Shimano XTR/Dura-Ace CN-M9100 12-Speed Chain

Recently acquired new bike with Ultegra Di2 12 Speed and bought the 9100 chain to rotate with the 8100 chain that came with the bike. Since I use hot wax to lube chains I keep 2 in order to reduce the frequency of getting the gear out. Anyway, the 9100 performs a little smoother than the Ultegra chain. BTD also provided a price match that sweetened the deal.

One full year and 10,000 miles old, my previous DuraAce chain was absolutely fine. It showed no wear, run smoothly, was not noisy, and showed no measurable stretch at all. That was the same experience I had with the original Ultegra chain that originally came with bike. The Di2 12-speed system has proved to be more expensive, of course, but also more reliable and more long-lasting than the mechanical 11-speed of previous bikes. With Di2, I lube with a graffiti/teflon wax and both Di2 chains have performed perfectly to the last ride before I decided to replace each as a matter of cautious (or OCD, ha, ha). Seriously, I highly recommend Shimano Di2 chains. BTD often features deals with the lowest price online. In addition, their VIP points get me discounts, their customer support is fantastic when anything has gone wrong (even when it was not their fault), and shipping is free and reasonably fast. Thanks, BTD.

I know there's not enough of a gain to use a Shimano Dura-Ace chain over even Ultegra, or a competitor, especially factoring in price, but man do they work well. They're always quiet, the quick link Shimano supplies gives a nice, firm click when it snaps together too, which I do like.

Make sure you notice they are in fact directional, there's a small paper in the box that tells you which way to go (writing faces outward on the chain plates). Does it make a difference? Who knows, but the plates are ramped to shift better under load and it does in fact do it, so I put it on the correct way of course.

The grease they use seems to come off easier too, if you're a wax person (I am). That initial soak in your degreaser of choice seems to do a really good job.

Main thing for me is noise level, and smoothness, and the chain delivers for me. I hate the loud chain noise on an otherwise quiet drivetrain.

Catch a sale and stock up.

Not much to say.. One of the best chains on the market.

Why bother with lower range chains when XTR offers the best qualities and lifespan? Bought a pair for each my road and XC bikes; thoroughly cleaned to remove all factory grease and immersed in wax. Repeat each couple hundred miles. If this works for 6k miles for competitive cyclists that put much more watts to the pedals than 99% of us, then should be just fine for same or more as well as reducing the total cost of running our bikes. Did I mention that alloy treatment on this work for crisp-instante gear shifts? Don't hesitate, go for it.

Cheapest price for a real dura-ace chain.

When Shimano started rolling out 12-speeds across their lines, it took quite a while before availability reached us end consumers for ongoing replacement. I've been using 6701/Ultegra chains as fantastic value/performance for more than a decade, was fine using an Ultegra chain for the first replacement on my new 12-speed, but very prefer the slightly lighter and smoother shifting of the Dura-Ace for that bike (equipped with Dura-Ace drive train).

I just replaced my Ultegra 8100 chain with 5,700 punishing miles I put on it since early February of 2023. I run a 12 speed Di2 and take incredible care of my chain and every component of the groupset. I counted and matched the number of links that were already on my BMC SLR01, which was 110, and cut the chain for the Quick-Links. I was amazed by how much stretch I had put on my previous chain when I compared the old and new side-by-side - only a few milimeters, but the new chain results in a tighter drive train and feels amazing with its crisp and silent shifting. Shimano chains are fantastic products, but like everything mechanical in this world, it can wear or stretch. I am so glad I went with this 9100 as a nice upgrade for my bike.

Dura Ace chains are excellent, and the 12 speed variety sets a new high bar. These things last forever and are silent when running. They last for ages and darn near forever when waxed. They are expensive compared to the other chains in Shimano's lineup, but when factoring in the additional life span you get out of the rest of your drivetrain, they are dirt cheap.

Buy your chains from reputable dealers like your local bike shop or biketiresdirect.com. If you buy from Amazon, you may get a cheap Dura-Ant replica instead of a genuine Dura-Ace chain.

Solid chain and with waxing gets minimal wear. I try and source all of my parts from biketiresdirect.com as they have great pricing, deals, and reliable shipments.

I run this on a Ultegra group set. This chain last longer, is quieter, and shifts better than its Ultegra counterpart.

Perfect combo for any shimano gear

For The price is better to use this instead of anything else Shimano 12s

Great chain, does what it supposed to do...

Quiet, smooth, efficient, easy to install, remove and clean. What more could you ask for?

Not the most durable but certainly light.

Silent shifts...

Pay a little more but gets better shifting and lighter than the other 12 sp chains. What's not to like.

I find that the M9100 chain shifts better. Your call on whether it is worth the extra cost.

Can't beat Dura Ace when on sale