Conference noted::bicycle

    This chain is only the latest in a series of experiences I've had
    with Shimano components.  Overall, I've found that the 105 series
    and below are commodity stuff - designed to sell bikes in shops.
    The 600EX components are all flash and no substance - they have
    every latest feature, are light, and pretty, so they sell like 
    wildfire.  Magazines give them good reviews, because they only have 
    to use them a couple of weeks.  Salesmen inevitably push them.
    The Dura-Ace stuff is strong, with noticably better bearings, and
    some concern for longevity, but it is ridiculously expensive and
    still prone to the faddish feature tendency of all Japanese parts.
    

Hmmmm...

Have been running Dura-Ace derailleurs for about 15 years now (the SAME 
derailleurs). Seem pretty durable, and I like the way they shift.
Unfortunately, last time I LOOKED (read: not tested) the Shimano stuff, 
I thought it looked like they had ruined it. Oh, well, let's see if I
can get 30 years out of a derailleur!

As for Sedissport chains stretching, one review at least a year or two 
back put them as the LEAST (one of the least?) stretchy of a dozen or
so chains they tried..... Mine seem to last a long time, but that may 
just be my riding habits.....

                                          ken

    My two cents:
    
    Cahins don't really "Stretch": they wear.  In other words, all those
    little plain bearings grind off some little peices of metal.
    
    If you do what I do, and ride with your chain full of grit, you
    will discover when you finally clean the beast that it has "stretched".
    On the other hand, if you keep your chain clear, I think you will
    find that it will last longer.
    
    Like most things, you trade off money for time.
    
    

    
    Re: -1
    
    It's not just grit that wears out a chain, it's your riding style,
    weight of bike/rider, chainwheel/cog combos etc. not just how clean
    you keep it. I used to go through one every three months (Sedisport)
    and kept them real clean (sponsors like to see you on a clean machine).
    Admittedly, the Sedis is not known to be a great wearing chain.
    
    Re: Matt
    
    In my experience, the Dura-Ace chain is the best one made, and it
    should last you a long time. Whether it proves it's economical versus
    a half dozen Sedisport, only time will tell.

    CdH
    

I've been riding 600EX stuff for almost 3 years, with no problems whatsoever.  
And I'm embarrassed to say that I really don't take care of my bike as well as 
I should.  Never had any problems with the Uniglide chain.  I just change it 
after 1000 to 1500 miles.  You can buy almost 3 uniglide chains for the price 
of 1 Dura Ace chain, so why not and replace it more often?

Kevin

As far as bike chains go, cleanliness can be next to costliness. We 
found that some methods of cleaning chains (like dunking them in solvent 
baths) can actually destroy the chain prematurely by sort of rinsing the 
grit INTO the rollers. Chain LOOKED great, but you could hear it grind 
while just flexing it. Since them, I've adopted just hosing the chain 
down with Tri-Flow or BreakFree, and wipe down the sideplates when it 
gets lookin' too bad. Chain lasts a looooooooooooong time (not sure, but 
I think the current Sedisport has been on for about 4 yrs. now). Might 
be worth trying ....

                                                ken

    Last Saturday I was near the front of the pack in the last two
    miles of a thirty mile race.  As I rounded a corner and downshifted,
    I heard a horrible grinding noise, and then, the crank wouldn't
    turn at all.  
    
    I pulled over, and found that I had overshifted from the large to
    small front chainwheel.  The outside of one of the links had jammed 
    against one sprocket tooth, and had been drawn all the way up between
    the crank and the right chainstay!  I couldn't get the chain free
    at all; there wasn't enough space between the chainstay and crank
    to pull it back through.  Later I used a chainbreaker to extract
    the chain from where it was lodged.
    
    Besides being tiffed over not finishing the race, I'm also concerned
    that this could happen again.  The chain actually seems to be TOO
    flexible.  I've been able to make it catch again just playing with
    shifting the bike at home.  Here's a crude illustration of what happens:
		     
                         Jam
    	      _____    /
Sprocket->  -|-|-|-\-_-_____
	     -----\  | | | |
Chain---->         \-------

    I didn't think chains were supposed to flex enough to get skewed
    on a sprocket.  This is an almost new Dura-Ace chain, too.
    What can I do?
    
    MATT (who's about to put a contract out on whoever invented Uniglide)

    
    Two things to try:
    
    Adjust your front derailleur angle to keep the chainline straighter
    
    Take a link out of the chain to add a bit more tension
    
    I've never had a problem with too much chain flex....
    
    cdH