Recommend a better 1/8" chain
 

Yesterday 20 miles into a 30 mile ride on the downside of my biggest hill, my chain broke while I was spinning somewhere in the vicinity of 30mph. This was followed immediately by a 60 foot skid which would have been a lot longer without judicious use of the front brake. It was a SRAM PC-1, and it was in good condition, I just lubed and adjusted it a few days ago, and I didn't notice any tight spots. I never broke the chain, it was attached with an SRAM masterlink which is still intact. when I gathered up the pieces, there was not enough left to put it back on it was about 3" too short. Back towards the beginning of the skidmark I found a few random side plates.

Needless to say, my confidence in that chain is gone, and I'm thinking I want something better to replace it. Does anyone have a recommendation of a good durable 1/8" chain.

Shiiiiiiiiitttttttyyyyyyy. Good on you for riding that one out.

I have been having good results with KMC 510H chains. That H stands for Heavy. Their side plates are a lot thicker than regular 1/8" chains, so much so that I had to dremel 1.5 mm out of my chainbreaker to make it fit.

http://www.9star.com/browse/style/67...=1&show=images

Yes I was very happy about not eating pavement.

That 510h is certainly inexpensive. Anyone got any other recommenations? Wipperman? Izumi? I want the Super Toughness just for the name alone, but the price seems just a tad overkill.

Ive had the supa toughness for a few months. I ride brakeless and it hasnt broken yet.

Wipperman if you want your bike to sound like a 747 at v1.

Glad you made it intact.
My KMC? Z (for chrome) chain survived bad throw which bent Dura Ace crank and chainring and cut 1/3 deep through my track end.

Holy crap. Not to derail the thread or anything, but pics please?

KMC or D.I.D (if you are able to find one)

thanks...

izumi V..

broke one KMC 410, rode for months on a KMC 510 with no problems, back on a 410 with still-no-complaints.

Wipperman are noisy huh? all models or one in particular?

i have ~500 miles of XC SS on a PC-1 and it's broken twice, both on uphill grinds. forensics seems to indicate a combination of short pins and pin hole deformation in the sideplate were to blame. i suppose i should replace it, eh?

for what it's worth, a couple hundred miles on an izumi eco and it's nice enough i guess. a bit noisy at first, but quieted quickly. silver or gold no more expensive than black. pins are much longer...seems quite solid. that said, i'm a novice fixed rider who mostly cruises country roads, not urban/skid/skip.

I don't skip or skid either, but deformed sideplates were what I noticed examining the broken chain. So my experience is consistent with yours.

with which engines? they got a lot quieter with the high-bypass units :)

I had a PC1 and didn't feel confident in it for brakeless use. got an izumi and it feels much better, and is far more substantial, but i had actually thought about a wippermann. i got mine from ben's along with an order i was making, but aebike has a fair number of chains to choose from in 1/8" width.

Why you... :)

**** happens. I've had good luck with PC1s on my SS MTB. KMC 510HX is a little beefier and lasts a long time.

I know **** happens, but I'd like to minimize the risk of having it happen in my pants. I don't know PC-1s are junk I actually thought they were pretty good. I know any part can fail, but since I'm replacing a broken one I'd like to get some feedback about which ones tend to be more durable.

I don't mind spending more within reason for a chain that is less likely to come flying off at the least opportune moment. So if the KMC 510 is good is the 710 better? I don't care about a few grams either way, I just want it strong.

PC1's are total junk. i stopped using them after i realized they would completely stretch in under 5 rides on my SS MTBs.

now i run kmc X9SL on my SS mtb. thats right, i use a 9spd chain, gawdammit. its light, durable, and light. hollow pins, and cutout inner and outer plates. badass. oh ya, it also comes in a gold finish.

i have an izumi v on my giro for the past year, granded i don't
ride it everyday, but there's been no wear yet (and i ride brakeless).
on my soma, which i ride quite alot in all weather conditions (also
brakeless), i've been ridding a wipperman ig8 (super heavy).
only recently is it starting to show signs of needing to be replaced.

personally i think the izumi v is worth the money (ok, so i got it from
japan...) but still ...a great chain.

oh, also friends of mine have had good experience
with the wipperman white star

…at $18 its a really good deal.

i have a kmc 710 on my fixed and 810 on my ss
and very happy with them.

$11 is a better deal!

http://stores.ebikestop.com/Items/00...5?sck=31998404

my kmc z chain survived a throw which rotafixed my cog off, bent my axle forward and crushed my chainring.

kmc is seriously the way to go.

+1


I like Izumi eco chains. I threw it the first day of riding, forgot to adjust tension after riding all day(not smart). Happened in front of a crowded bar. Rode it out, didn't die, and the chain was completely fine.

glad to find this thread. my new chain is a hollow pin KMC 701SL ("super light") and I will be keeping tabs on it ....