Shimano Chain Questions

[steve_b]

I snapped my chain on a night ride last week (first one in the 2 1/2 years I have been riding) and found out the hard way that you need a special pin to repair a Shimano chain. I'm wondering, with a link removed, and this new pin, how will it affect shifting with a shorter chain, and how long should a repaired chain last? ???

Also, I'm going to start out with a new chain next year, should I stick with a Shimano, and keep a couple spare pins in the camelback, or look at other brands such as Sram? Are chains built to a standard so that they work with all components such as a XT cassette or a Race Face / Truvativ chainring? ???

[Tim]

Everything is standard enough that you shouldn't have any problems, as long as you buy the right type of chain for your setup -- meaning for a 9-speed cogset you need a 9 speed chain. Forget the Shimano, though -- $1 for a pin every time you take the chain off? Get a SRAM with a PowerLink and just say no to pushing pins!

Also, it's a good idea to get a spare PowerLink and throw it in your CamelBak for trailside repairs -- they work on Shimano chains as well.

Tim