12 speed chains compatible with 11 speed drivetrain?

Since your google is apparently broken... Start vid at ~4:20 and look in comments...

Amazing how some people can't comprehend context.

I've always used 10 speed chains on 9 speed cassettes without any problems, so I'm not expecting the use of 12 speed chain on 11 speed cassette to be any different.

I've been running a GX Eagle and a YBN 12 speed chain on my GF's bike for a year now without issues so you should be fine

I’m using 12 speed Sram chain on 11 speed. No problems. Works great.

Local shop was out of 11 speed chains so I took shop guys word that 12 would work. He was right.


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chucko58 said:

My current MTB has an 11 speed Shimano drivetrain, and the new 29er/27.5+ bike I'm building (if the frame ever gets here from China) will have 11 speed (also from China) to start with.

Problem is, my favorite LBS has only KMC chains in 11 speed... and my new ride will need more than 118 links.

The LBS has several Shimano and SRAM 12-speed chains in stock, though. Is anyone running a major brand 12 speed chain on an 11 speed setup? Are there any issues to watch out for?

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Thinner always trumps thicker!

chucko58 said:

and my new ride will need more than 118 links.

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^ Why?

12 will work fine.

mikesee said:

^ Why?

12 will work fine.

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My 26" bike with an 11-51 cassette and a 32t chainring needs 116 links. I'm putting a similar drivetrain on a 29er with longer chainstays.

noapathy said:

Since your google is apparently broken...

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Gee, I'm sorry I asked for people's actual experiences here.

Not.

Shimano 12 speed chains won't be compatible as they are HG+ and the inner profile is different. If you want to use a 12 speed chain use a Sram.
Or IIRC you can use a Shimano 12 speed chain but you will need to use a Sram quick link.

It will work fine. Be careful with checking wear though. I just broke my first chain in 30 years of riding (well, 2nd, but the first one was due to me reinstalling a pin like an idiot). It was a 12 spd shimano chain. Inner plate broke and ruined an xtr cassette. It was extremely thin. Upon further inspection, the chain length indicated it should have been replaced months ago, but I overlooked it.

huckleberry hound said:

Shimano 12 speed chains won't be compatible as they are HG+ and the inner profile is different. If you want to use a 12 speed chain use a Sram.
Or IIRC you can use a Shimano 12 speed chain but you will need to use a Sram quick link.

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Yeah, that's the kind of minor annoyance I'm concerned about. I have used SRAM chains for decades. At first it was because Shimano didn't have a quick link. They finally caught on, but theirs is "single use only". (Does anyone NOT reuse them??) I have one Shimano 11sp chain in my rotation now, and the whole idea of a "this side out" on their chain seems quirky.

I haven't noticed any difference in shifting behavior between SRAM and Shimano 11sp chains on my current setup. And now I've added a ZTTO chain to the rotation as well. So far they all work fine. I'm not expecting the ZTTO to last all that long, but we'll see.