetho, you will want all the components in your drivetrain to match width, but you can mix and match most sizes, except for a 3/32" chain on a 1/8" cog or chainring. Oh yeah, and most people call them chainrings rather than cranks, which are the long things your pedals attach to. The confusion probably comes from the the fact that road cranks are often sold with chainrings attached, called cranksets.

a few months ago i switched from a 3/32" sram to a 1/8" izumi eco, and my bike is absolutely SILENT and much smoooooooother now. love it!

apparently, other people have had different experiences and i'm not disputing that, but i'm all about the 1/8" right now.

gnarley, thanks... and ill update the lingo now BossMon...haha.

-Seth

You only say that cuz your 1/8" setup is loud.

I ride a 3/32 chain ring 1/8 DA cog and a KMC 1/8 x 1/2 BMX chain. when everything was new and the chainline was mint, The thing was dead silent.

Now that my chain more than a year old (i should get a new one), the rollers all loose and my chain ring is like a ninja star. It makes a little noise on hard power up and power down.

I have nothing against 3/32 but from my experience 1/8 is solid.

Damn straight it is. My geared bikes were never like this.

St Sheldon endorses 3/32" because it's lighter and (he claims) strength is not really an issue at the kind of gear ratios used by road and track fixies---a granny gear on a mountain bike puts many times the stress on a chain that a fixie rider could muster up. I believe him, but my drivetrain odyssey started with a 1/8" Surly cog so, you know, things kind of went from there.

3/12" motorcycle chain, doods!

i've had 1/8 cogs with 3/32 chainrings (sugino 75) and 1/8 cogs with 1/8 chainrings (sugino zen and sugino zen/messenger). the 1/8 chainrings lasted longer. i dont think my riding changed all that much.

my vote is 1/8 all the way.

i just have 3/32", though my chain is getting old as hell and payday's a few days away and i have a 1/8" chain and i'm thinking about the ol' mix and match, but meh...i don't want the increased chance of chain droppage.

use a decent chain and keep it lubed, noise won't be an issue.

really though, use either. 3/32 is not going to break when skidding or anything. as posted above, it's been shown that chains, when assembled correctly, are almost impossible to break in any bicycle application.

cogs and chainrings are made in both widths, but i use 1/8 because 3/32 cogs and (especially) chainrings in common fixed/track sizes, 47-50T, can be difficult to find in 3/32.

i have 1/8 chain on 3/32 chain ring and cog on my conversion/ beater and its quieter than when i ran 3/32 on it. thats the only noticeable difference.

1/8

I read Sheldon's recommendation, and although I tend to agree for the casual rider, I am still thinking that a 1/8" set-up has to be stronger and more durable, and may be the way to go for the more physically inclined ss people.

+1 on the chainrings. i only run 3/32" now because the chainrings i own happen to be in that size. but that's a good point.

then again, my chainring is also under 47t.