Help with chain compatibility, what is the least number of chains to be in the tool box!

J

jerseyjeffr

Member
I feel like this is a bad standardized test question.... but here goes

I am a head coach of our local NICA team (go blue devils!), and I am putting together a race day/team parts box to keep our riders on the trail. I just found a bunch of clearance water bottle cages at Trek Stirling, and some grips on the cheap. I am also tossing in an assortment of screws, and will be getting a mess of 26,27.5 and 29 inch presta tubes, and some schrader to presta adapter bushings . I would like to toss some spare chains and master links into the box, and here is when the nightmare begins. We have 1x and 2x bikes, equiped with shimano, cues, microshift and sram. 8,9,10,11 and 12 speed. The good news is that it is all mid-tier, and all cable actuated. Can I get away with KMC chains in all the major speeds? Would that be enough to finish a day? Will one brand play okayish with the others better? Am I missing any other big consumables? I am also collecting new bike bottles to have for races, and lube.

Jeff
 
I think that you should be fine if you had one of each in KMC. Might not be perfect, but fine to finish a ride. I would add derailleur hangers and rear derailleurs if you can find them. Probably the most common failure other than flats. I have an extra 11-speed SRAM and a 10-speed Shimano XT if you need them.
 
I just ordered a mess of lube, and some chains off the backcountry sale. I have a few hangers for my biological kids (because my son's bike makes expensive noises often) and I think because of the huge variety of other bikes in our fleet, if we are deep enough in the woods I will single speed a busted derailer bike just to get it to the parking lot, and then make the rest of the story a bike shop problem! Thanks for the offer of the chains!
 
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Fyi, ALL cues systems, regardless of number of gears, use 11 speed chain. Their spacing is identical regardless of number of speeds, so you only "need" to have 11 speed CUES/Linkglide derailleurs and shifters, which can be used to replace any CUES equipment in a pinch.
 
Aside: remember that Linkglide 9/10/11 is a distinct gear spacing from all those in non-linkglide. You will get skipping/balking if you try to use a "regular" cassette.
 
That is such a cool project for the team. Honestly, KMC is a lifesaver for situations like this because they play nice with almost everything. If you stock 10, 11, and 12 speed KMC chains, you can usually get a rider back on the trail regardless of the drivetrain brand. Just make sure to have plenty of extra master links because those are way easier to lose in the dirt than the actual chains. Good luck with the season!
 
I agree about getting a butt-load of master links. In many cases that will be fastest way to get a bike operating again rather than replacing the entire chain. Personally, I have a bunch of SRAM 12 spd Transmission links, a bunch of 12S Shimano links, and a number of leftover 11 spd links. Price per link isn't bad if you buy enough of them.
 
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