campy 9s chains part deux

[merckx]

I just saw an article about Wipperman Vs. KMC chains in V magazine. I actually forgot that Wipperman existed until I saw that article. How are Wipperman 9s chains for Campy? I seem to recall that the stainless Wipperman chains had a bad track record, however that was awhile ago. Do the Connex master links work okay with Campy 9s? As you can surmise, I've got some Campy 9s components that I want to continue to ride to the sunset and I'm looking for alternative 9s chains to keep me in the saddle.

[thwart]

Are Campy 9 spd chains discontinued? I've had good luck with mine, and paid ~ $40 within the past couple of yrs for one.

[oldpotatoe]

I just saw an article about Wipperman Vs. KMC chains in V magazine. I actually forgot that Wipperman existed until I saw that article. How are Wipperman 9s chains for Campy? I seem to recall that the stainless Wipperman chains had a bad track record, however that was awhile ago. Do the Connex master links work okay with Campy 9s? As you can surmise, I've got some Campy 9s components that I want to continue to ride to the sunset and I'm looking for alternative 9s chains to keep me in the saddle.


Anecdotal only but it 'seems' that if we tune a bike with a Wipperman, almost always the cogset is worn out, if the chain is worn out. Not wasted/toasted, just if it 'measures' worn out(using Rohloff tool), the cogset was also.

The quick links, however, seem great. i have sold MANY, 8s, 9s and 10s. They work fine with Campagnolo 9s chains.

KMC 9s chain is great, sram as well.

[RIHans]

Anecdotal only but it 'seems' that if we tune a bike with a Wipperman, almost always the cogset is worn out, if the chain is worn out. Not wasted/toasted, just if it 'measures' worn out(using Rohloff tool), the cogset was also.

The quick links, however, seem great. i have sold MANY, 8s, 9s and 10s. They work fine with Campagnolo 9s chains.

KMC 9s chain is great, sram as well.

So I'm reading that when the wipperman is toast, the cassette is toast. Are you saying the cassette and chain wear out together?

Please clairify, thank you very much!

[oldpotatoe]

So I'm reading that when the wipperman is toast, the cassette is toast. Are you saying the cassette and chain wear out together?

Please clairify, thank you very much!

In my experiecne, with Wipperman chains, if the chain measures worn out, the cogset seems to be worn out also, more often than with other chains.

For the OP about Campagnolo 9s chains...still made, still available but almost $40 wholesale.

MO does not the bike parts market make.

[ultraman6970]

You can use 10 speed chains with 9 and 8 w/o any problem. Even the drive train gets more silent.

The best chain for me is KMC, the wipperman is not bad but my campy stuff rides better with KMC, in my experience even last longer than campy chains itself.

The 10 speed connex or missing links work between brands too. Campagnolo for some idiotic reason came up with its super pin that is a real waste of time. Dont be afraid of using a missing link with any other brands, they will work just fine. So far the combinations i have used are wipperman connex with campy and KMC chains and it works fine, the kmc missing link works with everything, for the record i'm almost 99.999% sure the 10 speed kmc missing links will work fine with 9 speed chains too, the difference between the chains is just nothing.

As for 11 speed chains, some people is using 10 speed chains with 11 speed drivetrains and all work just fine from what I read, even some are using 11 KMC chains with 10 speed drivetrains and all works fine too, the 11 speed kmc chain from what i read the only difference it has with the 10 speed one is that the links are narrow from the outside, the internal space is the same than the 10 speed chain, even people say that a 10 speed drivetrain works more silent with an 11 speed chain, makes sense the chain is narrower for a hairline.

cheers

[Ken Robb]

In my experiecne, with Wipperman chains, if the chain measures worn out, the cogset seems to be worn out also, more often than with other chains.

.

Is this because Wipperman chains last longer so the cassette has more miles on it by the time the chain is worn out or do Wipperman chains just somehow cause more wear on cassettes than other brands?

[LouDeeter]

I've got Wippermann 9 speed chains on most of my 9 speed Campagnolo equipped bikes and have had no problems. I rotate my bikes and rarely see a worn out cassette or chain (because I don't put enough miles on a single setup), particularly if I installed the chain and cassette new or almost new. Likewise, no issues with the links.

[oldpotatoe]

You can use 10 speed chains with 9 and 8 w/o any problem. Even the drive train gets more silent.

The best chain for me is KMC, the wipperman is not bad but my campy stuff rides better with KMC, in my experience even last longer than campy chains itself.

The 10 speed connex or missing links work between brands too. Campagnolo for some idiotic reason came up with its super pin that is a real waste of time. Dont be afraid of using a missing link with any other brands, they will work just fine. So far the combinations i have used are wipperman connex with campy and KMC chains and it works fine, the kmc missing link works with everything, for the record i'm almost 99.999% sure the 10 speed kmc missing links will work fine with 9 speed chains too, the difference between the chains is just nothing.

As for 11 speed chains, some people is using 10 speed chains with 11 speed drivetrains and all work just fine from what I read, even some are using 11 KMC chains with 10 speed drivetrains and all works fine too, the 11 speed kmc chain from what i read the only difference it has with the 10 speed one is that the links are narrow from the outside, the internal space is the same than the 10 speed chain, even people say that a 10 speed drivetrain works more silent with an 11 speed chain, makes sense the chain is narrower for a hairline.

cheers

Unless the shifters are friction, you aren't going to use a 10s chain with a 8s drivetrain. Besides a 8s chain is $10...why use a not proper chain?

Cannot use a Campagnolo 10s chain with a 11s drivetrain either unless lotsa noise is your goal. same for a 9s chain with 10s or a 8s chain with 9s. Never tried to use a KMC 11s chain, not do I put mis-matched chains on, speed wise. I carry 1s, 8s, 9s, 10s, 11s....about 8 models, no reason not to use the proper width.

Narrower chains 'may' make the drivetrain quieter but they need to be a sufficient width to actually shift, particularly shimano, which doesn't 'overshift' like some Campagnolo, and depends on the chain being 'grabbed' but the cog selected.

[oldpotatoe]

Is this because Wipperman chains last longer so the cassette has more miles on it by the time the chain is worn out or do Wipperman chains just somehow cause more wear on cassettes than other brands?


Don't know. I think the later but I don't know. Others shift better also. I have solved some poor shifting with wipperman chains by just subbing a shimano, Campagnolo or KMC chain..jujst did this with a Litespeed, 10s Campagnolo.

[John M]

I am with old potatoe

Wipperman = cog (and chainring) eater

And not because the wipperman chain lasted so long. I got much better campy cassette life with campy or S brand chains when I was on 9s.

[Dave]

One big difference with Campy chains is that they elongate at a fraction of the rate of brands like Shimano and KMC. I've tested all three and found that I could get Shimano or KMC chains to elongate by .5% in only 3500-4000 miles, respectively.

A Campy 10 chain, ridden in the same conditions and maintained identically would only have .15% elongation in 6,000 miles. Unfortunately, that did not mean that the chain had many more miles left in it. That chain had severe roller and side wear, but those wear rates were no worse than the other brands. The roller spacing had increased from it's original .200 inch to about .240 inch and the side clearance was about twice that of a new chain at .013 inch. The chain should have been replaced somewhere in the 4-5,000 mile range because one of the cogs was worn enough to skip when a new chain was installed on the cassette. That cassette had only been used with that one chain.

From that time on, I started alternating the use of several chains with one cassette. If it's practical for you to do that, you'll never get new-chain skip for the life of all of the chains and each chain can be used longer. I typically alternate chains somewhere in the 1500-2000 mile range, or whenever the roller spacing reaches .215-.220. If you wait any longer, you might get some chain skip when a third new chain is put into the rotation.

I personally doubt that a chain brand can be blamed for wearing out cogs prematurely. It's more likely a case of a single chain simply being used for too long, or that chain was the second or third that had been used with the cassette.