Suitability of KMC DLC chains

[DieBoy]

Having today managed to break the chain on my new bike 5km from civilisation (spare tube: yes, spare chain: no. One lives and learns ), I'm looking for a durable 10 speed chain and came across KMC's DLC series.

Aside from the aesthetics (pretty colours!) I'm wondering if they're worth it. They're advertised as highly durable, but not explicitly for ebikes.

Has anyone had experience with them?
I did a quick search of the forum and one person seemed to like it, but that's obviously too small a sample size. Any alternative recommendations also welcome.

Thanks in advance.

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The bike came with a KMC X10. Derailleur is a deore, cassette a shimano CS-M4100.
I've now got a Shimano HG chainon as I was very lucky to find a shop still open just before 6pm on a Saturday when I got back.

KMC do do an e10 explicitly for ebikes. However, it seems surprisingly to come only with 122 or 138 links. The X10 has 116, as does the Shimano HG. I want to avoid having to trim the chain, it's a PITA.

Pic of buggered chain:

a

 

[Bummers]

It's a 60 second job to shorten a chain, it's very common to do. Get a chain tool and it's very easy.

 

[DieBoy]

It's a 60 second job to shorten a chain, it's very common to do. Get a chain tool and it's very easy.

I've got a chain tool, and I'm aware it's not too difficult. It is a bit of extra faff. Knowing me, I'll end up miss counting and shortening it too much :-D . I'll also have to remember to correctly shorten the emergency chain in advance.

Being aware of my low mechanical aptitude (I'm crap basically) and also being a fan of the KISS principle, I'd like a chain I can just throw on. Until now at least, I've always replaced chains with the same make and model so I know it'll fit.

 

[steve_sordy]

I don't carry a spare chain and never have. What I do carry is a few magic links and about 3" of spare chain that I've cut off a previously brand-new chain to make it fit. I have never used the spare chain, but others have! To remove the damaged ends of a chain break takes a few mins; to join them up with a magic link takes seconds. I also keep old magic links as give aways to others who may otherwise be facing a long walk home. Your bike will not suffer from having one link too short for the ride home, as long as you ride sensibly.

I repeat, you don't need to carry a spare chain, just a few magic links and a multi tool, like this one:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/topeak-18-mini-multi-tool

I just noticed it's out of stock at CRC, but you can Google it and find one elsewhere.

PS: The multi-tool also does other stuff you will find ride saving from time to time. I never ride without one.

 

[Bummers]

I've got a chain tool, and I'm aware it's not too difficult. It is a bit of extra faff. Knowing me, I'll end up miss counting and shortening it too much :-D . I'll also have to remember to correctly shorten the emergency chain in advance.

Being aware of my low mechanical aptitude (I'm crap basically) and also being a fan of the KISS principle, I'd like a chain I can just throw on. Until now at least, I've always replaced chains with the same make and model so I know it'll fit.

Open the quick link of your old chain and lay the chain out in a straight line on the floor. Do the same with the new chain, have them next to each other. You can see exactly which link you need to remove to get the new chain the right length.

 

[DieBoy]

I don't carry a spare chain and never have. What I do carry is a few magic links and about 3" of spare chain that I've cut off a previously brand-new chain to make it fit. I have never used the spare chain, but others have! To remove the damaged ends of a chain break takes a few mins; to join them up with a magic link takes seconds. I also keep old magic links as give aways to others who may otherwise be facing a long walk home. Your bike will not suffer from having one link too short for the ride home, as long as you ride sensibly.

I repeat, you don't need to carry a spare chain, just a few magic links and a multi tool, like this one:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/topeak-18-mini-multi-tool

I just noticed it's out of stock at CRC, but you can Google it and find one elsewhere.

PS: The multi-tool also does other stuff you will find ride saving from time to time. I never ride without one.

I usually have a spare quick link with me too - I didn't in this case as new bike with different chain size to the old one.
It wouldn't have helped in this specific case however (see pic, maybe it's not clear enough though) - I'd have had to remove the damaged link first, which would require the chain-tool I didn't have with me.

I had my mini bike multitool with as always. It wasn't much use in this case - I couldn't lever the side of the damaged link sufficiently to connect to the other end to make an improvised pedal-very-slowly-home repair. It wouldn't have helped removing the damaged link either if I'd had a spare quick-link.

 

[DieBoy]

Open the quick link of your old chain and lay the chain out in a straight line on the floor. Do the same with the new chain, have them next to each other. You can see exactly which link you need to remove to get the new chain the right length.

Good advice.

However, I'm still slightly baffled why the E10 chain from KMC (which would appear to be well suited) doesn't appear to have a 116 link version, when the X10 and DLC-10 come with 116 links as standard. Why make me extra work? ;-)

Anyway, back to the original question: does anyone have experience with the KMC DLC chains on an eMTB?

 

[DieBoy]

Well, I needed a new chain (winter was hard) and as I had slightly more money than I expected to have, I splashed out on the DLC chain.

Cost was slightly more than twice the X10, so it'll have to last at least 4Tkm to be worth it (I'll accept paying a couple of € for the bling factor).

I will post my experience with it, probably in around 6 months time.

 

[DieBoy]

So it's been on over a year now, with ~ 3000km usage (injury last year reduced mileage significantly). Survived a central Europe winter (inc. snow), moderate to low maintenance.

Checked today with basic chain tool and there's obviously a bit of wear but it's still clearly good to use.

The previous Shimano HG chain, which was about half the cost, didn't quite reach 2K km.

So it's looking good.

 

[Rockhopper70]

The chain line between the two jockey wheels looks wrong…..? It appear to leave the lower jockey vertically when it should go straight towards the upper jockey.
Have you guided the chain over the little jointing tab between the two derailleur plates, rather than straight between the jockey wheels. It’s an easy mistake to make tbh.

 

[DieBoy]

Have you guided the chain over the little jointing tab between the two derailleur plates, rather than straight between the jockey wheels.

Ha, if IIRC you're quite right, I seem to remember having to rethread the chain after I'd taken the photo.

Well spotted!

 

[Rockhopper70]

Ha, if IIRC you're quite right, I seem to remember having to rethread the chain after I'd taken the photo.

Well spotted!

Thanks, what an anorak I am!!! I did wonder you’d done well to ride it like that, it would make a terrible din.

 

[steve_sordy]

..........
Have you guided the chain over the little jointing tab between the two derailleur plates, rather than straight between the jockey wheels. It’s an easy mistake to make tbh.

Yes, it is an easy mistake to make. And I have done it more than once.
But it is so bloody noisy that I only ever ran with it once for a short while.

 

[DieBoy]

Status update.

The KMC DLC chain is coming to the end of it's (safe non-cassette-wrecking) life, and as I need to replace the front chain ring soon will be replaced next month or so.

It's had a bit over 4Tkm, so it's lasted longer than twice the bog standard shimano. Survived a hard winter without weekly cleaning.

So, at least for me it was worth it, working out cheaper €/km than the shimno or standard KMC, plus time saved, plus bling.

So in conclusion the KMC DLC is worth it, if you can source it on special offer/well below RRP. YMMV of course.

As I suspect I'll need a new cassette sometime next year and am planning on upgrading to Linkglide, and as I can't find a super good price, I'll be replacing it with a less expensive chain for the interim. I will highly likely buy a new DLC when I change cassette.

As an aside, the humble deore CS-M4100 cassette is showing very little sign of wear for ~7Tkm all-year on a ebike, surprising robustness for a low-mid series, so well done Shimano on that.

 

[steve_sordy]

I have never regretted buying a top of the range chain. it not only lasts a long time, everything it runs on lasts longer as well.