I ride 150-200 miles a week so I go through a lot of parts especially rear tires...stretched chains do shift poorly and I think they chip cogs/sprockets
I replaced 2 chains in January early Feb both were 9 speed, which may make a difference as they are thicker than 10.11 speed chains. one was a 951 and the other is 971 the 951*** (I use the 951 when it rains on my older bike but the prior chain was a shimano and no rust after about 4000 miles and it was used in the same conditions AND it was used over 500 miles at the beach which the 951 wont get to until May) the 951 is already rusted ,
the 971 still looks great and after 800+ miles seems good the sram 971 chain is $xx compare to about $xx for shimano so if it get 4000 miles with no rust and failing 75% test then it will be a great value but so far too early to tell (at 800 miles it is still a good bit away from 50% stretched) for the few dollars.difference between 951 and 971 I'd buy the 971, I will never buy the 951 again
The only complaint for the 971 is I feel and hear chunk noises shifting under load NO COGS were broken before and none are yet with the new chain(s) **I'm not sure this can be avoided and what the cost would be but both the 951 and 971 feel clunkier under load than what I remember the shimanos felt like ** I assume(d) the stretched chain would be clunkier, but that does not seem to be the case.. I'm not an engineer .....as an addendum the chain ring and sprocket are shimano I assume there may be 100th of mm differences between sram and shimano components regardless i assume the 971 will get close to the same mileage and i ordered replacement 971 chains for this summer
One thing to know about this chain is that you'll definitely need a chain breaker to install it the first time, since the two ends of the quick link come facing the same direction. I didn't need to shorten it, based on my old chain, but I did need to reverse one end so the ends would mate.
I am a daily commuter. I ride every day in all weather and road conditions. I have utilized this chain for my bike for thousands of miles without any issues. Keep your chain clean and lubed for years of trouble free service.
I'm not looking for the best, I'm looking for a workhorse.
I ride a fair amount miles a year and swap out chains every 2000-2500 miles, so I go through 4 chains a year.
I've found this one to work for me.
Having never changed a chain before and not used one with the gold link system. This is a great concept and look forward to being able to really get a good clean chain throughout the season.
Great chains for older bikes still running 9 speed. Using on my old carbon hardtail with SRAM drivetrain. No issues, good shifts, chain does not feel flexy when shifting even under load.
This chain seeks to work well with shimnao sprockets and cassette, plus has a nice link connector so I don't need any special tools. I can get about 2 yrs out of the chain, which is good for me. So works well, and is fairly durable.....a good deal.
I bought this chain to replace a broken primary chain on my semi-recumbent Bigha bicycle. BikeTiresDirect offered the best price by far and as usual, shipping was fast. Actually, I had to splice together this chain and part of the same model chain I had left over from a previous chain replacement. All went well and I will be good for another few thousand miles.
I ordered and installed this chain to replace a stretched chain on my wife's mountain bike. The chain is easy to install with the quick links. Cog jumping by the old chain was corrected following installation of the new chain.
I bought this chain for my road bike and I have put about 1000 miles on it so far. I use my bike to commute as much as I can, which can sometimes get wet and I do a lot of hill climbing on some pretty long steep grades. No problems, bike shifts fine and I love the SRAM master link that comes with it. The link pulls tighter when the chain is used and you can still disconnect it and remove the chain for easy cleaning.
