Cassette and Chain advice

alansmurphy wrote:

The Tiagra cassette mentions a narrow chain so just need to be sure the KMC delivers, I'm sure it will, it's probably just that this is the first line of Tiagra 10sp so they're moving people away from the 7/8/9sp chains.

"Narrow" and "Super narrow" are just Shimano descriptors and do not identify compatibility so I'd ignore them.

Chains: 6/7/8 speed are all the same width, 9 speed is narrower, 10 speed narrower again and 11 or 12 speed narrower still.

For 10 speed drivetrain (that's 4600 / 4700 Tiagra, 5600 / 5700 105 or 6700 Ultegra) KMC X10 or SRAM PC10xx chains are the ones to use.

With a 10 speed casseette you need a spacer on the freehub - IIRC on an 8/9/10 speed freehub add the thin (1mm) spacer that comes with the cassette; to fit 10speed on an 11 speed freehub fit the wider one as well.

ktache wrote:

HP, do you follow the KMC advice and not use a solvent/brush cleaner?

Nope. I try not to use any oil/grease on my chains, but when they get dirty I'll happily spray a load of chain cleaner on them and/or isopropyl alcohol. I've also put them in an ultrasonic cleaner with loads of degreaser before putting wax onto them.

I haven't used brush cleaners though as I don't find them very effective - dirt gets on the brushes and then you've got dirty brushes. Wet-wipes and/or old washing up sponges are my weapons of choice.

hawkinspeter wrote:

Nope. I try not to use any oil/grease on my chains, but when they get dirty I'll happily spray a load of chain cleaner on them and/or isopropyl alcohol. I've also put them in an ultrasonic cleaner with loads of degreaser before putting wax onto them.

I haven't used brush cleaners though as I don't find them very effective - dirt gets on the brushes and then you've got dirty brushes. Wet-wipes and/or old washing up sponges are my weapons of choice.

Out of curiosity:  how many miles between wax applications on your bike?  I like wax for its cleanliness (am anal about a spotless drivetrain) and it works like a charm during dry summers but I ride every day and in winter, with grit, water, road salt... it's just too heavy on the maintenance, I needed to clean and re-apply at least every other day (ride 25 miles/day), that's simply not realistic for me.  I got rid of my Finish Line wet lube though, it's a dirt magnet.  Use Green Oil now, less dirt but it dries to a gunky, sticky mess and I absolutely need my ultrasonic cleaner to get it all off.

For the OP:  I'm partial to KMC chains (have their 11 sp EL titanium nitride coated chain on one bike now) but I also like chains from Connex (formerly Wippermann).  Their removable links are the easiest in use imo.  I consider every Euro on quality and preventative maintenance money well spent.

Xenophon2 wrote:

hawkinspeter wrote:

Nope. I try not to use any oil/grease on my chains, but when they get dirty I'll happily spray a load of chain cleaner on them and/or isopropyl alcohol. I've also put them in an ultrasonic cleaner with loads of degreaser before putting wax onto them.

I haven't used brush cleaners though as I don't find them very effective - dirt gets on the brushes and then you've got dirty brushes. Wet-wipes and/or old washing up sponges are my weapons of choice.

Out of curiosity:  how many miles between wax applications on your bike?  I like wax for its cleanliness (am anal about a spotless drivetrain) and it works like a charm during dry summers but I ride every day and in winter, with grit, water, road salt... it's just too heavy on the maintenance, I needed to clean and re-apply at least every other day (ride 25 miles/day), that's simply not realistic for me.  I got rid of my Finish Line wet lube though, it's a dirt magnet.  Use Green Oil now, less dirt but it dries to a gunky, sticky mess and I absolutely need my ultrasonic cleaner to get it all off.

 

For the OP:  I'm partial to KMC chains (have their 11 sp EL titanium nitride coated chain on one bike now) but I also like chains from Connex (formerly Wippermann).  Their removable links are the easiest in use imo.  I consider every Euro on quality and preventative maintenance money well spent.

I've actually given up on the old stove-top wax application as it was a bit of faff and only lasted about 100 miles or so before needing to be "topped" up with a wax-based lube like Squirt.

I've now switched to using DryFluid (https://www.dry-fluids.com/dryfluid-bike-2.html) which is a slide lubricant (similar to how I used to put graphite into the paraffin wax) and doesn't attract dirt like oil/grease does (chain still picks up a bit of dirt though). It's quite expensive though, especially after factoring in delivery charges.

P.S. I have also re-used the 11-speed KMC links many times without  any issues, but I also carry a spare pair just in case.

P.P.S. The only time I used a Shimano chain (10-speed Ultegra as I recall) I had a side plate snap(!) so I switched to KMC. I think I'd put it on correctly, but it's possible that I did it wrong as the Shimano chains have a specific direction to fit correctly.

P.P.P.S. With applying wax, I believe it lasts longer if you thoroughly degrease the chain first so that the wax can adhere to the clean metal. That may be why you're only getting 50 miles or so. Topping up with a wax lubricant helps as well.