Best singlespeed/fixie chain.

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sddg7tfl

Active Member
I recently upgraded the chains on both my Cannondale singlespeed mtb & Teman fixie roady to
YBN-MK918, which is a half link BMX chain at 1/2" x 1/8" with a tensile strength of 1300kgf+
Also, both hub sprockets were changed to thicker units more appropriate to this chain.
On both bikes the chains have stretched +10% within 500 miles!
From memory both bikes are at roughly 80 gear inches.
Have i bought counterfeit YBN chains from ebay, or are they known to stretch?

All i wanted were two "fit and forget for 10000 miles" chains, but this hasn't been the case.
 

zizou

Veteran
Izumi Super Toughness for bling

Too expensive for my budget though so i use a KMC 710 which you can get for under £10. I figure if it is good enough for Anna Meares, then it is good enough for me!
 

ayceejay

Guru
Location
Rural Quebec
What kind of riding do you do? For everyday riding those clunky chains are OTT. I look around the online stores and usually pick up a Miche Pista that is cheap cheerful and good enough for me.
 
OP
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sddg7tfl

sddg7tfl

Active Member
What kind of riding do you do? For everyday riding those clunky chains are OTT. I look around the online stores and usually pick up a Miche Pista that is cheap cheerful and good enough for me.

The MTB has been around Thetford forest and Shouldham Warren forest (the latter has some climbs that keep me off the seat), the Fixie is used out in the exposed fens, so mashing at 50-60rpm into the wind, or 80-90rpm backwind. Chains are lubricated with a wet weather specific oil.
 

raleighnut

Legendary Member
The guy at my LBS reckoned that Taya track chains were the best he'd seen, they are an ISO 9001 chain rated at 10,000 N. I can't vouch for wear yet (cos I've not put many miles on it so far- still mainly on the trike)
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
Wilco car spares shops sell etc- branded Taya single speed chains for about £5. Open the box to check it's still the same. It's on my hub geared bike... or is when it's not in bits... and seems OK so far.

I think I've read mixed reports about YBN but I've not tried them.
 

Rohloff_Brompton_Rider

Formerly just_fixed
I recently upgraded the chains on both my Cannondale singlespeed mtb & Teman fixie roady to
YBN-MK918, which is a half link BMX chain at 1/2" x 1/8" with a tensile strength of 1300kgf+
Also, both hub sprockets were changed to thicker units more appropriate to this chain.
On both bikes the chains have stretched +10% within 500 miles!
From memory both bikes are at roughly 80 gear inches.
Have i bought counterfeit YBN chains from ebay, or are they known to stretch?

All i wanted were two "fit and forget for 10000 miles" chains, but this hasn't been the case.
Well known issue, half link chains are naff for normal riding - ok for the BMX-ing crew for grinding.

I've never had any issues with Asda's Bell chains on my fixed bikes.
 
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