Hyperglide chains - worthwhile or junk?

BarryNL said:

I just got a new mountain bike (Trek 4500) with a Shimano Hyperglide
(HG73) chain for a 9 wheel cassette system and on the first ride, on about
the fifth hill the chain broke at the special replacement/joining pin.

My question is, is this typical of these chains - are they known to be
unreliable or was I just unlucky (or did the shop which put the bike
together do something wrong)?

That was almost certainly due to a poor job of joining the chain. I've never
had a problem with Shimano 9-speed chains, even the lowly HG-53.

Art Harris

BarryNL said:

Hi,

I just got a new mountain bike (Trek 4500) with a Shimano Hyperglide
(HG73) chain for a 9 wheel cassette system and on the first ride, on
about the fifth hill the chain broke at the special replacement/joining pin.

My question is, is this typical of these chains - are they known to be
unreliable or was I just unlucky (or did the shop which put the bike
together do something wrong)?

Is current wisdom to use these chains or replace them with another
brand, and if so what?

I've been using the SRAM chains myself, but that's just what's inexpensive and
has that cool, no-tools master link. I'm not aware of anything wrong with the
Shimano chains or any excess of trouble from them.

Ron

The only time I had a problem with them was when I put it back together
wrong. That's why I switched to SRAM with the powerlink.

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I just got a new mountain bike (Trek 4500) with a Shimano Hyperglide
(HG73) chain for a 9 wheel cassette system and on the first ride, on about
the fifth hill the chain broke at the special replacement/joining pin.

My question is, is this typical of these chains - are they known to be
unreliable or was I just unlucky (or did the shop which put the bike
together do something wrong)?

Is current wisdom to use these chains or replace them with another brand,
and if so what?

Thanks for any tips, Barry.

Barry: The bike manufacturers rarely use the special connecting pin that you
& I do, because they're difficult to install on a production line
(specifically, there are repetitive-movement injury issues, or so I've been
told). Most likely, if you look very carefully at the sideplates, you'll
find a bit of a bulge where the pin mangled it a bit as it pushed in. If you
bring it back to the shop, more than likely they won't give you any trouble
and will install a new chain for you, with the two-stage nearly-bombproof
connecting pin.

Properly installed, the HG73 (and all other HGX3 chains) work very well and
should not be avoided for reliability reasons.

For those a bit confused by a Trek 4500 with a 9-speed cassette, please note
that, in general, European models will be a bit better spec for the same
model number than their US counterparts. They're also considerably more
expensive.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I just got a new mountain bike (Trek 4500) with a Shimano

Hyperglide

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

(HG73) chain for a 9 wheel cassette system and on the first ride,

on about

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the fifth hill the chain broke at the special replacement/joining

pin.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

My question is, is this typical of these chains - are they known to

be

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

unreliable or was I just unlucky (or did the shop which put the

bike

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

together do something wrong)?

Is current wisdom to use these chains or replace them with another

brand,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and if so what?

Thanks for any tips, Barry.

Barry: The bike manufacturers rarely use the special connecting pin

that you

Quoted message said:

& I do, because they're difficult to install on a production line
(specifically, there are repetitive-movement injury issues, or so

I've been

Quoted message said:

told). Most likely, if you look very carefully at the sideplates,

you'll

Quoted message said:

find a bit of a bulge where the pin mangled it a bit as it pushed in.

If you

Quoted message said:

bring it back to the shop, more than likely they won't give you any

trouble

Quoted message said:

and will install a new chain for you, with the two-stage

nearly-bombproof

Quoted message said:

connecting pin.

Properly installed, the HG73 (and all other HGX3 chains) work very

well and

Quoted message said:

should not be avoided for reliability reasons.

For those a bit confused by a Trek 4500 with a 9-speed cassette,

please note

Quoted message said:

that, in general, European models will be a bit better spec for the

same

Quoted message said:

model number than their US counterparts. They're also considerably

more

Quoted message said:

expensive.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

Gotta ask Mike, do you inspect and then add the shimano connecting pin
on all the bicycles you receive from your 'manufacturer?

Quoted message said:

BarryNL said:

So the factory pin is possibly the problem. Then,
to expand my story slightly, I actually bought two of these bikes (for me
and the wife) and its actually her chain that broke. Should I be thinking
about replacing the factory joining pin on my bike as well with one of the
two stage pins? I have noticed that on my bike the pin sticks out slightly
further on one side and is virtually flush with the plate on the other.

Arthur Harris said:

Shimano make a special pin for joining the chain.
http://tinyurl.com/ba999

You're not supposed to reuse the regular pins (like we used to do before 8
and 9 speed chains came along). The fact that one side protrudes further out
is proof that it wasn't installed right.

I would be a good ide to replace the joining pin on your bike. But make sure
the side plate wasn't damaged when the chain was initially joined. I'd go
back to the LBS and have them inspect and make right at no cost to you.

Art's right that your uneven rivet is unsafe. I'd add a
snaplink rather than use a Shimano pin, especially where
side plate damage is likely.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Quoted message said:

Maybe they ought to switch to Sram, with the connecting link...but I
know the answer to that from shimano, the evil empire....

It's not a Shimano issue; most manufacturers would like to switch, because
alternative chains cost considerably less. And in the past Trek has used
many different chains. But... Shimano chains generally shift better on the
front. This has been my personal experience, and it's been what I've seen on
a number of bikes that didn't shift really well but, when the chain is
changed (to a Shimano), worked fine.

SRAM wouldn't be my 2nd choice either; I've had better success with KMC
(which also use a snap link). But even the KMC is more likely to drop the
chain off the inside chainring (on a double) than the Shimano.

Please note these experiences are with STI, not Ergo levers. Front shifting
isn't as likely to expose a chain preference with Ergo. The last Campy
drivetrain that was really picky about chains was the 8-speed, IMHO. Still,
it seems like a lot of folk believe the secret to Campy 9-speed working
great is to use a Shimano chain. Personally, I haven't found that to be the
case. The Shimano chain seems to make a bit less noise, but the Campy shifts
better.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

"Qui si parla Campagnolo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Quoted message said:

Gotta ask Mike, do you inspect and then add the shimano connecting

pin

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

on all the bicycles you receive from your 'manufacturer?

We inspect them with a fine-toothed comb and, if we find a mangled

(evidence

Quoted message said:

of bulging at pin) link, we replace the entire chain (and, of course,

use a

Quoted message said:

two-stage connecting pin). However, one got past us last week,

mangling a

Quoted message said:

derailleur and rear wheel. An expensive mess that the bike

manufacturer is

Quoted message said:

paying for. Actually more upsetting that it got past us than anything

else,

Quoted message said:

given the extent to which we've documented this situation.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

Maybe they ought to switch to Sram, with the connecting link...but I
know the answer to that from shimano, the evil empire....

On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 22:04:19 +0200, BarryNL <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I just got a new mountain bike (Trek 4500) with a Shimano Hyperglide
(HG73) chain for a 9 wheel cassette system and on the first ride, on
about the fifth hill the chain broke at the special replacement/joining pin.

My question is, is this typical of these chains - are they known to be
unreliable or was I just unlucky (or did the shop which put the bike
together do something wrong)?

Is current wisdom to use these chains or replace them with another
brand, and if so what?

IME, the chains are good, but the push-in pin is iffy. I use an SRAM
connector link of the appropriate width (blithely ignoring SRAM's
prophecies of doom surrounding the practice of using their link on a
non-SRAM chain) and I have no problems with the Shimano chains.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
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Mike Jacoubowsky said:

But... Shimano chains generally shift better on the
front. This has been my personal experience, and it's been what I've seen on
a number of bikes that didn't shift really well but, when the chain is
changed (to a Shimano), worked fine.

I think that when the 9sp HG chain had the bellies between pins, the
front shifting was 2nd to none with Shimano chain. With 10 sp chain,
they''ve flattened the sideplates. I'd expect the front shifting to
now be on par with Wippermann, which I don't think is so great.

Using a Shimano 9sp HG chain on a Campy 10 system requires precise
adjustment but yields best front shifts.