Light weight, quality drive chains?

[Crisco]

I'm about to start building a board track racer hybrid. GT-5 frame with board track sentiments. I'v done a ton of searching on this site and can't seem to find a definitive answer on light weight, quality drive chains.?? Being a cyclist, I know that you can get some pretty strong KMC chains that don't weigh much these days.

I will be running a standard GT-5 drive with a 32T rear sprocket, and am interested to hear what people with high performance motors are running..??

Cheers
Chris

 

[gary55]

KMC 710. Maybe not the lightest, but lighter than the 415 that comes with the kits. Just make sure the 32T you order will accept 410 chain.

 

[Frankenstein]

Not completely on subject since I use a jackshaft, but I use this nice kmc kool knight half link chain, I was breaking their second strongest hl710 (the half link version of the standard 710) on both my vertical and horizontal chains... Now I don't have any issues at all with them...

The kool knight features a backing type plate on the chain, if you have sprockets with teeth that are too tall they will hit the back plate so take note of that if you ever consider one for a direct drive set up.

Edit: checking my purchase history I got 3 months from my first order of hl710, then got 6 more from the second order (I replaced my sprockets with new ones when I installed the second set of chains I believe) before giving up on them and getting the kool knight, I've had those for 8 months now and those suffered a winter without looking bad at all, not to mention I didn't have any breaks whatsoever, unlike multiple ones with the hl710...

If you have a multispeed external shifting bike and want to use a jackshaft I would recommend the kmc X9e. They specifically made it for the overseas market in electric bikes, they claim it to be the strongest and most capable of handling the heavy side loads you get from an e bike motor. I installed it on a bike that otherwise tore through every other multispeed chain that was put on it, no problems other than the masterlink they include, it seems to be the only weak link.

 

[CrazyDan]

I use a 410hd single speed chain from the bike shop, over a year on it.

 

[Frankenstein]

I use a 410hd single speed chain from the bike shop, over a year on it.

Like what you see on regular ol' BMX bikes? On the main left side drive full length to the back wheel? That'd pretty amazing that a chain meant for just bikes is holding up do well under motor power when the stock chain sometimes seems to be as fragile as a baby's skull. What brand?

 

[CrazyDan]

Yes plain ol bmx chain. I forget which brand, but its stronger than the stock kit chain made of chinesium. Just go and ask for the strongest 410 chain. It weighs less so you get slightly quicker acceleration too.

 

[gary55]

I like both the kmc K710 and their 415H which has the 415 strength but is much lighter and less bulky then the kit crap.

 

[CrazyDan]

Pretty sure our engines don't put enough stress on a properly aligned chain to break it other than through normal wear.

Odd this other graph gives other numbers...

 

[Frankenstein]

Pretty sure our engines don't put enough stress on a properly aligned chain to break it other than through normal wear.

Odd this other graph gives other numbers...
View attachment 77273

Looks like one's in Newtons the other pounds.. The top one the third row down from the top right under the letter indicators for the attached picture are the measurement types, most say mm for millimeters, the tensile uses a capital N which I assume is newtons, and weight is in kilograms per meter.

Would be my logical guess, and explains differences in values.

 

[FurryOnTheInside]

If bike R with RHD 40:10 sprockets is accelerating at the same rate as bike L with LHD 10:40 sprockets, which bike's chain is carrying the greatest load?
I have tried to find the answer, and failed. I think it's equal.

If it is equal, then a chain
that is strong enough for a RHD shifter bike should be just as good on a LHD single speed.
What do you think?

If bike A with 22:11 sprockets is accelerating at the same rate as bike B with 44:22 sprockets which chain is carrying the greatest load?

These questions perplex me.