Is an $85 Track Bike Chain Worth It?

[@steph_.0s]

I recently changed from 10$ ( KMC ) to izumi jet black ( gold/black ) for me nothing changed just the color and more sound...

[@10000spidersinatrenchcoat]

Me at work: I’m not obsessed with bikes, guys, lay off… Me at home: oh snap a 12 minute video about bike chains!

[@Aubreykun]

The NJS Stamp carries a high price tag because it's literally a professional tool used in racing for gambling purposes. All that likely means is that the QC is higher so every chain is within a narrow tolerance range in order to ensure every Keirin bike is the same. As a non-Keirin racer you don't need to worry about this because nobody is gambling on your ride. I just use 15$ Yaban chains because they're made in Taiwan. They're nice, they're cheap, and the purchase isn't supporting China.

[@Aubreykun]

@Bebo I don't think what you said contradicts what I said. They're used for Keirin. That doesn't make them "good", it makes them "consistent" and applicable to single day/race use for gambling, with maintenance or replacement between. Zach found this out when his NJS BB kept getting loose with daily use.

[@Aubreykun]

@Bebo I meant NJS in general is a stamp of "all NJS parts are within tolerance of being identical in performance" because that's the purpose of them. You take the technology as much out of the race as possible to where the gamblers are betting on the individuals, and even then the limits on what keirin racers do leading up to the race are very strict. I don't use track chains as I don't need the strength, I just use the YBN Teflon 6/7/8 speed ones and hot dip them in a homemade wax-bacon-grease bath and don't really have any issues.

[@Aubreykun]

@Bebo I'm not saying NJS is good. The opposite in fact. The NJS stamp essentially means you will get 1970s technology at the latest because Keirin is not a sport where technological advances are allowed to majorly influence the outcomes. The only benefit of NJS is that the rate of lemons and parts being out-of-spec (for better or worse) is supposed to be lower than a non-NJS part. You can do just as well by buying 1970s parts off ebay or your LBS's back room

[@jaetee2158]

I appreciate your informative vids on components brother 🇵🇭 mad respects from Chicago 🚵‍♂️

[@Johann-4354]

The 'thing' I look for in chains is silver appearance. Yeah. I'm simple.

[@josh_ari]

Love your honesty, most youtube fixie reviews hype their expensive products to justify their purchase to the world and themselves, regardless of the actual quality.

[@suhdud4646]

I’m running the Izumi blk/gold chain over a Dura-Ace rear cog and 7075 T6 front chain ring with a wet lube and correct chain tension and it’s inaudible. Then again, I do put together good bikes - toot!

[@suhdud4646]

@Bebo You must be the baine of every chainring.

[@ondmedai5417]

When do you replace a chain

[@tyler-xo3rb]

Got my first fixed gear today, Kilo TT Pro. As soon as it was built my friend and I went on a ride through our old neighborhood, then stopped by my friend’s house to play some Smash and drink beers. Very good day.

[@B_COOPER]

I got my TT pro just a couple months ago. Burnt orange!

[@KEIRINSTREETS]

Campagnolo also made NJS components.

[@syedhamzahalyahya325]

Thoughts on Liberty Bikes? Its a Malaysian bike company.

[@cocaplanter]

thx from a fixed gear beginner!

[@event4216]

Shimano cog/lockring wrench has a piece of Izumi black chain on it.

[@brianmaldonado3723]

Ty, ty and ty.

[@davidward4329]

Have try waxing your chain ? Smooth as butter and stays cleaner than putting oil on your chain .

[@MrHatchiFuto86]

I want one just cause it looks baller lmao

[@itz_bigboi909]

even izumi have a jet black chain that looks like a reversed super toughness

[@jacobjarvis1335]

KMC S1 is definitely the best “value” chain ever.

[@baim-ev4rf]

Im not a cyclist with a frequent riding (only 3-4 times a week) but idk why my S1 had been loose after 5 months usage

[@KenjiKim]

Kmc s1 is better than shimano olive chain

[@baim-ev4rf]

@@KenjiKim do you mean the oval shaped shimano chain?

[@magsss3087]

@@baim-ev4rf yes

[@KenjiKim]

@@baim-ev4rf yeahh thank you for correcting Most of my friends called that

[@kelpshake650]

I use $3 chinese made chain and i am happy with it... love what you ride and ride what you love

[@milesthomas1075]

Zach you totally answered my question with this video. You rock!

[@jesseellis3126]

I just upgraded to the Super Toughness. Idk if I'm just trippin, but i swear its a little more smoother, and ever so slightly quieter than my stock chain that my bike came with..also my stock chain had a couple sharp edges on it so that was my justification to get the Super Toughness lol!! And it matches my build better.

[@Mkm0ka]

if a super toughness is quieter your previous chain must have been a piece of rust lmao izumi chains are awesome and always my choice in the last years but quiet? hell no.

[@skyjuiceification]

it is!

[@bwcastillo]

When it’s new and your bike is a on a stand, you can literally hear each tooth of the cog and chain ring engaging with each chain link, truly mesmerizing.

[@michaelparr3411]

Izumi Jet Black for track is a great looker and runs fine, cost good (and OEM Campy on my older 10-sp road bike). Now exclusively paraffin wax. I was skeptical but tried it over standard "bike" lubricants; the wax does a great job of keeping chains way cleaner (even cleaner than "dry" lubricants) as grit is by far the most wear-inducing part of chain life that all standard lubricants end up attracting. I do frequently re-wax and ordinary master links on all my chains to make it quick and easy. Chains stay water free, and no harsh chemical cleaning. Bright and shiny always.

[@PoMu4]

Comparing a cheap kmc chain to connex or DID, cheaper chains definitely “stretch” a lot faster. Also, cheaper chains don’t sit as accurately and tight on the chainring compared to a more expensive chains. But anything above ~25$ for a chain is overkill IMO.

[@PoMu4]

@Bebo there are at least two factors, which I mentioned above. Of course you can prove me wrong, saying that that’s just my subjective opinion, which I am sure is not. I recently went from a cheap kmc, to connex and DID in a 20-25 dollar budget per chain.

[@ufffsergio5124]

Hey zach can you make a similar video/ review on the EAI steel track cog? Thanks bro

[@jackand100others3]

I was just looking at the website, you forgot to mention thatthe super toughness is lighter by 30gs than their regular chain at 410g for 106 links

[@fallenhobbit6554]

Shadow supreme chain all day

[@kennethward9530]

BMX chain from bike section of Walmart purchased while on way to velodrome served me well for some of my best seasons of racing and 3 seasons winter training on salty Michigan roads. Fixie chains are nice and thick, and don’t get sideways grinding. Clean, oil, ride, repeat and they last a long time. P.S. Sound track for any video about waxing bike chains should be Styx “Too much time on my hands”

[@B_COOPER]

Too much time on your hands to wax a chain? Brother as a fellow cyclist, I know for a fact that we have that time. Because while doing a time consuming task like chain wax, we have time to clean the drivetrain and bike overall. Because bike maintenance is at minimum 3x the expected rate

[@justinbocchino5141]

Is an $85 chain worth it? If you ask a fixed gear enthusiast, then sure it could be. If you ask an average Joe whose entire bike is probably worth $85, probably not lol

[@justinbocchino5141]

@Bebo I think a guy who puts an $85 chain on his bike probably uses it for a weekend ride, and has a beater bike for commuting. At least, that's what I would do if I was a fixed gear enthusiast

[@MichalBroska]

Are these super expensive chains lighter? I miss this information on the video. A chain normally weights around 400 g.

[@grantbeerling4396]

No, same weights, all about strength.

[@endymion2300]

i've snapped a few various chains. never ridden the super toughness, but a cheaper but strong chain is the kmc 710. those would last me about 4000-6000 miles (about 6-8 months for me). also i never use master links. have of my chain failures have been master links. [i'm not a track racer or anything, but i am a pretty big guy who runs long cranks and a high gear ratio, so my chains definitely got more force applied to them than most.]

[@endymion2300]

@Bebo yeah, most chains only last me a couple months. i'd usually end up changing a generic $15 chain every 1500-3000 miles, but would still have chain failures. it was rarely the pin that would fail. it was usually the plate itself. i think i've had four or five failures in a ten-year stretch. one time it was a pin, two or three times it was the plate itself, and one time the chain wrapped itself around the rear hub and got so mangled, idk what failed piece failed. [although that time also snapped the rear axle, so it's possible the axle snapped first and caused the chain to drop+wrap.] i've never had a failure with the kmc 710 though. those only cost like $20, so i'll just keep using those for now. [i barely ride these days anyway. got hit by a car a few years ago, and my ankle is still a little janky. i might be in a place to start riding regularly after another 6-12 months of pt, so we'll see.]

[@galenkehler]

Yes

[@Marcus538]

Chains make a surprosing massive difference , Thicker chains on fixies make duch an imporivement , for me it easipy camcels put a bike with gears

[@porkyparry1]

well, your like me with legs like matchsticks. If however your pulling 700 watts then these chains make sense

[@walkingskin2920]

Kms-njs if you squint they look kinda the same 🤷‍♂️ good enough for me.

[@skyjuiceification]

There is no reason why u have to replace a super toughness after just a year and a haIf~ 0ther than its finish being sh0rt Iived they are the toughest track/single-speed chains that m0ney can buy period! I put d0wn m0re p0wer than u Zach I have ridden 0ne chain f0r aIm0st a decade! if u clean it it can Iast a Iife time

[@paullacey2999]

The Super Toughness chain would look very nice on my bike.Thats why I bought it.....

[@bhrriss]

does anyone know what brand the crank in the front is? it looks so nice and i wanna get one and see if it has more colors. thanks!

[@zipias]

...maybe a titanium (or vibranium) chain will last more...my experience riding brakeless hills is...ANY chain will do the job well done!

[@johnviera3884]

Don’t take off your chain to clean it.

[@event4216]

I think of golden chain as of lighter in shape of revolver - one puts out a gun, "fires" and starts a cigarette. Basically, golden chain is to puff a smoke in other people eyes. Silver, black chains - yeah, golden chain is even more tacky than color chains on color "fixies".

[@christopherwebb3517]

Unlike Ponyboy, this chain isn't going to stay gold.

[@tbz1551]

You don’t ride in all weather Zach 😉. As someone who lives in the north, salt brings a whole different element into the equation. I have summer parts and winter parts lol. I’m always happy with my KMC 'Z1 Wide' chains. My fancy bike has an Izumi but it’s usually hanging on the wall and never out in winter.

[@event4216]

Snow, salt, wet - that's where belt saves time and money on top of expensive belt drive assuming it also needs belt specced frame.

[@event4216]

@Bebo That's why belt drive needs stiff frame, rear triangle especially. Aluminum is best for belt. I've seen converted steel frames but unless it's heavy gauge thick wall tubing I wouldn't do it. What's great for chain drive isn't same for belt. For winter commute hard mashing also could be not really needed. FG in winter is more for control of traction than for sheer power output.

[@event4216]

@Bebo Belt will not replace chain any time soon just because of initial costs, they are huge compared to chain drive where they can use crap frame, crap chainwheel and cog, crap chain and crap everything. With belt they tried to economize and supplied composite cog - that failed and even in cheaper "city" CDN set cog is SS as in CDX set. When I ride in winter I could not care less about my ride except I get home and don't have to spend 30min for maintaining my bike) Summer is something very different.

[@event4216]

@Bebo P.S. I'm talking about real winter here, not California or Florida kind of winter.

[@event4216]

@Bebo In Europe belt has caught on lately, lots of people are commuting year around.They are looking for reliable and low maintenance replacement of public transportation, not a soulmate. And these bikes are in 1-2K range, not 10K.

[@nylonshredder]

Your camera work needed more thought. Interesting content though.

[@chancecayenne3200]

ZACH, ZACH, ZACH, ZACH...I GOT A QUESTION.... IS AN ALUMINUM CHAIN RING STRONGER/BETTER THAN A STEEL CHAINRING??

[@2ball434]

Steel is stronger, but aluminium doesn't rust. They aren't that different except for the lack of fatigue limit. 7075 t6 has similar strength to steel but lighter

[@suhdud4646]

@@2ball434 I’ve got a 7075 T6 and it’s given me no issues and I’ve been riding it daily for the past year.

[@dauf69]

Even a 15 dollar chain is expensive to me lol. I've been running a 2 dollar single speed chain for 1.5 years already, around 3000 km and rarely washed, seldomly cleaned. It's been running pretty decent.

[@jessevonk2836]

Literally my experience too!

[@dauf69]

@@jessevonk2836 Right? I mean, it's a single speed/fixed gear without a derailleur. With a 1/8" chain it'll pretty much last quite a while thanks to not having a derailleur and not having to bend around.

[@dauf69]

@Bebo Crappier steel being more mushy? lol

[@dauf69]

@Bebo Whoa that is interesting. I've ran a 9 speed chain on my fixie before, but due to a slightly misaligned chainline (ISO 6 bolt cog), the chain drops way too easily if the chain isn't overly tight. Now I'm running a cheap 2 dollar single speed 1/8" chain and never looked back.

[@doubletapp5967]

Sliver izumi super toughness KAI chain all the way i am a silver chain type of guy

[@ninetendopesaitama2107]

Expensive chains make sense. Using a kmc e10. Price is 40/50 €. Reliable and tough.

[@walkingskin2920]

... I have the same bushings on my kms

[@dreadknot2238]

Zach got tricked buying that garbage chain. If you want durability just buy the Shadow Supreme it no brainer

[@andomare]

But when is the right time to replace a chain? I just tighten it if it gets loose. Can it stretch indefinitely or is there a limit?

[@brian9832]

Hi Zach, the handle bar on your bike is pretty dope. If you don’t mind sharing what kind and size of handle bar is it? Thanks and be safe riding.

[@julsch6423]

It's a Bullmouse Bar you can find it on blue lug

[@brian9832]

@@julsch6423 Thanks bud, appreciate it.

[@StandbyCymbalist]

D.I.D is buttery

[@mikemann2692]

I wish they make a silver super toughness I would buy it 😀

[@roguecode2354]

I got the KMC X101, it is discontinued and now renamed as an e bike chain, it is lighter than the izumi's and used to sell for around 80$ and now are 30$ to 50$ because they are not very popular. I don't trust that izumi screw and it is heavier than the KMC

[@Wockkkyyslushieee]

Kmc black 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽 the rim kinks before the chain would ever

[@adamtharp]

I have found the mid range izumi chains are the best bang for the buck. I can get many more miles out of them than anything else, also this is on a year round commuter in the nw.....

[@event4216]

Are those bushed chains? Maybe bushings are the secret ingredient and any reasonably good bushed chain would work as well?

[@psychoaiko666]

Well, I bought my first Super Toughness because *WANT IT* Of course they drop over time, I get about 8+ months out of them, but as opposed to cheap chains I have never snapped one. And yeah they're a lil heavier 🤷 (but you won't notice it on the bike) Are they worth it? For most people probably not really, just something really nice to have 🤷 For me though, the V and/or Kai are the only chains I consider (because I destroy cheap stuff🙃)

[@centipedekid9824]

I don't care what my bike looks like as long as it runs.

[@assortedexorcist2645]

me using replica izumi chain 👁️👄👁️

[@FernandoHernandez-jw4yy]

I just bought an Izumi Though Guard chain because my previous Izumi Standard Track Chain started rusting after only a few months although I kept the bike in a dry room and only rode it in the rain a handful of times. I thought the Though Guard is expensive (~30€) because it was like 10€ more than the standard one. Expecially when I look at the KMC B1 and S1 chains a friend of mine is using which are both around 7€. Now you're telling me that there a chains which are three times as expensive as mine? That's crazy.

[@B_COOPER]

Do you live in a moist area? Moisture in the air will reek havoc on bikes.

[@timur1753]

Rust on the chain is not problem. 100

[@madfx8058]

Mo durability + less weight + aesthetic wow= $$$

[@FernandoHernandez-jw4yy]

If you want your gold chain to always shine bright, you could just get TEN golden Cult 410 Chains for the same price as ONE Izumi Super Toughness. If we assume that the Izumi Super Toughness lasts you 18 months, you could switch to a new golden Cult 410 Chain every 54 days and you would spend exactly the same amount of money but your cheap chains would always shine like they're new (because they are never longer in use than 53 days). Please don't do that, it would be a colossal waste of ressources but it goes to show how overpriced the Izumi chain really is. It's 10x as expensive as the other chain in my example but I doubt it's even twice as good. For the price to be even halfway reasonable, it would need to be at least 7x as good, though. Dimishing returns when ivensting more money in bike parts are normal, but this is totally out of proportion.

[@treyrawley409]

Vegan gluten free water bottle. 🤭🤣

[@JusTavvy]

If I didn't get super toughness at trade price I 100% would not get them. Cleaning them in a parts washer faded the gold and blue so much also after like 3 months

[@harveyjones5027]

Hi there thanks for the video. I have a single speed charge plug I bought second hand one month before lockdown started and have loved riding it. I ride all year round in Yorkshire through all weathers and in fairly undulating terrain but never anything steeper than about 12% as thats a bit too tough as the bike is quite heavy. I seem to get through chains way quicker than you mention. I have tried a few types especially KMC and they are 100% worn on the chain checker at 900 miles. I have changed my chainring as this did seem quite worn so potentially that may have caused the fast wear. Now for about 470 miles I have a new Stronglight chainring and a new Izumi Standard Black chain. On my wear checker its now at 70% worn. I am doubting I will get 5000 miles like you. I keep everything cleaned and lubed. Is there anything else you can suggest might be causing chains to wear out quickly for me, I was hoping when I first started using the bike to be getting 5000 miles per chain like you experience, but this has never been the case for me.

[@B_COOPER]

You mentioned a heavy bike? That takes a lot more force to get going. That could be a factor. How straight is your chain line? Are you changing your sprockets (front and back) when you change your chain? It would be silly to put a new chain on worn out sprockets. You don’t have to do this every time you purchase a new chain, but usually keep my old sprockets when I buy new sets for reference.

[@Ober1kenobi]

Izumi Jet Black 4 Lyfe son

[@manuelramos4699]

I will probably try the $85 and see how long it will last on a bike tour.

[@DaviaFleming]

Zach, I love your videos. I was just looking at these yesterday and really appreciate your thoughts. I think I’ll get the 30 dollar one.

[@Messerjocke90]

I got the standard Izumi chain and I'm pretty happy with it so far. And I'm not going to put a 80 dollar chain on my 400 Euro fixed gear. 😆 But hell yeah I'm getting a gold super toughness as soon as I can start my surly steamroller build.

[@onebigdarkroom3945]

who names their bike after a dude... 🤨🤨

[@TL243]

😎❤️🇹🇼‼️

[@charlesfosterkane8034]

I have an old school fixie, so I can use an 8-speed chain. I bought several SRAM PC-870 a couple of years ago making me set for a while. SRAM makes some quality chains.