The actual “chain width,” which we in the bike industry should perhaps instead call “chain inner width,” has not decreased.Īnother way to say this is that the width of the rollers has stayed nominally the same through all of these changes in speeds. When we’re discussing differences in width of differing-speed chains, we should call this dimension (the length of the roller pins) something like “outer chain width” or “chain outer width.” But this is NOT the “width” people are talking about when they say, “an 11-speed chain is narrower than a 10-speed (or 9-speed or 8-speed, etc.) chain.” Yes, chains have gotten narrower as the number of rear cogs has increased in bicycle drivetrains, BUT it is only the outside width dimension that has decreased, and really, we are actually describing the length of the roller pins, which is shorter on 11-speed chains than on 10-speed chains. This is why you can use a one-foot ruler to determine chain wear (which results in chain elongation due to wear at the pins).Ĭhain width, as defined by standard methods of measuring chains, is 3/32-inch on all bicycle derailleur chains. So an inner/outer link pair measures one inch from the center of the roller pin on the end of the inner link to the center of the roller pin on the opposite end of the outer link. In traditional chain speak, “chain pitch” is the length along the chain between adjacent roller pin centers, and “chain width” is the inner spacing between link plates.Ĭhain pitch on all bicycle chains is 1/2-inch, since the distance between the centers of the pair of rollers on the same link plate is half an inch. This is a great question, because your understanding of chain width is a common misconception that is worth clarifying.Ī big part of the issue is that the bike industry is sloppy with its use of chain terminology. We’re talking Shimano 105 5700 compact front, 11-28 cassette. Or would the 11S chain work OK with a 10S group? My understanding is that the 11S chain is narrower, so wouldn’t a narrower chain wear the cassette and jockey wheels (faster/more distorted wear), with teeth designed for a wider chain bedding in to a narrower chain, or you might get chain jumps where it doesn’t drop down onto the teeth as well? And, then if you had to put a 10S chain on, due to distorted wear, there would be slop? My question is: Will an 11S chain work with a 10S drivetrain where the only 11S component is the chain? In a prior post on VeloNews, you state that an 11-speed chain will work with 10-speed cranks, where the rest of the group is 11S.
![10 vs 11 speed chain 10 vs 11 speed chain](https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2021/01/Shimano-GRX-11-speed-review-7-2e9abe3.jpg)
![10 vs 11 speed chain 10 vs 11 speed chain](https://brainybiker.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/inner-width-outer-width-chain-final-1.jpg)
![10 vs 11 speed chain 10 vs 11 speed chain](https://www.velonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/DSCF3685.jpg)
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