KMC Quick Link on Shimano chain

earth

I bought a second hand Giant TCR recently for everyday duties. Went out on it this morning and impressed by how quiet the drive train was. It is Ultegra 6600 with a Shimano chain. My other bike has Ultegra 6700 and a KMC chain. 6600 was silent and 6700 is always a bit noisy. When turning the cranks while the 6700 bike is stationary the chain moves in a very notchy way around the jockey wheels and sprockets as if it doesn't quite fit the teeth . I'm wondering if it setup or that KMC chains are just noisier due to not being shaped ideally for Shimano sprockets. The main reason I use them is because they can be removed easily for cleaning. So is it possible to use KMC quick links with a Shimano chain and get the benefits of both?

dabber

earth wrote:

So is it possible to use KMC quick links with a Shimano chain and get the benefits of both?

Short answer.... Yes

mfin

Longer answer... Yes it is

crankycrank

earth wrote:

My other bike has Ultegra 6700 and a KMC chain. 6600 was silent and 6700 is always a bit noisy. When turning the cranks while the 6700 bike is stationary the chain moves in a very notchy way around the jockey wheels and sprockets as if it doesn't quite fit the teeth .

The KMC chain is not the problem unless it's damaged. Check your rear mech adjustments and hanger alignment. I've used many KMC chains on Shimano groupsets including 6600 and 6700 and they perform about the same as Shimano's.

svetty

Sounds like the set-up is sub-optimal and/or parts worn

Alex99

earth wrote:

I bought a second hand Giant TCR recently for everyday duties. Went out on it this morning and impressed by how quiet the drive train was. It is Ultegra 6600 with a Shimano chain. My other bike has Ultegra 6700 and a KMC chain. 6600 was silent and 6700 is always a bit noisy. When turning the cranks while the 6700 bike is stationary the chain moves in a very notchy way around the jockey wheels and sprockets as if it doesn't quite fit the teeth . I'm wondering if it setup or that KMC chains are just noisier due to not being shaped ideally for Shimano sprockets. The main reason I use them is because they can be removed easily for cleaning. So is it possible to use KMC quick links with a Shimano chain and get the benefits of both?

Regarding the "notchy" feeling on the jockey wheels. I have the same thing on two road bikes. Just like the pitch of the jockey wheels is wrong. Can't comment on the 11s groups, but certain era derailers seem to do this. I use Shimano chains BTW. Same issue with a 9s chain (dura ace), or 10s (6701). Don't think changing the chain will solve it.

imposter2.0

mfin wrote:

Longer answer... Yes it is

Unnecessarily long answer... Yes it most certainly is the case that a KMC link can be used successfully on a Shimano chain.

mugensi

Imposter wrote:

mfin wrote:

Longer answer... Yes it is

Unnecessarily long answer... Yes it most certainly is the case that a KMC link can be used successfully on a Shimano chain.

To synopsize...yes.

peteco

earth wrote:

So is it possible to use KMC quick links with a Shimano chain and get the benefits of both?

Yes and No.

It will fit, but I had a problem with exactly this combination. After fitting an KMC quick link to a Shimano 10 speed chain, I was getting a regular click, particularly under pressure. I could not find the issue initially, but with the bike on a stand, I noticed that when spinning the pedals backwards, the link was slightly catching on an adjacent cog on the cassette.

It appeared that the link was a fraction wider than the standard links on the chain.

I swapped the link for a SRAM one and the problem went away.

Pete

laurentian

peteco wrote:

earth wrote:

So is it possible to use KMC quick links with a Shimano chain and get the benefits of both?

Yes and No.

It will fit, but I had a problem with exactly this combination. After fitting an KMC quick link to a Shimano 10 speed chain, I was getting a regular click, particularly under pressure. I could not find the issue initially, but with the bike on a stand, I noticed that when spinning the pedals backwards, the link was slightly catching on an adjacent cog on the cassette.

It appeared that the link was a fraction wider than the standard links on the chain.

I swapped the link for a SRAM one and the problem went away.

Pete

It is important to use the quicklink that is designed for the chain size and gear configuration. The quicklinks come in 8/9 and 10/11 speed versions - the 10/11 speed ones being thinner than the 8/9 to match the chain plates and cassette spacing - maybe that was the problem?

The Rookie

WHAT? 8 (marked 7s as the chain is the same) and 9 speed are different, and 10 and 11 are as well, so that's 4 different links not 2!
Look at the link it will say ONE of 7s,9s,10s or 11s on it.

That doesn't rule out having a link that is wider than it should be though.

laurentian

The Rookie wrote:

WHAT? 8 (marked 7s as the chain is the same) and 9 speed are different, and 10 and 11 are as well, so that's 4 different links not 2!
Look at the link it will say ONE of 7s,9s,10s or 11s on it.

That doesn't rule out having a link that is wider than it should be though.

oops! - my bad but the same principle applies

keef66

I have 9 speed on the winter bike and 10 speed on the summer one. Annoying to have to carry two different sized KMC links in my tool kit.

Then somebody suggested I just run a 10 speed chain on the 9 speed bike. Genius!

drlodge

I run a 9 speed chain on my 7 speed bike with 10 speed shifters! But it does have a 9 speed quick link so everything works just fine.