1/8" chain for fixie?

[swee'pea99]

I've always used 3/32" chains in the past, but I've always been 7-speed at the back. Now that I'm buding a fixie would I be right in thinking that it reaklly doesn't matter whether I get a 3/32 or a 1/8 chain (even tho' I'll be keeping my old chainset at the front).

 

[kyuss]

1/8th will run on 3/32 chainrings so I guess there's nothing stopping you, but it can be really noisy with no real benefit over a 3/32 chain. There are loads of 3/32 track sprockets available too so the only reason for changing would be bragging rights with the fixie crowd. Personally I prefer a quiet, smooth running drivechain.

If you decide to stick with 3/32 I can recommend the singlespeed specific KMC 610hx. Brilliant chain and I'm sure its 1/8th cousin the 510hx is just as good if you do decide to go down that route.

 

[rustychisel]

what he said, agree totally

 

[swee'pea99]

Many thanks. Bragging rights do not interest me. I shall follow your advice.

 

[Joe24]

1/8th for me. But thats just me. I prefere the 1/8th chain because its stronger and i can bother less with it.

 

[kyuss]

1/8th for me. But thats just me. I prefere the 1/8th chain because its stronger and i can bother less with it.

Sorry but that's nonsense and an assumption many people make. Many factors make a strong chain, not least quality of build and materials, width makes very little if any difference.

For instance the very popular 1/8th SRAM PC1 has a tensile strength of 900kg where as the 3/32 KMC I linked to above is 1200kg. You can't just claim a chain is stronger because its 1/8th.

 

[Joe24]

I go through 3/32 chains on a geared bike that has them in a month.
1/8th i go through alot less.
From a search on the internet, they seem to have a tensile strength of 1300kg. Thats by me just searching 1/8th tensile strength and with cheapo chains.
And anyway, none of the chains that are 1/8th on there show the tensile strength.

 

[kyuss]

Chains for geared bikes are a completely different beast though. They need to be built to handle gear changes and sideways forces and take much more abuse in this respect than any track or BMX chain would. Of course they don't last as long.

And you can't just claim that 1/8th chains have a tensile strength of 1300kg. You've got to look at the quality of each chain individually otherwise it's like me claiming that pieces of string are 2ft 4inches long.

 

[Joe24]

Chains for geared bikes are a completely different beast though. They need to be built to handle gear changes and sideways forces and take much more abuse in this respect than any track or BMX chain would. Of course they don't last as long.

And you can't just claim that 1/8th chains have a tensile strength of 1300kg. That's like me claiming that pieces of string are 2ft 4inches long.

Well i told you what i searched.
You told me what the tensile strength for that 3/32nd chain is, wheres the tensile strength for the 1/8th? I cant see any on the SJS website, or the chainr eaction cycles.
http://www.actionvillage.com/814-498-0005
http://www.amazon.com/K710-Bicycle-1-Speed-8-Inch-Silver/dp/B0013BMDLO
Here you go then

 

[bonj2]

I go through 3/32 chains on a geared bike that has them in a month.
1/8th i go through alot less.
From a search on the internet, they seem to have a tensile strength of 1300kg. Thats by me just searching 1/8th tensile strength and with cheapo chains.
And anyway, none of the chains that are 1/8th on there show the tensile strength.

what geared bike are you using a 3/32 chain on - what speed chain is that

incidentally i use a 1/8 chain on my fixie simply because i have no reason to use a 3/32 instead.

 

[bonj2]

Sorry but that's nonsense and an assumption many people make. Many factors make a strong chain, not least quality of build and materials, width makes very little if any difference.

For instance the very popular 1/8th SRAM PC1 has a tensile strength of 900kg where as the 3/32 KMC I linked to above is 1200kg. You can't just claim a chain is stronger because its 1/8th.

Surely that's comparing apples with oranges.
what about a 1/8 KMC.
For me, it's the choice of a 3/32, or a 1/8 of the same make, so the 1/8 wins, simply because I might as well go for the slightly stronger one, no other reason

 

[Joe24]

Well its an 8 speed, so its sort of 3/32

 

[kyuss]

Well i told you what i searched.
You told me what the tensile strength for that 3/32nd chain is, wheres the tensile strength for the 1/8th?

Here from the SRAM technical manual. And here's the KMC k810 (first item on the page), the 3/32 version of that k710 you linked to, which claims the same 1300kg tensile strength to the 1/8th version you reckon is stronger.

Surely that's comparing apples with oranges.
what about a 1/8 KMC.

Here's the 1/8th version of the KMC. Exactly the same strength as the 3/32. And that's precisely the point I'm trying to make. You can't just claim a chain is stronger because it's 1/8th, I'm just pointing out that width doesn't = increased strength like so many people seem to think. It's not size that matter, it's what you do with it.

You could argue that a 1/8th chain when used with all 1/8th components will wear out the chainring and sprocket less due to the larger contact patch between the chain and rings, but the difference will be so slight as to make little or no difference if you keep it clean and change it when it needs changed. And running 1/8th on 3/32, like the OP asked about, would make no difference in this respect at all, as it's the extra material on the ring/sprocket that brings the extra durability not the chain. Wider chains stretch at pretty much the same rate as narrow ones too so you're likely to need to replace the wider one just as regularly.

For me, it's the choice of a 3/32, or a 1/8 of the same make, so the 1/8 wins, simply because I might as well go for the slightly stronger one, no other reason

See above. When there is the option of both 3/32 or 1/8th in the same model the 1/8th isn't always necessarily any stronger. The KMC k710/k810 and the z510hx/z610hx linked to above are just two examples, I'm sure it's the same case with other manufacturers as well. Build quality and design for purpose matters more than width.

 

[mountainrider]

i used to have an 1/8 chain on an 1/8 cog but with a 3/32 chainset, worked fine. probably more robust too.

 

[Hover Fly]

A 3/32" chain is stronger than an otherwise identical 1/8" chain. To put it simply, the chain breaks because first the rivet works its way out of one side plate, then the other side plate can't take the full load and snaps. The rivet works out of the sideplate more easily on the 1/8" chain because it has more leverage.
Wippermann, the only maker I can find figures for on the web, give a minimum tensile strength of 9.1 kN for 1/8'' chain against 10kN for 3/32".