Need a new chain

[thistle]

This morning my road bike was playing up and not liking being in any gear even though it was absolutely fine on Tuesday when I last used it. When I got just past Hope and went up the third big hill on the route I couldn't get it to stay in any gear and eventually ended up pedalling in thin air

I'd left my chain tool at home and after much violence and slicing my thumb with a screwdriver trying to remove the broken link so I could get my power link in I gave up and walked/ran/scooted/freewheeled the 8 miles to work. Was quite pleased with my 35mph without a chain

The chain has only done about 800 miles which doesn't seem much to me but at work we decided it was fooked so now I need a new one.

</ramble> ;D

I had a look on chain reaction and a 9 speed Shimano HG73 is now £22 (When I replaced my hardtail's chain in the new year I'm sure it was less than that for a 7 speed one, maybe I got a HG53)

Have chains gone up in price recently? £22 seems a lot for a basic but half decent chain.

Are 9 speed chains more expensive than 7 speeds? If they're narrower there should be slightly less steel in them

I notice there's now a Shimano HG93 - is it any good or should I go with an SRAM 971 or 991 if I want quality?

The rest of the drivetrain is all Shimano - I assume it doesn't make much difference if I use SRAM stuff with it as with a MTB?

[Arnie]

All Shimano kit has gone up by about 20% since the credit crunch began and the yen got stronger. My running gear is all Shimano apart from Raceface cranks and Sram chain. I buy Sram chains because of the convenience of powerlinks and because personally, i can't really tell the difference between them and their Shimano counterparts, same goes for their cassettes too. I've used 971 and 991 chains/cassettes and found shifting to be smooth and reliable, can't vouch if they're any better than the lower end ones though

[Oggy]

Wouldnt bother going for the top end chains with hollow pins etc apparently they wear a lot faster. Most people think the sram chains are genrally better than the shimanos.

Usually pcik up decent priced chains from merlins

[danevs]

I've got a SRAM hollowlink jobbie on my VP and it's been there for years with no bother! (only ever lubed with WD40 as well) If the standard ones are stronger then they will seemingly last forever, can't be bad.

[speedydaz]

I normaly use sram chains as the power link is so easy to use and I bought 8 of them in the CRC flood sale
I only use the cheap chains its very sandy where I ride so have to change them regular or it gets expensive wearing out cassettes

[Craigy Boy]

ye merlins a good place for some cheap chains

[Mark]

i found ebay to be the chepest for a 971 chain. as ive just put one on the rockhopper
I use the powerlink in my XTR chain on santa and it gives no hassle and makes cleaning it easier off the bike

[thistle]

I've used power links on Shimano chains in the past with no problems (apart from getting the wrong size!)

I think I'll pop for the 971 and see how it goes, unless anyone thinks I should try the standard 991 or HG93.

I got a powerlink in the old chain eventually yesterday and it's running fine now (16 miles this morning at an average of 19.7mph ) Also measured it and it's not stretched an inch at all so should be good to just swap it.

[danevs]

Jun 26, 2009 17:41:27 GMT thistle said:

(16 miles this morning at an average of 19.7mph )

Not bad that mate, you should come have a go at a timetrial sometime. They're on most Thursday nights down the Conwy Valley and a real good test for your fitness. Bit gutted about my time last night so it's spurred me on to up the training a bit and push on with the power work.

I joined Rhos cycling club last night so I'm going to be doing lots more.

[Oggy]

Jun 26, 2009 17:53:38 GMT @danevs said:

Jun 26, 2009 17:41:27 GMT thistle said:

(16 miles this morning at an average of 19.7mph )

Not bad that mate, you should come have a go at a timetrial sometime. They're on most Thursday nights down the Conwy Valley and a real good test for your fitness. Bit gutted about my time last night so it's spurred me on to up the training a bit and push on with the power work.

I joined Rhos cycling club last night so I'm going to be doing lots more.

Get a life and ride a mans bike

[thistle]

Well it helps having a flattish route with hardly any junctions and going out first thing in the morning when there's nobody around at the few junctions there are!
I've been thinking of going out riding with the local road club but the problem is the longest ride I've done this year is only 40 miles and I think their "short" rides are about 50!

[danevs]

I've done a couple of 60mile plus rides in the last few weeks with some lads from the club and we've generally averaged 18-19mph but that's riding on some pretty major roads (mainly Llanrwst/Betws/Capel way) and even the A55 back from Bangor once! You should come out for a spin sometime? (feel like I'm trying to drag people over to the dark side.) ;D ;D


As previously mentioned Soggy, it's only a matter of time! ;D

[Craigy Boy]

im really looking at getting a road bike. need to save some dollar first tho.

does pete booth still ride for rhos?

[thistle]

That's a good speed for such a long ride. Mine was only over 15 miles - a sprint by comparison

I need to get back into road riding. I did a 75 mile ride last year on my MTB (with slicks ) but not had the motivation at all this year. This month's flurry is a combination of the upcoming Merida and the TFL cycle challenge ;D

[danevs]

Jun 26, 2009 19:14:29 GMT thistle said:

That's a good speed for such a long ride. Mine was only over 15 miles - a sprint by comparison

A sprint maybe but we were in a group of 3 doing the whole mini chain gang bit which saves a lot of energy. Your av speed suggests you're probably at a similar level.