Submitted by
R Leone
a Weekend Warrior
from Dallas, TX Date Reviewed: October 29, 2003
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$24.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
It didn't break.
Weaknesses:
Just didn't work well with my drivetrain; Powerlink seems like a great idea, but it's next to impossible to break the chain that way...Park chain breaker tool to the rescue.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano HG and IG chains
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Tazmon, XTR shifters/cables, XTR med cage rear der., XT front, XT crankset...nothing weird here.
Bottom Line:
My LBS really pushed SRAM's chains over Shimano, and I wonder why. I was building this bike up with parts I'd moved from my old Klein. I never had problems with the Shimano IG90 chain but it was old so I swapped it for this one. Bad move. Not only did the LBS overcharge me for the chain (no big deal, but this is not a $24 chain), but they forgot to put the Powerlink in (I had to go back). Turned out to be a moot point, the damn link is impossible to hand-break once the chain has been under tension..you just have to break it down like any other chain (unless there's some trick to it?). Anyway, I ran into problems in my small chainring..the rear der. started hopping and the chain would jam on climbs. Major frustration for me. Everyone said the chain had too much slack, so I took links out. It's better, but the der. still jumps and clicks in low gears, as if I had a frozen link. I've tried wet lube, wax lube, recalibrating the cable pull..nothing works. And now my LBS says the chain is too short!
I'm not an engineer, but either somebody is BS'ing me, or this chain just doesn't work well with my XTR 8spd stuff. I'll work on it, but it's looking like I'll be buying another good old $19 Dura-Ace/XTR chain again soon. Caveat emptor, at least it was a cheap mistake!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Greg
a Cross Country Rider
from Waltham,MA Date Reviewed: March 11, 2002
I use this chain on all three of my bikes and I am very satisfied with it. It wears well and I have had only 2 breaks in the 20 some odd chains I've used. Once on the tandem with a bad front shift that actually ripped the middle chain in half. The other was on my MTB/commuting bike after I over ran it's life expectancy.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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