On Monday, February 24, 2020 at 11:14:06 PM UTC, AMuzi wrote:
On 2/24/2020 3:50 PM, Andre Jute wrote:
On Monday, February 24, 2020 at 9:32:41 PM UTC, wrote:
I tried a KMC chain because it came pre lubed with my favorite wax lube. This saved me the initial cleaning of the factory lube of the new chain. I was really disappointed about the durability of this chain. Won't use them anymore. Will stick to Ultegra and/or Campagnolo Record chains.

This is odd. KMC 8sp chains, in conjunction with a Chainglider to enclose the chain and running on the factory lube for the entire life of the chain plus steel chainrings to get rid of ground aluminium, nearly tripled the mileage I got on other chains, in particular the Shimano Nexus.

Andre Jute
YMMV


There are several models/quality levels for each
specification of KMC chain. And there are rider service
conditions, load, environment which vary even more.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Quite. My experience, and the experience of others in the touring/commuting community is however that there is peak price/mileage point somewhere in the middle of the range. For me it falls at the X8-93 level. The cheaper chains don't bring a huge saving, the more expensive chains would only be justified at mileages that a masher like me will never see. I'm well satisfied with the KMC chains I used and don't hesitate to recommend them. (The most irritating thing about them is faintly ridiculous: the profusion of non-interchangeable quick-link specs.) That's why I was so surprised to hear that Lou had a less than satisfactory experience with them.

As always: chains are the cheapest part of most bicycle transmissions: they aren't worth agonising over: that is a leftover from when bicycling was the poor workingman's sport and transport.

Andre Jute
YMMV -- literally!