What chain should I buy?

I need to get a new chain. Fancy something a bit special...perhaps even gold....anyone have any top tips on what to get and where? I have a sugino / miche set up.

motorbike chain (phatty boom)

KMC Kool. There's a gold superlight BMX one on wiggle for £35.

KMC kool

Will the KMC Kool one work with my fixed gear?...sizing ok? I'm an amateur in terms of tech knowledge sizes etc...just go for looks and quality...no idea on the technical side.

IZUMI Super Toughness

I heard those are pretty good....where can i get one and do they make them in gold ;->

They are in black and gold. They sound like a tractor.

dt and I have the loudest drivetrains.

thats the thing..when mine was new it was dead silet.now its making some annoying noises and is loose...want to find something strong and silent. does something like it exist?

I keep gettin' told track chains are no good on the road, is that just LBS BS?

I went for a cheapo BMX chain... Need a black one to go on my black Suginos tho'...

When my drive train is clean it runs deadly silent - it's just i'm too lazy to keep it clean

Re track chains being no good for the road : deffo LBS BS

Get one of those half/link jobbies from BLB @ £11.99

Seen those half-link jobbies around... What are the pros and cons? Apart from the price, of course...

easier to shorten them if need be.....errrrrr.......making it easier to get it to the right length.....they look cool:)

seem to be fairly tough, although lpg managed to snap one
they do seem to stretch a bit, only had it 3 weeks, so it might settle.

I've lost track of who's talking about which chains now. Which are the noisy ones? I use a KMC Z610hx because I've got a 3/32 drivetrain. They are supposed to be stretchproof, but I'm bot sure about that. I like it - I'll be getting one again next time.

I have no idea why someone would think track chains are no good for the road - they're designed to withstand massive forces. Maybe the LBS guy meant they're no good for road bikes, because they're 1/8 rather than 3/32. He's still a moron though, don't buy anything from there.

Aftet all this i am more confused. I think i will getmyself an izumi super toughness. Just because i like the name and its gold. As for 1/8 or 3/32, how would i know and what should i get?
A confused hot man on a friday afternoon.

If in doubt get the 1/8 as it will fit on both 1/8 and 3/32 parts! You could alternativly read the size on your rear cog and chainring. They should say the No. of teeth times the size.

31trum(murtle) seem to be fairly tough, although lpg managed to snap one
they do seem to stretch a bit, only had it 3 weeks, so it might settle.

I checked mine and there's bugger all "stretch". And, I've not cleaned or lubed chain since installing in April.
Also, most chains fail due to improper pin alignment which is usually due to poor installation.
Maybe lpg just puts out fscking massive amounts of power? I thought I was fairly strong (maybe just heavy) and I've never broken one.

Izumi supertough does exactly what it says on the tin err I mean box :)
Izumi chain review

hippy [quote]31trum(murtle) seem to be fairly tough, although lpg managed to snap one
they do seem to stretch a bit, only had it 3 weeks, so it might settle.

Also, most chains fail due to improper pin alignment which is usually due to poor installation.[/quote]

I'm assuming the 1/2 link chain has twice as many pins - therefore twice the risk of dodgy factory pin installation (but it's usually down to slack chaintool work in an lbs or by the user; no offence to lpg and his SRM stats ;-))

For the record, my Izumi super toughness was fucking loud no matter how clean or dirty, and I've had just as good performance from a KMC Z510hx that was about a fifth of the price.

I'm assuming the 1/2 link chain has twice as many pins - therefore twice the risk of dodgy factory pin installation

It has the same number of pins, but instead of having alternating inner and outer links, each link is identical, inner at one end and outer at the other, so you can adjust the length by one link at a time instead of two. I don't know if this makes it worse in any way though - why aren't all chains like this? I guess it must just be cheaper to make flat sideplates.

someone told me half link chains are less mechanically efficient because they're not "straight pull" ...sounds feasible.

Thanks very much for the tip. Will do that. I ride a 46 17 set up with a miche cog on the back. IS the dimension related to the thickness of the cog / teeth?

lukeslytalker Thanks very much for the tip. Will do that. I ride a 46 17 set up with a miche cog on the back. IS the dimension related to the thickness of the cog / teeth?

1/8 of an inch thick teeth
3/32nds of an inch thick teeth

But I don't know which measurement you're talking about now.. totally lost track of the universe and all its content.

Neither do I!
I will check what thickness my teeth are and get the right size chain.
Ta