SRAM PC89R Reviews

SRAM PC89R

Average Rating			3.15/5
# of Reviews			27
MSRP			$ 29.00
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Description:

Sachs PC89R

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Submitted by Jag a Cross Country Rider from Englang Date Reviewed: 9/17/2006 6:15:14 AM
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Price Paid:	$50
Purchased At:	Cycle Surgery
Strengths:	Light, looks cool. Powerlink.
Weaknesses:	Far too weak, I thought it was me. Broke it in Moab and coundn't get the pins in either. Ended up losing 6 links in the end. Don't expect a �35 chain to break so easily.
Similar Products Tried:	PC99, Shimano
Bike Setup:	Spec S-Works, Custom - All the top components.
Bottom Line:	I don't expect to be recommended a road bike chain when you spend �3.5k on a mountain bike. Oh well, this chain is way beyond returnable quality and I've only ridden about 400 miles on it. Don't waste your money, don't count the Gs, get a decent bike chain. Currently running PC99. Have ordered Rohloff SLT 99 Chain - Nickel Plated, losing faith in Sram at the moment.
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Submitted by Mike a Weekend Warrior from Boston, MA Date Reviewed: 4/23/2006 3:17:49 PM
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Price Paid:	$45
Purchased At:	Reno, NV
Strengths:	light, shifted smooth the few shifts I got out of it. Easy to repair, unfortunately I know that.
Weaknesses:	This thing broke my first ride out on it, at about mile 3. Weak. Broke right behind the master link. I luckily kept the extra links when I put it on. Repressed 2 new links in, and about 4.5 miles later it broke again on the other side of the chain. This chain sucks. Amazingly it got me back to the car at mile 10.
Similar Products Tried:	Shimano HG93
Bike Setup:	Jamis XLT 3.0 stock
Bottom Line:	This chain is a waste of money. I had a very expensive ride today. It's also the most expensive chain I've ever bought. I have been mt biking a very long time and never snapped a chain, especially a new one, especially twice in one ride. Same story as a review I read here, the guy at my bikeshop said it's super strong, super light, and all mt bikers are turning to it. I'm going back to my Shimano.
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Submitted by dimitri hon a Downhiller from london Date Reviewed: 10/29/2005 11:03:04 AM
FavoriteTrail:	street
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Purchased At:	psycho sugery
Strengths:	light, powerlinks, looks pretty, strong as a normal chain.
Weaknesses:	bit pricey if you dont get trade prices on stuff. hahahaha!!!
Similar Products Tried:	chains.
Bike Setup:	kona stinky bling machine
Bottom Line:	stop moaning about this thing breaking, if it snaps that easily then youre not riding your bike properly. i cane my bike every single day and the chain is holding up fine. mind you, i matched it with a close ratio sram road cassette. if youre gonna change a chain, you MUST also change the cassette or you will either snap the chain or it will skip like crazy untill you have an accident. they wear at the same rate as so they dont mess up your gears. good chain full stop.
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Submitted by BikerCat from USA Date Reviewed: 8/27/2005 7:35:49 PM
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Price Paid:	$40
Strengths:	Lightweight (slightly)
Weaknesses:	Rusts easily, stretches quickly.
Bike Setup:	Trek
Bottom Line:	I've used the 89R on two bikes -- one road and one mountain. Neither case made me happy. The chain rusts out far too quickly and developed stretching at too early in life. It's an expensive chain to replace so not an issue to take lightly. Weight savings is about 20-25g over the same amount of links of comparable brands. Though a weight weenie, I have to say it's not worth saving that 20g with this chain.
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Submitted by Christopher a Cross Country Rider from Rapid CIty, SD, USA Date Reviewed: 7/16/2005 7:14:37 PM
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Price Paid:	$46
Purchased At:	Two Wheeler Dealer
Strengths:	Shifts very well, easy to clean, looks great.
Weaknesses:	Haven't noticed any.
Similar Products Tried:	Shimano chain
Bike Setup:	Giant Trance 1, cross country, wooded trails, etc...
Bottom Line:	I run Shimano xtr and xt. Replaced Shimano chain since it wasn't practical to remove each time for cleaning. Replaced it with SRAM chain. Noticed smoother shifting than Shimano chain. Looked closely at chains side by side, noticed links in SRAM chain have much deeper and longer bevels on inside of outer links. This results in cog teeth engaging into chain more smoothly when shifting. My weight is 160 and run high cadence so breakage not an issue. Cost of living is high and wages low here so value (cost?) aspect gets 3 flames.
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Submitted by Lars a Weekend Warrior from USA Date Reviewed: 10/27/2004 1:37:07 AM
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Price Paid:	$30
Purchased At:	Not so "local" BS
Strengths:	Hmmmm???? It was nice while it lasted.
Weaknesses:	THIS IS A ROAD BIKE CHAIN!!! Worked great for about 12 rides. I purchased the chain with an entirely new drive train - all high end. Today the chain broke TWICE on on the a 6 mile trail - one of the the easiest, most mellow rolling hardpack trails I've ever been on! TWICE! The links just blew apart on easy uphills and were left splayed open, with no pin to be found! Very odd! I'm 170 on the bike and am known as a finesse rider - I do not grind and mash, I know how to shift.
Similar Products Tried:	Sachs
Bike Setup:	Agressive trail
Bottom Line:	THIS IS A ROAD BIKE CHAIN!!! I noticed on the box the word "Road" when the guy at the bike shop sold it to me. I told him at that time that there was a mistake, and he assured me that "all the mtn. bikers are using this chain". Pretty damn weak. Will the stand behind this? No way! Pathetic.
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Submitted by Ron a Racer from Everett Date Reviewed: 10/26/2004 2:33:29 PM
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Price Paid:	$40
Strengths:	Weight (about 20 gr lighter than any Shimano product. Powerlink allows easier chain cleaning.
Weaknesses:	Price ($40 chain)
Similar Products Tried:	Shimano and SRAM products.
Bike Setup:	Specialized Epic. XT Crank (integrated BB)with stock chainrings. 11-34 XT cassette. XTR rear der.
Bottom Line:	Great chain. Shifts well(same as Shimano), wears well (does not stretch as fast as Shimano). Lasted an entire XC race season (16 or so races)without any problems. I weigh 165lbs and am a power (stand up and mash) hill climber. I do clean my chain, cassette, and chainrings after every ride. I suspect this may be why others are breaking chains. If you are a racer, I reccommend this upgrade instead of the XT to XTR Cassette swap. You save the same amount of weight for a lot less $$.
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Submitted by j sutcliffe a Cross Country Rider from boise ID Date Reviewed: 7/2/2004 3:35:29 PM
FavoriteTrail:	Resurrection Pass
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Price Paid:	$30
Purchased At:	Online
Strengths:	The powerlink is great. Too bad it's stronger than the chain.
Weaknesses:	Breaks. This is the hollow pin version. NOT for mtn bikes.
Similar Products Tried:	Every shimano chain since 6 speed days (probably), Sachs, Taya
Bike Setup:	Road bike.
Bottom Line:	This chain broke on my Road bike. I wouldn't dare use it on a mtn bike. And I chucked it in the garbage after having it break twice in one day. In twenty plus years of hard riding I can't think of maybe but two or three times I broke a chain. This one broke in different spots mind you. Utter crap. What so I saved 25 grams...ooooooooo.....
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Submitted by cg a Cross Country Rider from boulder Date Reviewed: 4/19/2004 10:59:07 PM
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Strengths:	lightweight, innovation. connector
Weaknesses:	strength. broke twice in one month. not a good mountain bike chain
Bottom Line:	go with a solid pin sram for a measly 25 grams. luckily the last time it broke i was done riding but 2 times in 5 rides is enough for me my other sram products are top notch
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Submitted by Kevin Wiebe a Cross Country Rider from Houston, TX Date Reviewed: 10/24/2002 8:36:10 AM
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Price Paid:	$30
Purchased At:	On-Line
Strengths:	PowerLink connector works great!
Weaknesses:	Too weak. Chain broke after only 500Km. NOT for MTB use.
Similar Products Tried:	SRAM PC99 and PC58
Bike Setup:	Chain broke on my road bike.
Bottom Line:	This chain was being used on my road bike. The chain broke with only about 500Km on it. The link bars broke through right at the hole in the bar. I think it's great that SRAM is trying new things to get the weight down so I don't want to slam them too hard. The bars have holes in them and the edges of the bars are also beveled to reduce weight. I guess there�s just not enough material left. I�m still using the chain, minus a couple links as I want to see if it breaks again. I see SRAM has a chain with hollow pins now. Keep up the R&D SRAM but I�ll be switching back to the PC99. This chain is definitely not for MTB used.
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Submitted by Chris H a Cross Country Rider from Doylestown, PA Date Reviewed: 8/8/2002 11:17:29 AM
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Strengths:	Simple, strong, good shifting chain with the Power Link for easy disassembly and cleaning without having to deal with new pins w/ Shimano chains.
Weaknesses:	It gets dirty.
Similar Products Tried:	Shimano chains
Bike Setup:	Rocky Mountain Element Race
Bottom Line:	Install this chain properly (pretty sure many, if not most broken chain complaints weren't installed right) and keep it reasonably clean, and you'll do just fine with this chain. Shifts well even under heavy power, easy to clean. Make sure you read the instructions with the PowerLink, though, I broke one PowerLink after I disassembled it the wrong way. Got a new one and did it right and it's been excellent since.
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Submitted by moabbiker a Racer from USA Date Reviewed: 5/26/2002 8:14:08 AM
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Strengths:	good,lightweight
Bottom Line:	Good value. Designed for road bikes with the slotted link to help save on weight. Been using it for thousands of miles and will need replacement soon due to chain stretch, but this baby hasn't broke and the powerlink comes off with ease! Beats the crap out of the Shimano chain junk out of the 19th century.
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Submitted by Mark a Racer from Albuquerque Date Reviewed: 3/14/2002 10:18:37 PM
FavoriteTrail:	South Boundary Trail
Duration Product Used:	More than 3 years
Strengths:	Simple chain without gimicks (read not a Shimano product). Lasts longer than a Shimano and can be (and should be) assembled without a master link. Easy to install properly, although some people appear to still be greatly challenged.
Weaknesses:	It's a chain. You need to install it properly and you need to change it when it has stretched more than 1/16 of an inch over 100 links or so. Doesn't shift quite as well as a Shimano chain.
Similar Products Tried:	Mostly Sachs/Sedis chains, Regina, Shimano.
Bike Setup:	Several that don't matter to the content of this review.
Bottom Line:	Sedis has been making chains that are reliable and better performing than the the rest of the market. Despite Shimano's attempt to make their equipment work only with their hyperglide equipment, they have failed. I have never seen so many people with severe chiain problems. My advice, learn how to properly install a chain. Don't bother allowing the stoners at the local bike shop baby sit your bike for you, simply learn how to install the thing. Don't use the silly master link. Get a good chain tool and learn how to install the pin and then equalize outer plate pressure so it can run through the fairlead pulleys on your derailleur and not snap the thing. I give the Sedis or Sachs or SRAM or whatever the company calls their products a 4 star rating because no chain should get a five star unless it makes you go faster, but no chain (even Shimano) will break on the first ride unless it wasn't installed properly.
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Submitted by Matt a Racer from Wales Center, New York, USA Date Reviewed: 7/30/2001 7:58:50 PM
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Price Paid:	$25
Purchased At:	Handlebars Cycle Co.
Strengths:	Haven't experienced any yet, but it was nice to buy a chain like the XTR that I had that was encased in thick sticky grease.
Weaknesses:	The chain broke in the first 100 yards. That did not make my first ride of the year very enjoyable.
Similar Products Tried:	Shimano XTR, XT chains.
Bike Setup:	Intense Tracer, Raceface, XTR, Manitou
Bottom Line:	The chain broke, things happen, local bike shop not supportive, said they won't do anything about it since they didn't install it. How frickin hard is it to push a pin out and install the quicklink???? I broke that first chain 3 times before being able to get a replacement. Then I broke the replacement, and not to mention the quicklink. I'm in the process of hunting down SACHS' corporate info, so I can give them a piece of my mind!!!!! DO NOT BUY A SACHS PC89R, They are simply not reliable!!!!! I would rate this tenth of one Chili if that were possible!!!
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Submitted by Jeff a Cross Country Rider from Sacramento Date Reviewed: 7/28/2001 1:20:57 PM
FavoriteTrail:	Micky Mouse
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Purchased At:	River Rat
Strengths:	I don't think there are any! Yes, I thought of ONE! After the chain broke, it was very easily repaired. I was able to fix the chain with a black burn mountain light trail tool. I was very please at how good my tool worked. I am very happy with black burn mountain biking tools.The chain got me home!
Weaknesses:	Strenght! I rode this chain two rides and snapped the chain on a very easy cruiser trail. I am not happy with sachs
Similar Products Tried:	sachs 41,51.Shimano Hg,IG.
Bike Setup:	Rocky Mountain Instinct. XTR Rear, XT front and shifters Clara brakes(disc [hydro])EASTON EA 70 Riser bars!
Bottom Line:	I think one word sums up this chain and the company that designs this chain "Malodorous"! One flame only because you have too!
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Submitted by greg k a Downhiller from texas Date Reviewed: 5/13/2001 12:28:10 AM
FavoriteTrail:	all that go doooowwnnn
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Price Paid:	$30
Purchased At:	cambria
Strengths:	none
Weaknesses:	it blew apart at the power link
Similar Products Tried:	shimano....on a Walmart Mongoose
Bike Setup:	Mountaincycle San Andreas, xt derailers, xt shifters, caramba cranks on raceface rings, rockshox judy xlc, magura louise disc brakes, chris king headset, azonic risers, mavic wheels, wtb enduroraptor 2.1's, sun ringle zuzu pedals, niterider digital nightowl 2 headlight.( you outta get one)
Bottom Line:	I was told this would work on a mountain bike....It was night time, and I was breaking in my new San Andreas, first ride on it, and hit a fast steep downhill section that led to a very fast "power-pedaled" uphill. As I hit the halfway point of this climb, the chain snapped under power, and since i was pushing hard with my right foot, I slammed forward over the bars and crashed hard into the rocks. I came up bloody, but my San Andreas was unscratched....WHEEEWWW !!!!! Upon inspecting the chain, it was discovered that it blew apart at the PowerLink. Luckily I carry a chain tool, so at least I got home. I weigh about 200 lbs., and I never had this happen to my p.o.s. walmart chain. I wouldnt rate this chain at all but I have to give it one flaming turd to post this.
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Submitted by Mark from Albany Date Reviewed: 4/22/2001 1:07:06 PM
FavoriteTrail:	Diablo (NW side)
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Strengths:	Does not wear out cassettes and chainrings!
Weaknesses:	Nothing that stands out.
Similar Products Tried:	Shimano Dura Ace and Ultegra 9-speed chains
Bottom Line:	This review is based on my experience with this chain on my road bike. I don't know why this chain is listed on MTB Review as this is intended to be a road bike chain. That's what the "r" in PC89r means! Any way, this chain shifts about as well as the Dura Ace and Ultegra chains I've used (maybe runs a bit quieter). The rollers on the Shimano chains last a bit longer but suprisingly the SRAM chain doesn't stretch as fast. I say suprisingly because one would think that with the cutouts and bevels in the side plates of the SRAM chain would cause them to stretch out faster? The powerlink is a nice feature because it lets you remove the chain when a deep cleaning is in order without using costly chain pins. What really puts me over the top with this chain is the fact that it doesn't wear out your running gear (cassette & chainrings) like the shimano chains! I've got 1000 miles on my ulegra rear cassette and Dura Ace chainrings and the chainrings show almost no wear and after pulling and cleaning the cassette you would think it was new! With the Shimano chains, after one ride (say 40 miles) your new cassette will show the typical chain marks. But with the SRAM chain after 1000 miles the cassette still shines like a mirror and there are no chain marks at all!
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Submitted by kevin a Cross Country Rider from chicago Date Reviewed: 4/14/2001 2:37:29 PM
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Price Paid:	$21
Purchased At:	LBS
Strengths:	The shifting performance is awesome.
Weaknesses:	None
Similar Products Tried:	Shimano 8 speed
Bike Setup:	Xizang, XT,XTR, Truvative, 517,thompson, titec ti, mars c
Bottom Line:	The value of a good chain is under rated. I haven't tried the lower cost SRAM chains but I hear they are also top performers. Buy one today. Keep it clean and it will take care of you.
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Submitted by John Baker a Downhiller from Surrey, UK Date Reviewed: 3/9/2001 12:10:40 PM
FavoriteTrail:	Any where, Everywhere
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Price Paid:	$12
Purchased At:	Mail order
Strengths:	Looks good, Very strong, Power link, smooth. Much, much, much stronger than shimano alternatives,before i had the sachs, My shimano LX chain snapped within three weeks of being new. no such problems with the 89r
Weaknesses:	None
Similar Products Tried:	Shimano LX
Bike Setup:	Downhill hard tail, hydraulic discs
Bottom Line:	Excellent chain, Especially at the price i got it at........
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Submitted by Adam a Racer from Visalia Date Reviewed: 3/4/2001 10:21:38 PM
FavoriteTrail:	The dirt ones
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Price Paid:	$30
Purchased At:	Visalia Cyclery
Strengths:	Very easy to take apart great alternative to shimano shifts just fine
Weaknesses:	I haven't snapped it yet.
Similar Products Tried:	3 dura-ace chains
Bike Setup:	Custom frame, Superfly, XTR, Raceface 19" no carbon fiber or ti 22.5 lbs
Bottom Line:	I have snapped all my dura ace chains at the factory pins not the replacement pins. They stretch out too quickly. Keep it oiled and it will last a few thousand miles.
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Submitted by Yuckoid a Cross Country Rider from NY Date Reviewed: 2/8/2001 8:05:17 AM
FavoriteTrail:	Stewart
Duration Product Used:	2 Years
Price Paid:	$29
Purchased At:	nashbar
Strengths:	It comes apart which allows for easy cleaning
Weaknesses:	comes apart so easily you begin to obsess about drivetrain cleanliness, also, it seemed a little harder to break in than other chains, but this is probably because it's made out of harder metal
Similar Products Tried:	chains that don't come apart
Bike Setup:	cannondale f-700
Bottom Line:	I have yet to find any negative aspect, the product turns the filthy chore of drivetrain cleaning into only a minor inconvenience. As mtbikers go, I am a real fatass and have mashed on this chain big time and it has never broken.
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Submitted by John a Cross Country Rider from Fayetteville Date Reviewed: 9/14/2000 8:50:31 PM
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Price Paid:	$30
Purchased At:	LBS
Strengths:	neat looking relieved links. Power link II is definitely cool, but really takes three hands to remove, though assembly is a chinch. Supposedly strong, but after four rides who can tell. I've only broken one shimano chain before, and it was at least four years old.
Weaknesses:	Funky shifting in the front, more overall noise, not as crisp rear shifting. Absolutely unable to get front derailer adjusted so I could get both big and small cassette cogs without rubbing on one end when in the big ring, not to mention rubbing in the two smaller chainrings. The drivetrain is '00 shimano and in excellant shape.
Similar Products Tried:	Shimano HG92/Dura Ace (7700)
Bike Setup:	Litespeed Obed
Bottom Line:	may be strong and easy to attach, but the decrease in shifting performance in the front especially, and a little in the rear just doesn't do a 30 dollar chain justice that is supposed to work with 9 speed drive trains. This is Shimano's fault for all their proprietary hardware, but honestly it works for me. PC-89R meant more noise, decreased rear crispness, funky front shifting. Switched back to a new Shimano Dura Ace chain, and smooth...........
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Submitted by chain breaker from boston Date Reviewed: 9/14/2000 6:06:50 AM
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Price Paid:	$20
Purchased At:	pedrosfest
Strengths:	dependable
Weaknesses:	none so far
Similar Products Tried:	shimano hg chains
Bike Setup:	Klein Mantra
Bottom Line:	What sets this chain apart from the others is the powerlink. This link allows for easy removal that does not comprmise the chain's strength. All the shimano chains i have used always fail at the special pin. This is especially important if you hard on your drivetrain and shift into bigring/bigring gears because the lateral stress will sooner or later cause failure at the pin! My advice is to dump your shimano and go with a power chain!
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Submitted by Merlinator a Cross Country Rider from Eastern Washington Date Reviewed: 9/13/2000 2:18:18 PM
FavoriteTrail:	The one to higher ground
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Strengths:	Power Link Smooth shifting for a while
Weaknesses:	Rollers
Similar Products Tried:	Shimano
Bike Setup:	Shimano XT 9 sp cassette, Race Face rings
Bottom Line:	I have had three of these chains fail in the last 6-9 months. Same failure on all three. The rollers on the chain begin to get dished. They soon develop fractures in the rollers and rollers begin to fall off. I have seen 2 other PC89 chains do the same thing, other than my 3. I have also had a PC 59 with same failure. The current PC89 on my bike is just starting to develop fractured rollers.
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Submitted by biknben a Racer from Robbinsville, NJ Date Reviewed: 9/3/2000 4:21:06 PM
Duration Product Used:	2 Years
Price Paid:	$29
Strengths:	Strong, easy removal
Weaknesses:	Heavier that Shimano but we're talking grams here
Similar Products Tried:	Shimano high end chains
Bike Setup:	GT I-Drive, full XTR, etc.
Bottom Line:	The chain is bomb proof. Don't need to bring chain tool on rides any more. I trust it. Powerlink is an awesome idea. Makes cleaning easy. I've broken countless shimano chains. The shimano pivot pin is easy to install but creates a weak link and you always have to carry more just in case.
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