KMC X10-SL or Dura-Ace Chain??

dseddon1

Anyone got any experience with the KMC X10-SL 10speed Chain? I can buy it for about £65 on Wiggle this weekend. Its either that or the Dura-Ace one. Its a lot to spend on a chain granted, but is it actually worth it? Or should I go DA? :?

Dan

Ps. Not the Gold one, the Black and Red one, Ive got a black and red frame and aero Q-Rings with 3D+cranks so thought it would match...

dawebbo

Significantly cheaper on ribblecycles. I had the da one, and have recently swapped to the kmc (gold though!). I haven't noticed any difference, except the quick link for ease of removing/fitting chain, but you can get them separately anyway.

dseddon1

Thanks mate, have checked out ribble. The standard one is about a fiver cheaper, but I can't find the more expensive one anywhere else, nor can I see a difference, think ill just go with the silver one.

northpole

I replaced my dura ace chain with the x10-sl. I haven't noticed any particular difference but I must say the x10 has worked faultlessly without any problems - much smoother than the sram chain i have on my other bike, but that may in part be a campag vs shimano thing which we'd be better off not exploring!!

Peter

Mccaria

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/r ... chain.html

dseddon1

This was the one I was looking at. Its more expensive than the normal ones, anyone know why? Says World Tour Edition but it looks like same weight and description, wiggle also sell the one you get when you click the Merlin link.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/kmc-x10-sl-10-s ... 112-links/

Starwasp

I use the gold KMC chains on my bikes. Not cheap but you can't put a price on bling!

rainerhq

dseddon1 wrote:

Anyone got any experience with the KMC X10-SL 10speed Chain? I can buy it for about £65 on Wiggle this weekend. Its either that or the Dura-Ace one. Its a lot to spend on a chain granted, but is it actually worth it? Or should I go DA? :?
Dan
Ps. Not the Gold one, the Black and Red one, Ive got a black and red frame and aero Q-Rings with 3D+cranks so thought it would match...

You are very lucky to have Wiggle
This chain costs 49,06£ and not in this weekend, but every weekend
Shipping to GB 4,64£

Cycloslalomeur

I buy mine, KMC X10 SL that is, on Ebay from Taiwan for 38 US dollars a pop including postage.

BruceG

Cycloslalomeur wrote:

I buy mine, KMC X10 SL that is, on Ebay from Taiwan for 38 US dollars a pop including postage.

^^^^^^^^ This everytime, I just keep one spare to cover and shipping delay if I need to replace one in a hurry. And dont forget Shimano Chains are manufactured by KMC anyway, so its just a badge engineering exercise except the KMC branded ones have a far superior joining mechanism

Beatmaker

I've used the X10 SL for a few years now, and I won't use anything else.

Papa Ado

dseddon1 wrote:

This was the one I was looking at. Its more expensive than the normal ones, anyone know why? Says World Tour Edition but it looks like same weight and description, wiggle also sell the one you get when you click the Merlin link.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/kmc-x10-sl-10-s ... 112-links/

Wiggle lists 2 types of X10SL here:
1) X10SL World Tour Limited Edition - uses Ti coating with black inner links and pins. This chain was specially designed for our KMC sponsored team (VCD) in the 2011 Tour de France.
2) X10SL DLC/Red - uses DLC coating with red inner links and pins. This chains uses DLC (Diamond Like Coating) tech to increase surface hardness, leading to decreased drivetrain friction. DLC is currently our highest level of surface treatment.

Cycloslalomeur

"Diamond-like coating" causes a mahoosive blip on my BS radar screen.

maddog 2

it means it costs a lot...

I'm a KMC fan but this mag rates the Shimano chains...

http://www.tour-qtr.com/epaper_4_2011

meesterbond

Cycloslalomeur wrote:

"Diamond-like coating" causes a mahoosive blip on my BS radar screen.

Nope, it's a geniune process for dumping a thin coating of carbon onto something metal to make it harder / smoother / blacker etc etc. Seems a bit overkill to use it on a bike chain which I'm guessing would stretch to an unusable length before it 'wears out'...

Sleeping_menace

def go with the KMC. I run them on all my bikes now, specifically the X10SL.. it's just a great chain.. arguably the best out there...

Papa Ado

meesterbond wrote:

Nope, it's a geniune process for dumping a thin coating of carbon onto something metal to make it harder / smoother / blacker etc etc. Seems a bit overkill to use it on a bike chain which I'm guessing would stretch to an unusable length before it 'wears out'...

Harder, Smoother, Blacker...you've just created our new 2013 image for the DLC chain!

The main reason behind DLC is less friction during shifting resulting in more efficient gear changes (through less resistance of chain plates on gear faces AND interaction of teeth on inner chamfering). This has been shown to increase the life of the chain. Gold (titanium nitride) comes in second; silver third.

Cycloslalomeur

meesterbond wrote:

Cycloslalomeur wrote:

"Diamond-like coating" causes a mahoosive blip on my BS radar screen.

Nope, it's a geniune process for dumping a thin coating of carbon onto something metal to make it harder / smoother / blacker etc etc. Seems a bit overkill to use it on a bike chain which I'm guessing would stretch to an unusable length before it 'wears out'...

I stand corrected then.

Cycloslalomeur

maddog 2 wrote:

it means it costs a lot...

I'm a KMC fan but this mag rates the Shimano chains...

http://www.tour-qtr.com/epaper_4_2011

Food for thought indeed. But still, the CN-7901 is quite a bit dearer than the KMC equivalent.

Bozman

Keep your eye on Merlin cycles for the KMC X10-sl, they're generally 39.99 but with the regular offers you can pick them up cheaper with free PnP. I got a couple for £29.99 the other month.