KMC X8-93 - 8 Speed Silver/Grey Chain,114L

I've ridden a few hundred km on this chain now. Initially it slipped on a few ratios as the cassette and chain got to know each other (this also happened with my last new Shimano chain when the Shimano cassette was replaced at the same time, so I don't think it's a worn cassette.) But within a couple of rides that had gone away, which is quicker than last time. I'm impressed with the smooth feel of the drivetrain now - tricky to say that's all the chain because I replaced the jockey wheels this time, and didn't last time! However, for a good price this seems a solid chain that plays nicely with all the other parts it touches being Shimano. The symmetrical quicklink is easier to use than Shimano's one-sided version that you have to bend, though you need a £3 tool to remove a quicklink and arguably you can do the Shimano link with just pliers.

I'm not the best with taking care of my bike, as was evident by my rusty chain that finally started giving way on a ride home from work. I thought about getting another Shimano chain but found this one and much preferred the linking mechanism.It honestly took longer to bring the bike in from the rain with the stand than it did to fit the chain. Looped it through, slotted the two links together, and pulled them tight with a chain tool. You could probably even do it with a sharp pull on the pedals.It has made a massive difference to the ride quality. So much smoother, so much quieter, so much more solid feeling. I just need to adjust some things as it jumps down several gears when backpedalling on the first gear, but I'll do that another time.Hopefully I won't need to replace it again but I know what brand I'll go for next time if I do!

Good quality chain, easy to fit

It was a good affordable chain and very durable it liked it came with a pair of master links but it says it is an 8 speed chain I had to take some links out to make it fit my full sized 8 speed bike

Perfect chain. Easy to resize and fit.

A well made and quiet chain. I did not use the supplied quick link as I preferred to press it together using the roller pins. The quick link is tight and really needs pliers to fit and remove, so it’s not really a quick link to be honest. Wippermann quick links by comparison are truly easy to fit and can be done by hand. I always carry a mini chain splitting tool anyway. I had problems with noisy running gear on my daughters old 5 speed bike, which this X8 chain helped to resolve. Before that it was working well on my 8 speed road bike. On the subject of my road bike this KMC X8 has been the quietest I’ve used out of Wippermann and SRAM. For the best finished chains out of the bunch this and the SRAM are the best. When I tried a Wippermann Connex it had roughly finished edges. The only thing KMC could do, in order to improve the product, is to make the quick link like the Wippermann ones which are really simple to fit and remove by hand (although I am told the Wippermann ones will fit other chain brands).

Used KMC chains many times and love the quality. Not the cheapest, but comes with a reusable quick link which makes fitting a really quick and easy. And if you need to take the chain off, it literally takes 2 seconds. Great quality and at a great price.

As many others have said, this comes in a plastic bag. Quite unnerving at first, "have I bought a copy?". Well, I've always bought KMC chains and have a few old ones laying around (god knows why) so I was able to check the product codes etc. They're exactly the same. This leads me to believe that in this world we're living in, "don't use this, recycle that" etc etc, that KMC (via amazon at least) are merely selling without the usual plastic box it used to come in. No bad thing I guess. The chain is a quality KMC item, even the sticky oil is the same. I've no doubt its an original item and will serve me well, as they always done.