I ride year round in the snow, dirt, gravel, and desert. These chains hold up better than Shimano and Sram and shift well. Comes with masterlink also. They shift well on my MTB 3x10 and gravel mullet with wolftooth tanpan 2x10.
First time using KMC chain, was skeptical about making the switch from SRAM Red. I have used for a couple on months now and couldnt be more pleased. Installation was super easy, shifting is just as smooth as with SRAM and the two tone look is aesthetically pleasing. Even more attractive was the price point.
Over the years I have used Campy, sugino, Shimano chains. They all lasted really long and were somewhat easy to replace. Now riding a ten speed freewheel with Shimano and replacing the chain, I needed a tool to cut the pin with the new chain. That didn't work out so good. So, I bought the KMC ten speed chain. Less than 5 minutes to replace the Shimano with the KMC chain! I like the ease and have more time to ride. So far I have rode just under a 1000 miles on this KMC chain. It's quiet, smooth and I love it. The price was right and the shipping was cool.
This chain will last 150% as long as a Shimano Ultegra. And costs about 2/3 of the Shimano. Works just as well. Only drawback is the weight. Since the pins are not hollow, it is a little heaver. If you think you are a racer, and money is no object, you do not want this. But for the average rider this chain is great.
I was eager to try this inexpensive alternative on my bike with 7800 DuraAce components. Right away I noticed it to be smoother and quieter than the Shimano chain that I removed, which was a newer, asymmetrical model. I recommend this chain for anyone running pre-asymmetrical 10-speed drivetrain.
I have a house full of bikes with a wife and son who also race. I used Dura Ace chains almost exclusively because the durable nickle finish and long life. With the dawn of hollow pin and hollow link chains, I'm only getting 1,500 to 2,000 miles on a chain (Dura Ace, Ultegra, Whippermann, SRAM) but I'd rather change a chain frequently than ride it stretched and wear out the cassette and chainrings (which are rather expensive on high end bikes). My Epic came with this KMC X10 chain and has been really good. Shifting is consistently on the mark, even when wet and muddy and even after many more miles than I care to run other chains up to. I'd rather have a solid chain that will work perfectly for a long time, than save a few grams, so this is what I now put on all our mountain, cyclocross and rain bikes. Still using the Dura Ace on the road bikes just because I still have a few spares. This is an excellent chain for SRAM or Shimano, lasts a long time, shifts like new even with a lot of miles on it and is cheap to replace. We' have been through several of these over the years and will keep using these as long as they are available. Now go ride!
Both the 10 speed and 11 speed versions of the KMC X10SLX11SL are top notch. As soon as I get a new bike or as soon as a chain is due for replacement, I put one of these one. Smooth and quiet pedaling. No snapping, no other problems. And the master links make replacing and cleaning super easy. Nuff said.
I've used the KMC X10.93 off and on for several years and am impressed on how it compares to Ultegra and Dura-ace chains. While I feel that the Shimano chains shift a little better, the KMC chain works very well, is durable, quiet and easy to install/remove with the quick link.
How do they do it? Every other chain I've used stretches but these don't. This is a replacement for one that had over 5000 miles on it. I bought another one because the first one got a little noisy. That's it. I checked it all the time with my Park chain checker and it wasn't even stretched .75. Shifts great with my SRAM too.
This chain replaced a [$] campy chain. It shifts as well as the Campy unit ever did and I expect it will last about as long. I kept the box so I'll know what to order next time.
