I have a chain that is flat on the sides, but I saw these chains in a store and wondered if they are any better.
(excuse my poor English, I'm practicing)
by Appropriate_Key6125
I have a chain that is flat on the sides, but I saw these chains in a store and wondered if they are any better.
(excuse my poor English, I'm practicing)
by Appropriate_Key6125
5 Comments
Those are shimano hyperglide chain and are require on hyperglide cassette.
Firstly, I imagine they help shift and maybe balance torsional tension and strength? As in, maybe they allow the chain to shift up and down gears whilst also being strong?
Secondly, your English is great so far, well done.
the X-Bridge on the kmc chain is designed to help with gear changes. The shape allows the ramps on the cassette / chain rings to pull the chain up easily. As far as the other chains go I’m sure it’s a similar design but executed differently.
I don’t think the exact shape of that bridge has a function, so a lot of it is just aesthetics.
The first chain is a KMC X10 or X11 chain, and the side plate is just designed to have a visual “X” on it. The middle one I don’t recognize. The bottom one is a Shimano Hyperglide chain, so it has the engraved “HG” on it.
But in general I’m sure they have done the math on strength. The side plate of a derailer chain gets lower in the middle, so likely it also needs to be a bit thicker or otherwise it would be too likely to fail.
I don’t notice a performance difference between the two designs, but I prefer KMC since I can get fully plated chains that are shiny and don’t rust if left unused for extended periods.