I’ve gone through 3 bike chains in the past month. They were two kmc and one cult bmx chain. Any advice?

It''s all good man. I've snapped alot of different chains over teh years and my knees were getting fucked up. It's good to know what model chain you're runnin'. That will explain alot. KMC makes some of the strongest, readily accessible & longest lasting chains for bmx and so they should - they been manufacturing chains for over 50 years. They also make some lighter-duty chains, that's why it's good to know the exact model. If you have a close look at all 3 of your chains, you might be able to work out exactly what's happening to them. Sometimes the centre pin pop out from the outer link becoming distorted. Sometimes the pins weren't pressed correctly to begin with (if you use a chain breaker yourself, make sure you take your time and that everything is straight). Sometimes (rarely) outer link snap in half or the center pins, bend, making the roller / bushing loose, or even seized - putting pressure on the inner / outer links. Sometimes the type of chain you're using won't fit the particular sprocket / gear correctly from the beginning. Also, if you run a small gear (9-13tooth) on the rear with a half link chain, the flexibility of the chain won't meet the same arc the gear needs, because of the shape / how they're manufactured. I've noticed that on all the half links I've every tried. Let me try draw an ascii of it: If you get a 510 chain and put it side by side with a top-shelf expensive fancy brand half link chain, the half link is like this ---> /\ .... however, compared to a 510, the 510 is like this |\ <--- (can fold it tighter, thus less strain..) .... Most half links on smaller gears puts more strain on the chain. Bike co's ain't gonna tell you that tho, 'coz they wanna keep selling new chains to riders every month don't they, that explains alot of the hub problems dudes are having aswell. If you want long-lasting, my best advice would be to not look at it like a chain -look at it like an assembly of 1000 small moving parts all working together. Usually it's just 1 or two that can be repaired with a chain breaker / spare sections of chain.

/r/bmx Thread Parent