Chains
 

I'm using a IZUMI chain right now and it's doing fine.

Was wondering if anyone can shed some light on some 'better' chains that I can possibly upgrade to?

Anything u guys recommend? thanks

from what i've come across, some expensive track chains really suck, and it's best just to go with the cheap-o KMC if it runs quiet and works.

chains work. unless you are grinding it, it should last forever.

Or if you leave your bike out in the rain for 7 days...

Invest the money that you would in an expensive Izumi NJS chain instead on EAI's blingy new cog where the teeth are coated in titanium. That'd probably be a lot more worthy investment to your drivetrain.

what about chain rings and cogs? which ones to stay away from? and which one u guys prefer?

i've been thinking about getting a sugino ZEN chain ring (i currently have a messenger one)

and how about cogs? thinking about the black euro asia ones, but there are so many other kinds also~!

As far as chains... does anybody know anything about the HKK chains in comparison to IZUMI?

... or riding on a regular basis and stretching it out.

z-chains ftw

Buy 5 kmc z510H chains at $6 each. Swap one out every other month or so. If you wait to change a chain, it'll wear out your chainring and cog much more quickly, and those things are more expensive.

this is what i want to get. this thing is a monster and looks great too.
http://www.amazon.com/Wipperman-IG8-...8313541&sr=1-6
http://velospace.org/node/280

that much noisier as well. bigger doesn't necessarily mean better. IMO

Stay away from cheap, generic cogs. They will strip your hub away. EAI cogs are about the best out there.

Proof it!

What an incredible generalization.

I am a huge fan of EAI cogs as well, but I don't think I'd call them the best out there. However, as far as availability, value, and quality go, they are pretty much a universal solution, so they're the best out there or close enough. If that made sense.

what are recomendations for an entry level cog?

just get a dura ace. they are only like 20 bucks. ive never had any problems with mine.

dura ace vs euro asia cogs

Durace only goes up to 16 in both 1/8" and 3/32" chain. I think you can get EAI cogs up to 23t or something riduculous like that. Durace cogs are a little cheaper. Some durace cogs are NJS stamped. The quality between the two is pretty much the same. Both are excellent. I'd go with durace if you don't need a cog larger that 16t.

why dura ace though

Chains -- I'm not aware of anything in the same league as Izumi V (except for the old Regina CX which hasn't been made in more than a decade) -- and that includes the lesser Izumi chains. All the track chains last well enough, as far as I can tell, and they're all plenty strong. It's just that the top line Izumi sounds and feels much, much better than anything else, in my experience. The KMC chains are noisy and often feel "crunchy" underfoot. So if feel and noise are important to you, the Izumi V is the way to go and, with care, should last a very long time. If feel and noise are not important to you, any old thing will work.

Cogs -- Suntour, Shimano, and Campy all make/made very good cogs. EAI/Euro-Asia is a step down, at least in their "standard" line. Their "Superstar" cogs are exceptional, however.

Chainrings -- need to be straight and true and beyond that I've never found a bad one. IOW, if it's straight it's good and if it's not it's bad. Nothing else makes a difference, in my experience.

In my world, "perfect" is an Izumi V, a Superstar cog, a true chainring, and an absolutely straight chainline -- down to the millimeter. As long as it's clean and lubricated -- not with some White Lightning kind of crap, but with actual wet lube -- and the chain tensioned correctly, you will be happy.

no way. eai cogs are at least as good as those other ones, i would say better!

By what standard? In my experience, the tooth profile of EAI cogs promotes noise and does not release the chain as freely as Suntour, Campy, or Shimano cogs. Additionaly, EAI threading does not perfectly match hubs from any of the above listed manufacturers, resulting in a bit of effort the first time or two the hub is used with the EAI cog. It is normal to see a bit of thread damage and slivers of aluminum after removing the cog, which is a shame if it's a nice hub.

EAI runs silent for me, as does cheap KMC chains. It's a matter of breaking in the drivetrain, than you're fine.

Nashbar sells tandem length KMC zchains for like $7 on sale, each tandem chain will make 2 and 1/3 fg chains. Buy 3 (turns into 7 chains) for $21 - $3 for a good chain. Almost cheap enough to throw away instead of cleaning it.

Mac

actually the eai is the only cog I have found to be remotely similar to my suntour superbe pro cogs and I love em cheap well made and pretty

EAI cogs appear to have the highest quality of machining, compared to some of the others.
Appearance doesn't necessarily mean anything.

That said, an article by Sheldon Brown or Phil Wood (can't remember) has me thinking a person should stick with one brand of cog, since the various cog manufacturers have tiny respective variations in their threading, and these variations, when one goes from one manufacturer to the other, will cause premature wear on the threads of the hub.

According to this thinking, if one goes back and forth between a DA cog and an EAI cog, each time he does so the new cog will rethread the hub to match the new cog's slightly different threading, and this will remove metal from the hub threads each time one installs the new cog.

Hm.

If so, then I say pick a manufacturer and stick with that manufacturer.

I like EAI for the appearance of EAI's machining, and for the broad range of teeth in both 3/32's and 1/8, and my current hub has never "seen" anything except an EAI cog.

As for chains, I started out with a KMC 610 and have since switched, following my lbs's recommendation, to a KMC 810.
I find the 810 quieter.

I have a separate chain for each chainring and cog combination.

With all due respect, I think we must have different standards for "silent" -- or perhaps you've never exerienced the Izumi V with a tuned cog. I personally have never seen a quiet running KMC chain, and in my past life as a track coach I have been around perhaps more than a thousand track bikes. Of course, just because I haven't seen something doesn't mean it's never happened, but IMO the odds are getting a bit steep.

If it works for you, of course...

FWIW, it's a lot easier to get a quiet running combo on 3/32. SRAM's "6-7-8" chains are good for the application. 3/32 does create a few potential problems, but most of them are solvable.

I run a kmc and im just a step above silent. I mean, im sure if I had an izumi V with a super star cog it would be stealthy, but this works fine.