Chain was on my Rocky Mountain Growler. I tried my best to lube it roughly every 5 rides. pretty light riding, just xc-ish riding in dry socal conditions. maybe it was worn well into being replaced (though it only measured around 0.5-75) but I cant imagine cracking links is normal?? (I am definitely replacing fyi)
by Maleficent_Gap7756
16 Comments
Yes, and all other things being equal, I’d be suspicious of a counterfeit chain perhaps
cracking links isn’t normal.
where did you buy the chain? there have been issues with counterfeits on Amazon.
I’ve never seen this on one of my own bikes, I suspect it’s a counterfeit chain. Kmc chains are usually pretty good.
Did you ever soak it in Simple Green?
I’ve had several 10 and 11 speed KMC chains do this. Not a lot of miles, no road salt, no agressive degreaser.
Using Mucc Off wears out a chain 50x faster than some other lubes and faster than no lube at all, great research from Zero Friction Cycling.
Best thing that happened is KMC chain is gone, they shift awful and always feel crunchy/noisy, replace with Shimano XT 10 speed and it will last forever!
KMC chains just aren’t great. Get a genuine Shimano chain and you’ll be good to go
Jenson or no Jenson, it could have been a return where a customer switched a counterfeit with a genuine chain. I don’t think this is a genuine chain IMHO if the use is within wear specs. Even hammering on a fixie, I’ve never split genuine KMC links.
Might want to double-check chainline should be ~52mm or less. For a 1x derore. [Measure from the chainring to the center of your seat tube.](https://www.sheldonbrown.com/images/measure-chainline-angled.jpg) If it’s at 52 that rules out extreme chainline issues.
How worn out is your cassette and chain rings ?
It looks a bit rough for 750 miles, counterfeited part? Maybe? Mine after 1900 miles looks in better shape.
I work for a bike shop and on one particular bike with internal gearing we had the excact same problem, so you probably just got unlucky and you might be able to get a free replacement under warranty.
I had this happen last year with the stock chain that came on my XT equipped bike.
Never seen it in all my years.
I ordered a replacement chain from Jenson and emailed the bike manufacturer. They reimbursed me the cost of the new chain.
I blame you,”Quadzilla”.
Its not a normal issue, but it does happen. Contact kmc and send pictures of this, a chain wear tool on it and your receipt. You may have to go to a LBS.
Been running KMC X10 on road & gravel bikes for over a decade, I’m not that diligent about cleaning or replacing them, amd still never had this issue. But now that I said that…