 |
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
Home | Product Reviews | Chain | SRAM PC-99 (9 speed) | ||||
|
|
||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
|
|
|
|
Submitted by
Thu Beav
a Weekend Warrior
from Decatur, GA, USA, Duh.
Date Reviewed: 11/9/2007 7:02:39 PM |
|
| FavoriteTrail: | Pinhoti North |
| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: | $49 |
| Purchased At: | REI |
| Strengths: | It works. It's lighter I think. It has fancy hollow pins. |
| Weaknesses: | Some folks have posted bad reviews. I don't see any problems. |
| Similar Products Tried: | All of 'em. |
| Bike Setup: | Jamis Dakar Pro '03. Raceface Team CR. XTR cassette and ders ( who can spell derailleur anyway?). |
| Bottom Line: | I like this chain because it's lighter and spins and shifts better than the $12 ones. I am not the smoothest rider but I try. I do weigh 210. My mechanic buddies would say I am a thrasher but that's not entirely true. Still my chain doesn't snap right and left. But if it did I totally have the tools to move on. Once I was out front and making time when I got weeds in my rear der which created a chain pretzel. After my repair I was DFL and single speed. Lovely. Then the guy who helped me rig my gears snapped his chain too. Duh Oh. After that I started buying these chains. No problems. It's totally worth money not to have your ride interrupted especially if you're out there. |
Value Rating: 
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
Philip Olson
a Weekend Warrior
from Bellingham, WA --USA
Date Reviewed: 10/4/2007 10:23:53 AM |
|
| FavoriteTrail: | Galbraith Mt. |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $19 |
| Purchased At: | Joes |
| Strengths: | Fairly smooth shifting, POWERLINK |
| Weaknesses: | This chain broke on me. I've never had that happen before, and it was only used for 3 months. No signs of irregular wear or rust or anything on the chain OR cassette-- just plan snapped. Big inconvenience to push my bike the rest of the way. |
| Bike Setup: | Trek 4900 |
| Bottom Line: | Maybe this is an isolated incident, but it's pretty ridiculous to have a chain break when it's only 3 months old. |
Value Rating: 
Overall Rating: 
|
|
|
Submitted by
matt lepito
a Cross Country Rider
from baltimore
Date Reviewed: 6/7/2006 7:29:06 PM |
|
| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: | $40 |
| Purchased At: | lbs |
| Strengths: | easy to remove for spring cleaning, strong chain |
| Weaknesses: | none |
| Similar Products Tried: | shimano |
| Bike Setup: | k2 team |
| Bottom Line: | The best chain for the money. I have two bikes, a full suspension and a hardtail. I have pc99's on both. I have never replaced the chain. The hardtail is 7 years old, and the pc99 has never broke, never missed a shift, and has not stretched. No chain stretch over 7 years! I ride hard, and don't use the granny gear. I have picked up a stick and destroyed a rear derailleur, but the chain didn't break. I got a new xtr, but the pc99 remained. |
|
Value Rating:
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
Todd
a Cross Country Rider
from Fowlerville, MI
Date Reviewed: 5/4/2006 4:54:32 PM |
|
| FavoriteTrail: | Pontiac Lake |
| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Purchased At: | Online |
| Strengths: | Super strong chain and Power Link ! |
| Weaknesses: | None Period. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shimano |
| Bike Setup: | Surly Pugsley single speed setup |
| Bottom Line: | I rode the solid pin chain for a full season and never once had an issue with it. It never broke, came loose, failed to shift....nada. How everyone else is having trouble with this chain in beyond me. I'm 6'2" and weigh 180 lbs and mash big gears like there's no tomorrow. (What's a granny gear ?) Then after a full season I lost a KMC heavy duty chain riding my Pugsley through the winter here in Michigan and swapped my old 99 on in a pinch. After three months of slushy muddy torture you know what? the chain still works great....a little stretched though. Power to the Pug baby !! |
|
Value Rating:
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
Mark
a Weekend Warrior
from Cairo Egypt
Date Reviewed: 3/31/2006 4:33:42 AM |
|
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $35 |
| Purchased At: | online |
| Strengths: | Lightweight smooth shifting |
| Weaknesses: | Power Link is a good idea but isn't as easy to disassemble as touted, at least initially. Chain isn't durable. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shimano |
| Bike Setup: | Marin with SRAM drive train. |
| Bottom Line: | If your a big guy (I weigh 220 plus) or ride hard and with some torque this isn't the chain for you. I don't know if it is the hollow pin or the power link. I have had the chain break three times in three different spots. I'm out of links and shopping for a different brand. Too bad, because I like the rest of the drivetrain. |
|
Value Rating:
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
Todd
a Cross Country Rider
from Victoria, BC
Date Reviewed: 3/21/2006 6:01:47 PM |
|
| FavoriteTrail: | Anything fun |
| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: | $30 |
| Strengths: | Strong, fairly light, durable |
| Weaknesses: | Not the BEST shifting you can get |
| Similar Products Tried: | Other Shimano, Sram |
| Bike Setup: | TST Ti hardtail, Marzocci MX Comp ETA, FSA Orbit XLII, Thompson hardware, Shimano drive, Crankbrother Candys, Chris King Hubs, Mavic 717 rims, etc |
| Bottom Line: | This review is for the solid pin version. For price, durability, and ease of use (powerlink) I don't think you can get a better chain. I'm 210lb and have rarely broken these chains. I do however spin fast and don't grind so if your heavy and pushing 40rpm up a hill you may have problems. I use these chains with my commuter as well and have got thousands of kms on them. Great strong chains. Best to use with a SRAM cassette. I have also used the hollow-pin version and found it to be much weaker breaking it several times. Also, the pins just get filled with dirt so if your looking at saving some grams, don't bother as you'll just be carrying mother nature around with you instead. |
Value Rating:
Overall Rating: 
|
|
|
Submitted by
nate
a Racer
from reno, nv
Date Reviewed: 3/13/2006 4:51:51 PM |
|
| FavoriteTrail: | fernhill loop, NZ |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Strengths: | -lasts a while -I really like the powerlink while cleaning. -weight |
| Weaknesses: | -not quite as smooth as Shimano |
| Similar Products Tried: | PC-79 and many Shimano HG |
| Bike Setup: | whatever they give me |
| Bottom Line: | This is the longest lasting chain I've had...period. Every Shimano chain that I've owned BROKE. Shimano chains give you no warning before they fail. Three races were lost last year due to Shimano schitty chains. I did have a chain tool during the last two races, but the chains kept breaking (one instance was in three different spots). All three chains were brand spankin' new. Third times a charming. I've gone SRAM and I haven't looked back since, havn't broken a chain since either. Knock, knock, knock. When the SRAM chain starts to stretch...replace it. Before it streches...clean and lube it. I will give Shimano this: their chains are a LITTLE crisper while shifting. BFD |
|
Value Rating:
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
Petr
a Cross Country Rider
from Virginia, USA
Date Reviewed: 3/9/2006 5:20:35 AM |
|
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $28 |
| Strengths: | Powerlink for Cleaning |
| Weaknesses: | Soft chain/ bad material. on Third ride I have bent/twisted couple links, this has not happened with shimano chain in last 5-7 years |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shimano Duraace |
| Bike Setup: | Trek fuel carbon and other |
| Bottom Line: | Go shimano, powerlink is nice but if you do not want to risk unexpected failures stay away. Links twisted and also some bacame damaged to the point where the chain would not bend/go smooth through the derraileur. Powerlink had no damage. But the rest was wasted.. I have replaced after 1 month - back to shimano duraace.... |
|
Value Rating:
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
Daniel
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix
Date Reviewed: 12/14/2005 2:02:02 PM |
|
| FavoriteTrail: | Trail 100 |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $50 |
| Purchased At: | South Mountain Bike Shop |
| Strengths: | Light Weight, Power Link |
| Weaknesses: | Doesn't shift very well, chain suck... |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shimano CN-7701 |
| Bike Setup: | Specialized Epic, XT cranks, front derailer, XTR rear derailer, Crossmax wheels |
| Bottom Line: | This chain doesn't shift as smoothly as the Shimano CN-7701 and costs almost twice as much. I put the chain on my bike three months ago and replaced it with a new CN-7701 after several experiencing shifting problems that couldn't be resolved by adjusting my derailer. In my opinion, SRAMs chains are not as good as Shimano's... |
|
Value Rating:
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Antioch
Date Reviewed: 11/22/2005 8:57:33 PM |
|
| FavoriteTrail: | Sigh - t' Granma's house |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $32 |
| Purchased At: | Performance |
| Strengths: | As below, nice! Fast, slick, quiet. |
| Weaknesses: | Not as forgiving as bulged chain. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shi' Ma, NO |
| Bike Setup: | VT3, mostly stock |
| Bottom Line: | I still really like this chain. As suspected (below), one must be a little more careful, especially if used to bulged sideplate style chain; this time, I know exactly what I did. Leaving a cattle gate, I downshifted and cut into a link a lil' bit; I wasn't really paying attention, was pretty tired ('n a pretty gal just glided by), and hadn't enough momentum to shift, so just powered it. Soon after, a little tweaking, peening, etc., at the toolbench straightened the sideplates and ensured the pin wouldn't work loose this time. Remounting the chain with effected area facing out, whala, all good again! Since, have been careful, no problems. This chain is a sweet one, but once spoiled by one of them bulged chains, this one might take some getting used to - there's a point when the chain is climbing up to the next cog where you hafta lay off the power a little more than with a bulgy. There's very little difference going to a smaller cog. It's a tradeoff - well worth it in my mind, but not at list price. |
|
Value Rating:
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Antioch
Date Reviewed: 11/13/2005 3:21:16 AM |
|
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $32 |
| Strengths: | Sick Sweet Slick plated finish stays cleaner. Tight tolerances means less dirt gets INSIDE, smoother, quieter, more powerful! I think straight sideplates are better. Although one must be a little bit more careful, it's tighter, smoother. |
| Weaknesses: | Tighter tolerances means more frequent lubes. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shima NO |
| Bike Setup: | Giant VT3, mostly stock |
| Bottom Line: | At near 1% "stretch," time for a new chain - blown away by how much quieter, smoother, faster the 99 is! Early on I must've put a munch on a link while carelessly downshifting. A week later I figured out what was us up with skipping on smallest cogs when it suddenly got worse, then failed. Since that loooong walk, all good! This chain is tight, slick, fast, but not as forgiving when it comes to sloppy shifts and jamming power in the middle of that sloppy shift, 'k? The hollow pins look cool and make the chain a lil' lighter. I doubt very very much that the hollow pins will be any kind of problem, as they are both tough and strong, believe me, I checked 'em out (and I oughta know, what with machinist background and metallurgy knowledge). SRAM on! 4 Value 'cause list price is >$50 |
|
Value Rating:
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
Richard Price
a Cross Country Rider
from Mammoth Lakes
Date Reviewed: 10/7/2005 1:37:08 PM |
|
| FavoriteTrail: | John's Trail Park City Utah |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $30 |
| Purchased At: | Jenson USA |
| Strengths: | SRAM pc 99 Hollowppin Definately Power Link, ease of cleaning, shifting is great It seems that alot of people have broken this chain, I have been using this on my road bike, xc bike and my free ride bike. No problems, no breaks. I have been very happy with this chain. Very light and if you use www.qbike.com you can find them pretty cheap. I do alot of racing NORBA, Xterra, 24 hour races and have had no problems. |
| Weaknesses: | None so far |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shimano, KMC, Connex |
| Bike Setup: | Road bike= Giant Carbon fiber, FSA compact crank XC bike= Rocky Mountain element 70 Free Ride= Giant Reign 1 |
| Bottom Line: | Great chain, light, cheap, POWER LINK rocks. |
|
Value Rating:
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
Dave Mennenoh
a Racer
from Waukesha, WI
Date Reviewed: 10/2/2005 4:37:57 PM |
|
| FavoriteTrail: | John Muir |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $40 |
| Purchased At: | Online |
| Strengths: | Good shifting, powerlink |
| Weaknesses: | Breaks too easily |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shimano |
| Bike Setup: | Marin frame, SRAM X-9 |
| Bottom Line: | I've had two of these chains this summer and both of them broke. The second one broke at the powerlink connector - I guess it came apart and fell off. I like the powerlink feature but I think I am going back to Shimano and getting a Craig superlink for it. |
|
Value Rating:
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
Brad
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: 10/1/2005 4:01:57 PM |
|
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Strengths: | Light |
| Weaknesses: | Strength |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shimano |
| Bike Setup: | XC racing hardtail, Complete Sram X0 drivetrain with twist grips |
| Bottom Line: | I have had this chain break trice in the last three rides. Both times it was not at the power link. One time I was seated and spinning uphill and the other time I was standing up going uphill. I weigh 170lbs and my bike is less than 20lbs. I do not trust this chain. Every component on the bike was brand new when the chain was installed. |
|
Value Rating:
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Oklahoma City
Date Reviewed: 9/4/2005 11:59:02 AM |
|
| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: | $25 |
| Purchased At: | LBS |
| Strengths: | Powerlink is easy to use and facilitates chain cleaning and drivetrain maintenance , Shifts well, quiet, lasts |
| Weaknesses: | none |
| Similar Products Tried: | shimano |
| Bike Setup: | 05 Racer X 100, X9 triggers, XO rear der, XTR front der, XTR crank, XT cassette, XTR discs w/XT levers, Fox F100X fork, RP3 shock, Crossmax SL disc wheels,Ritchey Excavader tires, FSA XC190 bars, Ritchey WCS stem, Thomson seatpost, SLR saddle, Time ATAC carbon pedals. |
| Bottom Line: | I've been using PC-99 chains for the last 5 or more years and I have never experienced a single failure. I don't understand people's difficulty operating the powerlink. The powerlink is very easy to use; just squeeze the sideplates toward each other, then push the ends of the chain toward each other. This removes the opposing tension which holds the link in place and the link pops right out with the flick of a finger. With regular cleaning and lube, I've gotten a year of use from one chain. I generally like the upper-end Shimano chains as well,but have experienced one failure (out of many chains). The powerlink works great with the Shimano chains too. I have not tried the new Sram chains or the hollow pin version of the PC-99. BTW I weigh about 165 and ride XC pretty much exclusively. |
|
Value Rating:
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
Kyle
a Cross Country Rider
from Oklahoma City
Date Reviewed: 9/4/2005 10:17:46 AM |
|
| FavoriteTrail: | single track |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $40 |
| Purchased At: | lbs |
| Strengths: | power link |
| Weaknesses: | it breaks too easily |
| Similar Products Tried: | shimmano, kmc |
| Bike Setup: | Cannondale F800, pretty much stock |
| Bottom Line: | I'm totally disapopointed in Sram chains. I purchased one for my single speed and my son broke it after about a month of riding. I purchased the PC990 for the C-dale and on the first ride out my son broke that one too. I thought that maybe it was his riding style or something but on the same ride he broke the PC990 I broke the sram chain on the single speed I was riding. Its like I'm nervous about going out with these things. I've never broken chains in the past, maybe I need to go back to KMC. |
|
Value Rating:
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Hidden Valley
Date Reviewed: 9/2/2005 5:34:02 AM |
|
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $45 |
| Purchased At: | Speedgoat |
| Strengths: | Powerlink is awesome. Lightweight. |
| Weaknesses: | WEAK. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Rohloff xlt |
| Bike Setup: | Ellsworth Moment. |
| Bottom Line: | Probably not a good idea to use this chain on an all mountain bike, and I dont think that is what it is intended for. I broke this chain 3 times w/in a month and that was enough for me. I had never broken a chain in my life. It is a good thing this comes with the powerlink as that made fixing a breeze. I must admit it does shift really well-no skipping. I got a Rohloff and no more broken chains. |
Value Rating:
Overall Rating: 
|
|
|
Submitted by
ryan
a Cross Country Rider
from adelaide
Date Reviewed: 8/20/2005 4:12:34 PM |
|
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $30 |
| Strengths: | light, powerlink is easy to use |
| Weaknesses: | weak |
| Similar Products Tried: | shimano xtr, sram pc69, pc99 hollow pin |
| Bike Setup: | ellsworth, xtr, king, x0 etc |
| Bottom Line: | lightweight, good looking chain (this is more for the hollowpin review, even though I have used both the pc99 and the pc99 hollow.. However, I have snapped 2 of them fairly easily and will try something else next time. |
|
Value Rating:
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
Martin
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, CO
Date Reviewed: 8/7/2005 3:50:42 PM |
|
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $34 |
| Strengths: | I cannot think of any |
| Weaknesses: | The powerlink is difficult to use, and more trouble than anything else. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shimano DuraAce/XTR chain. |
| Bike Setup: | Hardtail Lightspeed |
| Bottom Line: | I have used Shimano chains for years and recently put a Sram PC-99 chain on my bike because it was on sale. The powerlink is suppose to be easy to use. I found it to be extremely difficult to open once it's on your bike. (I was putting a new derailleur on and could not get the powerlink open). The bottomline is the Sram chain was hard to work with, not as smooth and more expensive. After a month on my bike I took it off, put it in the trash, and put a Shimano back on. The powerlink is more trouble than using a chain tool. I cannot recommend this product to anyone. |
|
Value Rating:
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
Palek
a Cross Country Rider
from Rolla, Mo, USA
Date Reviewed: 7/27/2005 12:47:21 AM |
|
| FavoriteTrail: | Council Bluffs |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Purchased At: | Abel Bicycle Shop, Rolla |
| Strengths: | Shiney Light Just Bling |
| Weaknesses: | It breaks alot. I broke it on the first ride while climbing then I broke it just riding around the yard. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Shimano LX / 105 level |
| Bike Setup: | 2003 Specialized Enduro Frame, 2003 Marz Z1 FR Bomber, X-0 Rear dearileur, X-0 front Shifter, X-9 rear Shifter, hone front deraileur, Saint Double crankset, King Disco tech hubs, Mavic x317 disc rims, Juicy 5 brakes, Raceface headseat, Thompson seatpost/stem, Crankbros mallet pedals |
| Bottom Line: | This bike might work fine for light weight XC hardtail racing types. But the first time the chair broke I was simply riding XC up a hill and it caught and snapped. The second time I was doing some small drops in my front yard and the chain just broke, no advance warning this time. . . . in any case I've come to expect better from SRAM and wish they would either re classify this chain or create a better chain for full suspension bikes |
|
Value Rating:
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
Wayne
a Cross Country Rider
from Monument, CO
Date Reviewed: 7/11/2005 7:50:45 AM |
|
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $35 |
| Purchased At: | performance |
| Strengths: | Price, |
| Weaknesses: | strength, broke 2x in less than 2 months at different places |
| Similar Products Tried: | Sram 970, shimano hg |
| Bike Setup: | Jekyll 2000, sram x-7 rear and sram 990 cassette |
| Bottom Line: | I really really wanted to like this chain. I got the chain and casette on a great sale and decided to switch over from my old XT stuff. The first thing I noticed was the Sram cassette was a little heaver than the XT but no big deal my old chain was pretty worn so it was a good time to switch. I couldn't get it to stop ghost shift, at first I thought I had bent my derailer hanger, but on closer inspection the Sram chain had a link that was pulling apart and was riding up on the next larger cog occationaly. I got it fixed but another one pulled apart on the same ride. Then the next day it pulled apart in another spot. With a full camelbak I'm easily pushing 240lbs, I don't think Sram had clyds in mind when they made this. |
|
Value Rating:
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
Garrett
a Cross Country Rider
from Richmond, VA, USA
Date Reviewed: 6/20/2005 3:01:06 PM |
|
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Strengths: | Somewhat cheap for a supposed "elite" quality chain. |
| Weaknesses: | Powerlink. Easy to use, but easy to break! |
| Bottom Line: | This is the second SRAM chain I have broken in about 700 miles. Both have broken at the gold powerlink. Granted, the powerlink is very easy to put together and you don't have to use a chain tool, however, in my experience, the powerlink has broken multiple times. I suppose I have extra beef with SRAM because it took me out of my favorite race, but the powerlink is certainly more trouble than it is worth. |
|
Value Rating:
Overall Rating:
|
|
|
Submitted by
Richard
a Cross Country Rider
from Huntington Beach, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: 5/2/2005 4:21:42 AM |
|
| FavoriteTrail: | Moro Canyon, OC |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $32 |
| Purchased At: | Supergo.com, but shipped from Performance |
| Strengths: | Powerlink - great invention |
| Weaknesses: | The chain was missing half a plate an the inner link, brand-spanking new! If I hadn't inspected the chain right out of the box, I would have never caught it. |
| Similar Products Tried: | SRAM PC-59. I've gone through two over the last four years. I was pretty happy with the 59s. They lasted about two years apiece through rough riding and an average of 20 miles per week. |
| Bike Setup: | Custom-built Access from Supergo. Full XT drivetrain, hubs, and shifters, Judy SL forks, Bontrager Mustang rims, SD7 brakes. |
| Bottom Line: | What ever happened to quality control?! How can you put a chain with half a link on the shelf? Did someone in Portugal (where these are assembled) take a siesta when they were supposed to be trabajando? I am a 167lbs rider who averages about 20 miles per week depending on work. I pedal pretty hard even though I should spin more. One ride with these and they would have snapped! Perhaps that's what happened with those of you guys who's PC-99s snapped after a few rides. It's a crying shame that one of SRAM's best chains is being shipped with being inspected. Perhaps they should move the |