KMC missing link compatibility 9-11 speed

andyeb

Does anyone know what the compatibility is between different speed drive chains (9-11 speed) and KMC (or similar) "missing links", please?

For example, I can see that trying to use a narrower 11 speed link on a wider 9 speed drive chain is going to be problematic, but could you use a 9 or 10 speed link on an 11 speed drive chain? Would it work well enough to get you home, should you suffer a snapped chain at the side of the road?

The reason I ask is I already have 9 and 10 speed links in my portable toolkit, but now have a bike with an 11 speed groupset. These missing links are surprisingly expensive for what they are, so keen to avoid an un-necessary purchase.

Many thanks,

Andrew

marcusjb

I know from a friend's experience 9 speed link on a 10 speed system is very fragile, so on an 11 speed, no way I would have thought (there's over 1mm difference which when we're talking 5.5mm for 11 speed width, 1mm is a lot). A 10 speed link might get you home (there's not a massive difference in width, but enough), but skipping gears and the thing breaking are likely I would have thought. If you were in a pinch, then maybe, I wouldn't recommend changing gears much though (and possibly pushing the bike up steep hills), so it would be a real get you home bodge I reckon.

Really, I know they are expensive for what they are, but if you are snapping chains regularly (and they can be used many times), an 11 speed one should be in the saddlebag for an 11 speed bike.

nicklouse

As they are wider there is a very good chance they could get caught on the next cog on the cassette and bend. Then causing you issues the next time they pass through the rear mech and cassette.

They are still cheaper than a rear mech and or wheel. Get the correct on and you could continue your ride.

marcusjb

I just checked to see how expensive 11 speed ones are as I suddenly realised my wife now has an 11 speed bike, so we should probably get some. Yes, they are expensive (8.75 for two from ribble) but as above, cheaper than a new rear mech/wheel/hanger.

You can use them many times over.

nicklouse

marcusjb wrote:

You can use them many times over.

Not all of them some are one time use. Read the specs.

bianchibob

Oh no here we go regarding the reuse of 'missing links !

I have been using 10 speed and 11 speed from SRam and KMC for as long as I can remember mainly as a way of splitting the chain for cleaning and maintenance purposes and have had no problems regarding re using them, in fact to date I have never had to replace any through wear and tear due to opening and closing.

However regarding the 10 and 11 speed you need the special chain pliers to open them and closing an SRam requires you to stand on the pedal and apply downward pressure with the rear brake on to get it to close.

webboo

Can't you do that thing where you get the end of the link pointing out on your big ring then tap it with something heavy. I saw this on a CTC page certified by a engineer. It worked with a Clarkes link.

sungod

perhaps all the people who had a single-use link fail after reusing it are dead

unless you've done a statistically meaningful test of reused single-use link failure vs non-reused single-use link failure probability there's no basis for assessing the risk of ignoring the manufacturer's instructions

there are old people who've smoked all their lives with no reported ill effect, this does not make it a good idea to smoke

sram says its 9-speed links are reusable, but not 10-speed, they must have a reason

i've removed a sram 10-speed link to see what happens, the link was damaged, it may still work, but it is damaged, no way i'd re-use one, i use kmc reusable links instead

kmc says its 10-speed links are reusable, but not its 11-speed ones, they must have a reason

wipperman says its 11-speed links are reusable

the rational choice is to trust the engineers who designed the things and if you want a reusable 11-speed link, use the wipperman one

andyeb

I've certainly re-used 9 & 10 speed KMC missing links across several chain changes, without incident.

However if the KMC advice is not to re-use links for 11 speed, I will probably start using the official method of joining chains when replacing them and keeping the missing links for emergency use only.

nicklouse

bianchibob wrote:

Oh no here we go regarding the reuse of 'missing links !

Not at all. Read their specs they make reusable and single use versions.

Which makes some easier to split than others.

It is a real pain trying to split a one use connector in the middle of nowhere.

crossed

I was having shifting issues with my 1x11 set-up on my CX bike, spent ages messing around trying to figure out what was causing it to ghost shift in one certain gear.
After replacing the inner cable, adjusting a very slightly bent mech hanger and cleaning and lubing everything to within an inch of it's life and still having the problem I was puzzled.
It turns out that I'd mistakenly fitted a 10 speed missing link to the 11 speed chain and the link was catching the next cog along on the cassette in a certain gear. I replaced it with the correct 11 speed missing link and it worked perfectly!

So basically, I wouldn't advise mixing and matching missing links.

As with others above, I've never used them as single use on either the road, MTB or CX bikes and never had any issues with missing links failing.