4 Takeaways from the CyclingTips Ultimate Chain Test
Our friends over at CyclingTips embarked on a mammoth test this past year to find the best bicycle chain going. They worked with Adam Kerin of Zero Friction Cycling, who spent 3,000 hours and over AU$15,000 of his own money, using a motorised Tacx Neo torture rack and precision measurements to determine the most durable and efficient chains.
Of course, chains matter a lot more to road bikers, where every lost watt can mean big losses over the course of a long ride, but there's plenty us mountain bikers can take away from this too, especially as some mountain bike chains got put through the wringer along with the road chains too.
We'd recommend reading the whole best bicycle chain test, but if you just want to get to the meat of it, here are the four key takeaways.
There are clear differences between chain brands
A sample of the chains tested. Credit: CyclingTips
Is a chain just a chain? Apparently not, according to this investigation. CyclingTips found a range of up to 4 watts in power difference between the most (Shimano 11-speed) and least efficient (SRAM Eagle X01) chain. Bear in mind this is just from one part of the drivetrain and SRAM claim that efficiency testing is only valid if it is carried out over the whole drivetrain, and they believe that their whole drivetrains perform comparably to the competition. However, 4 watts is a fairly substantial gulf, especially if efficiency is your ultimate aim.
There was also a huge difference in the durability of the chains tested. CyclingTips believe you could get thousands of kilometers more use out of the most durable (SRAM XX1) than the least durable (KMC X11E). According to Adam Kerin, “SRAM claim the world’s longest-lasting chain with their XX1, and they are not kidding. Both the X01 and XX1 chains were so far ahead of any other chain from a pure elongation wear measure that I had to re-run the tests. The results were basically identical. Their longevity is phenomenal.”
More cogs=more durability
The test found that the more cogs a chain is designed to operate over, the more durable it is. This may go against conventional wisdom that older 8-, 9- and even 10-speed systems offer wider cog widths, which provide increased surface area with the chain and should make them more durable. However, the opposite was true here
The reasoning for this is less clear, but certain materials have improved, manufacturing processes have become refined, and new low-friction coatings have been added. Similarly, the chain designs themselves have changed, and where 8- and even 9-speed chains would see the inner links turn solely on the connecting pins, newer chains typically see these forces shared across the pins and specifically stamped plates, too.
Your lubricant is as important as your chain
The special brew lube being applied. Credit: CyclingTips
The chains were tested with a purposefully gritty lubricant to accelerate the chain wear in the test. This showed that, no matter how durable a chain is, the lubricant you use will play the most critical role in drivetrain durability. Kerin apparently ground down an endless number of chainrings and cassettes with any chain that made it past the 2,500km mark, effectively destroying the rest of the drivetrain before it failed. As always, run a good lube and keep your drivetrain clean – that’s the real trick to getting the most value and performance from your drivetrain components.
Most brands offer good options
Credit: CyclingTips.
One of the main takeaways from the study is that there is probably nothing wrong with the stock set up you're likely to already be running. Shimano chains are seemingly the most efficient on the market while also offering decent durability. SRAM chains were not quite as efficient in this test, but their durability scores them big points and should help them survive mountain biking all year round in even the worst conditions. If you're running a stock chain at the moment, don't rush out to change it, it's probably doing its job just fine.
However, there is merit in spending more on chains from within the big brands. For example, Eagle XO1 and XX1 were measurably more durable than NX and GX chains. And if you’re racing, XTR is more efficient than XT.
Read the full best bicycle chain test.
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and then it will suck you in and drag on...
"Kerin apparently ground down an endless number of chainrings and cassettes with any chain that made it past the 2,500km mark effectively destroying the rest of the drivetrain before it failed"
"This may go against conventional wisdom that older 8-, 9- and even 10-speed systems do offer wider cog widths which provide increased surface area with the chain and should make them more durable. However, the opposite was true here"
I usually replace 2-3 chains a season.
Smoove lube is very affordable which I use. I heat the chain to 40degC in a double water bath for first application
Investing in a proper ultrasonic cleaner makes a huge difference compared with agitating in jar.
Always finish cleaning with alcohol to get rid of smear layer +\- water after kero meths wax cleaner( alcohol/Toluene) detergent/water
www.ceramicspeed.com/en/cycling/journal/ceramicspeed-introduces-world-s-fastest-chain-coating/@peleton7:
I've previously covered this topic in-depth for CyclingTips. Google "Holy Grail of Chain Lube" if interested.
Sorry forgot to say No Kids!!
It’s actually quicker than it sounds
And quicker than cleaning off normal lube, as cassette, jockey wheels and ring is way quicker to clean.
Who doesn’t like a clean ring?
@tripleultrasuperboostplusplus:
There could be a better solution?
3,000hrs and $15k of his own money just to say "whatever you have is fine".
er... ok thanks guy!
cyclingtips.com/2019/12/nerd-alert-podcast-an-unhealthy-obsession-with-chains
Will I keep running SRAM chains? Probably not-I'll go for the better shift quality of a Shimano drivetrain. But props to SRAM for durable chains (and cassettes). If SRAM shifting can get close to Shimano without the cost of an electronic drivetrain, I might even stick with the SRAM stuff.
Are you aware of the theory behind their statement that narrower chains would be weaker? I'm interested to hear why this would be as it kind of goes against my theory above.
They compared a low end shimano HG40 8 speed chain and a middle end hg93 9sp chain to an ultegra 11 and xtr 12 chains. This is totally unconclusive about chains made for higher cogs being more efficient. Another conclusion could be that you can't buy anymore high end chains for older 8 and 9sp systems.
I'm not saying the assumption is not true, just that it would need some other data, like using some NOS dura-ace chains to find out why it is so.
Otherwise, just check the chain for stretch and replace as warranted.
I do wipe down my chain after every ride and relube every couple rides. I only use Dumonde Tech lubes.
Lasting twice as long as an XTR (/Dura Ace) chain, it means my chain ring and cassette will also last twice as long.
As I expected investing a little extra in this chain will significantly reduce the costs on my bike due to half the wear on the chain, chain ring and cassette.
In my opinion the XX1 is the great winner of this test and I would recommend it to anyone who has an 11sp cassette to save money long-term, regardless if it's a cheap or expensive drive train.
With no wear / extra length, it doesn't matter how hard the rollers are, they won't eat into your ring.
Even if one chain might have harder rollers than the other (which is an assumption and for all we know it would theoretically also be possible the XX1 has softer rollers), the difference would probably only be a couple of percent, and not twice as much.
They should have made that measurement, for the same chain wear which chain caused more wear on the cogs/c.ring.
Since then I have been really happy with both the kmc x10-93 and the sram xx1. Both have lasted > 2500km with lots of pnw winter mud. These chains together lasted longer than a rear hub, 3 bottom brackets and a headset.
I'm starting to think the secret to long chain life is that I clean and lube the chain after every ride.
Now I am genuinely curious what is a good chain to use and this article doesn't really settle anything for me. Guy put in a lot of work. I'm planning to stick with the cheap kmc because they're cheap and lasted too long already.
And the more teeth a cog/chainring has the less wear the chain has, as the links relative movement is lessened.
I pull my chain, put splash of this cleaner in a plastic bin and mix with water. I let the chain soak while I clean my bike. Then, brush with an old toothbrush, rinse, pull through a towel to dry and then re-lube. Rock n Roll lube and WD40 wet lube work great. My chains last/zero issues.
Broke 2 brand new M8000 chains on 2 different bikes, both with less than half a season on them.
This old Shimano guy has learned his lesson
T9 & Tri Low/PTFE. degrease and put back wax.
Just a coincidence?
The 7 speed downhill groupsets from sram don’t use 6/7/8 speed spaced chains. They use 11.
From pros running shimano, I think some are using cut down 11 speed DA cassettes.
They are usually just 11spd road cassettes and you just throw away the easiest 4 gears.
2.26 is way less than 4
Yeah pinkbike. You keep miss quoting articles. Hopefully you correct this article.
Campagnolo chains last the longest (lets say 100)
Shimano XTR / DuraAce next (80)
Shimano XT (70)
Sram top of the line (40)
More cogs does not mean more durability. It means less durability on both chain and cassete because of the poor chainline. And the derailer last less because the pivot needs to work on extreme angles. Once worn out, you just need to get a new one.
cyclingtips.com/2019/12/the-best-bicycle-chain-durability-and-efficiency-tested
For lube, the oil used for old sawing machine was the standard for decades, before "bike-specific" oils were branded.