X11 11-Speed High-Performance Bicycle Chain, Nickel-Black

I do not see the point in spending more on a chain. I expect to get at least 5000 miles out of this before much noticeable chain stretch. For me, that's about a year's worth of cycling, give or take. And at around $25, that's just about perfect. I don't see the sense in doubling that expense on a wear component. Notes: - The factory oil is the stickiest damn mess you'll ever deal with, but it does run silent. If you want, you can toss it in a bucket with degreaser (or ultrasonic cleaner) to strip the factory oil and replace it with your lube of choice. If not, your chain will probably be black within a handful of rides. - You'll probably want a master link installation tool. Yes, you can install without one by applying tension with the crank, but a 2-in-1 master link tool simplifies things. - The included master link *is* reusable. It has the notch and the model reads 'R' for reusable. Update 2021: Woof, well since the supply chain issues these appear to have doubled in price. Go for the SRAM ones now, or really, just whatever's the cheapest 11sp (other than Campy which would not be compatible). A chain is a chain.

Long time cyclist. I ride several thousand miles a year and swear by KMC chains. Purchased this version for my MTB. Easy to install with a quick link (also easy to remove with tool). Durable and smooth riding. Granted, you will need to oil regularly and clean to maximize performance and lifespan. Highly recommend to beginner and experienced cyclists.

When I first started biking, I used nothing but Shimono components in my drive train. Then, little by little, started to use SRAM chains and cassettes since they tended to be less expensive and worked flawlessly. Most new bikes seem to come with KMC chains, a brand I wasn't familiar with. When it was time for a new chain, I replaced my stretched SRAM chain with a KMC. I was pretty amazed at how well it "played" with my front chain rings and 11 speed rear cassette. Shifting was smooth and quick. No strange noises. No grinding sounds. I think that KMC produces a quality product at a pretty reasonable price. I like the missing link feature for removing the chain for cleaning, etc. SRAM chains use the same principle which also makes removal easy, too.

I put this on my gal's expensive Felt commuter/gravel bike. She does 8 to 10 hours commuting a week on rail trail and roads with steep hills in all sorts of weather. She is light about 105 (Er . . . 120) pounds so it is more grit and infrequent cleanings that wears her chains. I had to stand on the "quick" connect link to get it to snap in. If you had to disconnect this by hand on a desert island to get food and water plan on starving to death and prune-ifiying . . . Unless I got a odd one then get the chain pliers (or a circlip tool) for installation and replacement. Old Guy Mt. Bike Rebuild . . . This spring my sig. other got a lightly used $2000 mt. bike from a friend for about $1000 and she took off. We had started mt. biking in the mid-80's and continued into the mid-2000's when family circumstances ate all of our time. So being cheap, I didn't want to fork over $2K for yet another bike (and, I wanted to see how much mt. biking I was actually going to do . . .) so I decided to rebuild the circa 1995 Diamondback that was a trade-in for the one I broke. That faithful two wheeler was fitted with slicks and used for commuting. Here's what I did: New tires - I got three flats the first 4 rides - one three miles out, of course, at the stem where patches don't work . . . So I swapped out my 20 y/o Panaracer Darts (still good !) with some new half-fats, a Trail King Sport Mountain Bike Tire, Wire Bead 26 x 2.2 BW for the rear and a Mountain King Sport MTB Wire Bead Bike Tire - 26 x 2.2 for the front. My old Panaracer's say 2.1 but these two are MUCH fatter, AND the Mountain Kings are NOT 2.2" as the d"escription says, they are 2.0" measured with a caliper at the actual tire. Maybe if you include the knobs it is 2.2 The Trail King IS 2.2 at the tire. That's not a problem, just what i but odd given the manufacturer is the same. The Trail King I put on the back and it just fits at the front of the chain stays on this old school model frame. I hear muted rubbing, not as cool as a playing card in the spokes, but things are quieter these days . . . I put the big tire on the back in that I run 220 (not fat like the tires, not even half-fat . . .) and I wanted more cushion for my hardtail big azzness. Love the tires, tough sidewall, great grip, and you can run various PSI's depending upon the conditions. They look like they will last a long time and at about half the price of many that look the same. Cassette: My 12- 32 was not cutting it on the climbs like it had (20 years ago . . .) so I bought a CYSKY 9 Speed Cassette 9Speed 11-40 Cassette Fit for Mountain Bike, Road Bicycle, MTB, BMX, Sram Sunrace Shimano ultegra xt (Light Weight) for the hub of an 8 speed I had on my light, strong commuting wheels, black, cool looking, but not as strong as I thought on the trails. I broke a spoke first outing and went back to the original, tank rims. Those rims only had a 7 speed hub. Hmmmmm ? . . . What to do ? What to do ? . . . Take the 11 cog off and run it as an 8 speed ! I figured that the cogs would be skinnier on the 9 speed so the 8 speed hub should fit, works fine. However the CYSKY cassette DID NOT come with the lock ring ! (I meant to contact them about that . . . ). I used the one on the old cassette. I had looked at an 8 Speed Cassette 11-40T MTB Cassette 8 Speed Fit for Mountain Bike, Road Bicycle, MTB, BMX, SRAM, Shimano but again, I had expected to use the 8 speed hub AND I think the CYSKY had more gears on the big end which I would be using. When would I be using an 11 or 13 with my small chainring ? I replaced the dérailleur adjustment screw with a long one I bought for about 30 cents at the hardware store, I forget the size. Bring yours in or get a couple different diameters. You will likely find that you will only get a quarter inch or so more adjustment in that the tip of the screw will slip off where it seats. I took the dérailleur off to do this. On the 40 cog the pulley wheel does touch the cog but I don't use that much anyway. If you are going to a 42 cog you will likely have to get a dérailleur extender. CAUTION ! Some extenders only work with certain brands of dérailleurs. Chain: KMC KMC023 X9.93 Bicycle Chain (9-Speed, 1/2 x 11/128-Inch, 116L, Silver/Black) I got this one because the KMC X11.93 , Nickel Plated 116 Link 11 Speed Chain I put on my gal's commuting/gravel bike (she puts in 8 to 10 hours commuting a week !) I had to stand on to get the "quick" connect to snap on. (And I fed it through the chainstay wrong "somehow" (It was late . . . and long past "happy" hour . . . ) so I had to do the whole thing over again. Somehow with some old spokes and some needle nose pliers I got the the "quick" connect apart. The KMC popped in very easily and I even bought the bicycle chain pliers for it but didn't need them. Pulley Wheels: My 20+ year old pulley wheels had been worn down to look like those pointy teeth you see on those benthic dwelling fish with the dangley light on their heads (no flesh shards though . . .). So I got these: Tacx Sealed Bearing Pulleys - Shimano/Campagnolo 11 Teeth. I like the sealed variety due to the gritty, soggy nature of mt. biking. One less tooth than what was on there and they work great. Those aluminum ones look cool but based on reviews I'm not sure if they'd hold up. So this set up worked fine for my mt. biking needs, good for the uphills (I don't remember them being so long !!!) and we have a choice of lift service mountains with downhill courses and it worked fine on those. I don't "fly" much, I like to stay on the ground. (Kudos to those astronauts on two wheels ! More for them.) I have to buy my own equipment and keep getting my health/crash insurance taken away with all the political gaming by those who got theirs . . . And I took off my clip-in pedals that I had been using for 25 years. I found out that the milliseconds of extra time it takes to clip out can do some damage, like 15 stitches in the belly of my left forearm thanks to a fallen over tree whose warn down roots resembled one of Triceratops cousins with all those horns on the crest. I saw things moving in there folks ! It was a puncture/laceration open an inch and a half ! And I was an EMT in the past and attended to all sorts of things. Things in the inside should stay int he inside ! I had to ride out. load my bike and get to the ER. Not fun for a 75 degree summer day. And I hadn't even hit the hard parts yet !!! Also recommended for road and commuter riders are rear view mirrors, The Mountain Mirrycle for mt. bike type handle bars (mounted "down and in" per one clever commenter, (See: First Review)) and for the "10 speed" variety of handle bars (tube pointing back) Hafny Bar End Bike Mirror, Stainless Steel Lens, Safe Rearview Mirror (Black 68 Diameter), mounts in a minute ! Very quickly you get used to a quick glance down to see how close that semi or texting teenager is getting. I may post some pics (of the bike, not my arm) if I can find a 12 y/o to show me how . . . Happy biking !

Works great and saved a few bucks. Of note, it has less lubricant on it than the SRAM or SHIMANO, which is fine because I strip it off and use either Squirt or Silca. Great Chain!!!! And don't have to worry if it's on "right" like my precious Shimano

I've been using KMC chains since 2016 on my Ultegra Di2 groupo. Runs noisy compared to a shimano chain but outlasts by about 2k KM. I run 3 chains, every 1k I'll rotate the chains and swap them out at .5 wear on the Park tool as recommended for 11sp. I'll then run the old 11sp chain on my 10sp mtb till .75 wear and then trash it. Great chains.

KMC is a solid brand, and a good alternative to Shimano or Sram.

Great inexpensive chain

Excelente cadena. KMC siempre ha sido sinónimo de calidad. Funciona perfectamente para un sistema de piñón sunrace y componentes SRAM NX. Excelente compra. compatible con todo.

It is a chain and it works, lots of OEM will spec this chain on their bikes so I just replace it with the same one. Decent durability. One suggestion I have for better performance is to remove the factory protective grease/lubricant on the chain. I find this just tends to add extra resistance to the drive train and attracts a lot of dirt and dust. Before installing soak this in degreaser for 30 min to an hour to remove, rinse and relube with your favourite chain lubricant. In addition the grease will transfer onto the cassettte, chainrings and pulleys causing them to attract a lot of dirt. I just see no benefit to leaving this on although there are many other opinions on this, I personally have not had much luck leaving on the factory lubricant.

Las cadenas kmc sonnde excelenteb calidad he comprado muchas a lo largo de los años. El precio fue lo mejor, en ningún otro lado la encontré más barata.

Cadena de excelente calidad, el tiempo de entrega fue de acuerdo a lo programado, el precio es inmejorable!!!!

I've replaced my original chain for this one and haven't looked back, it is smooth and bike feels like new again. I am not sure how long it'll last, but so far so good. It also comes with missing link, which is great, it's very easy to connect the chain together.