Excellent

I bought this chain to replace a snapped one on my 2012 Specialized Hardrock SE. There isn't too much to this chain, its a very basic and low-level chain that will work with many entry-level bikes, though you should definitely double check to make sure it'll work with your drivetrain.The only real issue I had with it was partly my fault - I left the chain at its original length, thinking that it "looked about right" and then joined it together. Turns out, it was too long and when in lower gears the derailleur is fully contracted and the chain rubs on itself, not good! Since this chain uses a break-off pin to connect, it means that you'll have to use another pin if you ever want to disassemble the chain for cleaning or to shorten in. If a couple pins were included, this might not be a big deal but you only get one with the chain itself. So I had to spend $9 for a 3-pack of extra chain pins, not ideal.So overall it'll work - nothing fancy, no powerlink or handy features, but at this price point I'd say its a good deal. If Shimano would include an extra pin or two, maybe I'd even give it 5 stars!

There really isn't any one place to get all the information you need for this job, so here it is. Replacing a chain is easy and it's like riding a new bike. Very smooth pedaling. Highly recommended. It's a 15 minute job.First, count the number of sprockets on the back wheel. Sprockets are the gears. For me it was 7.That's the number you need to order. This is a 6/7/8 chain, so it will work if you have 6, 7 or 8 sprockets.You'll need a chain tool for about $12. I got the IceToolz Chain Tool 7-10 Speed Shimano HG/IG/UG chain tool, but note that the 7-9 size costs about half as much. Your chain tool should also have a number that matches any number on the chain (not the number of sprockets). My tool says 7-10, so with 7 as one of the sizes of the chain I'm good to go. Note that even if you have 6 sprockets, because this chain *could* fit 7, the 7-9 or 7-10 tool will work for a 6/7/8 chain. It would not work for a 5/6 chain because 5 and 6 are not within the 7-9 or 7-10 range of the tools.A chain tool lets you break links and put links on. There is no such thing as a master link: you just use the links that are on the chain to connect to one another. One reviewer said he used a missing link - you DON'T need a missing link or other kind of master link. The only thing a missing link will do is it will let you put the chain on without a tool, but putting the chain on with the tool is easy if you use the trick I describe below, so I'd skip the link and just buy the tool. If your chain is broke, you can use the missing link if you really want to otherwise, you'll need the tool to pull the chain off, so you can use it to connect the chain without a missing link.

I bought this chain as a replacement for my vintage style randoneuring bicycle. It's an exact match for the chain that I'd had on there for the last 10,000 miles. That chain had been fantastic, so I expected that this chain would be of similar quality as a replacement. Live and learn. Less than 200 miles on this chain, had to repair links 4 times. I marked them, so I know that it was a different link each time. This morning, the chain completely disintegrated, leaving me with a nice 6 mile walk, instead of my planned 40 mile ride. It's incredibly frustrating to buy a product from a quality brand and have it be so awful. I left it where it fell, at the top of a moderate climb. I'm glad it dropped there, my ride was taking me to the top of the highest mountain in the state. And that would have been a much longer walk home.

There really isn't any one place to get all the information you need for this job, so here it is. Replacing a chain is easy and it's like riding a new bike. Very smooth pedaling. Highly recommended. It's a 15 minute job.First, count the number of sprockets on the back wheel. Sprockets are the gears. For me it was 7.That's the number you need to order. This is a 6/7/8 chain, so it will work if you have 6, 7 or 8 sprockets.Next, decide which chain. The quality goes up with the numbers. 50, 60, 70, 91. This one, 50, is at the bottom.You'll need a chain tool for about $12. I got the chain tool, but note that the 7-9 size costs about half as much, and the extra money is probably wasted unless you need it. Your chain tool should also have a number that matches any number on the chain (not the number of sprockets). My tool says 7-10, so with 7 as one of the sizes of the chain I'm good to go. Note that even if you have 6 sprockets, because this chain *could* fit 7, the 7-9 or 7-10 tool will work for a 6/7/8 chain. It would not work for a 5/6 chain because 5 and 6 are not within the 7-9 or 7-10 range of the tools.A chain tool lets you break links and put links on. There is no such thing as a master link: you just use the links that are on the chain to connect to one another. One reviewer said he used a missing link - you DON'T need a missing link or other kind of master link. The only thing a missing link will do is it will let you put the chain on without a tool, but putting the chain on with the tool is easy if you use the trick I describe below, so I'd skip the link and just buy the tool. If your chain is broke, you can use the missing link if you really want to otherwise, you'll need the tool to pull the chain off, so you can use it to connect the chain without a missing link. Connecting the chain is trivial.You might also want disposable gloves - probably two pair. The new chain is greasy. You'll probably want a newspaper to put the old greasy chain on, a cable tie or twisty tie to tie back the deraileur and a zip lock bag to put the extra links from the new chain in for storage. You may want to consider cleaning your rear gears when the chain comes off. I carefully use carburator cleaner, avoiding getting any into the hub by just spraying the bottom.Take the chain out of the box - it's in a plastic bag. Find the extra pins that come with it. Save those for emergencies, you don't need them now.Shift to the smallest diameter sprocket, front and back. Note where the chain goes: it's usually over the top derailer sprocket and then under the bottom one.Now, here's the difference between a 15 minute easy job and a half hour of problems: pull the rear derailer all the way forward and use a wire or cable tie to tie it to the bike frame.The chain links are connected by pins. Pick any one on the old chain and use the tool to push it through. Pull the chain off. If you want to clean the rear gears, now is the easiest time to do it.Hold the old chain up to the new one with the top ends matched and find the link on the new one that matches the last link on the old one. Be careful: a very old chain will have stretched a bit, and so you may have to match the links halfway down the chain so that you get the same *number of links*, not the same *length* chain of a stretched chain.An aside: If your chain was "stretched", it's likely to have worn down the gears, at least on the back. A stretched chain doesn't actually stretch, what happens is the holes on the links that surround the pins get bigger from wear, causing the chain to become longer. The longer chain means if you ride aggressively, by pedaling hard, instead of the chain resisting the force, the sprockets (gears) have to resist it, and that wears down the sprockets. The one or two you use most will probably have significant wear, so this is a good time to inspect them. If you notice that the sprockets are particularly worn, you can replace the sprockets. It's also a job you can do yourself, but it requires two more tools (a sprocket remove / chain whip tool and a cassette lock ring tool) for about $30, and is not super simple like replacing a chain. For me, it's about a wash: the bike shop will charge you the $30 anyways, and save you some work. It's about a half hour of sort of difficult work doing it. If your sprockets are worn, this is the right time to replace them because you'd have to take the chain off to do it, so you may as well do it or have it done while you have the chain off. You'll need to order a set of sprockets for your bike and also the tools, and then replace it or take the wheel to a bike shop and have them do it while you wait. The sprockets are known as "cassettes" and are ordered by counting the number of sprockets, and then counting the number of teeth on the smallest sprocket and largest sprocket. Note that you can match what you have, or, if you want to change the gearing, this is also a good time to do it. I changed the gearing to have more climbing ability, at the expense of larger gaps in force between the gears, and was really glad I did, however my deraileur is too short to handle the larger sprockets I installed and so I had to give up using one of my 21 gears: the chain would have needed to be lengthened to accommodate using the largest gears front and back and my deraileur arm wasn't the longest size and couldn't handle it - no biggie, not a gear I used much anyway. Look online for gearing information and there are tons of videos on how to remove and install a cassette. Or your bike shop will install your own components. And every few years, inspect your chain for stretching (see instructions online) and replace the chain when out of tolerance so you don't have to go through a sprocket replacement again. And what's going to happen if you DON'T replace the cassette when you replace this chain? If the chain is old enough, the cassette is probably worn out and putting a new chain on will just cause the chain to skip: every now and then the chain will slip by one link, because the cassette no longer matches the chain. Is this going to happen to you: YES, if your chain is more than 4 years old from daily use. What do you do then? You can skip buying a new chain, buy a "missing link" and try to repair your chain until it breaks again, which usually won't be long. At least the old stretched chain will match the worn cassette, so it won't skip, except for the missing link itself but it's not likely on just one link. Otherwise, you should really replace your cassette before you replace the chain.OK, back to installation of the chain. Hold what should be the last link of the new chain with your fingers and set down the old chain. Push the lower pin on the link you are holding completely out of the new chain. The lower pin is the one that connects the link you are holding with the next one, the first one you don't need. Note that if you have replaced the sprocket with one of a different size, you may need to adjust the length of the chain longer or shorter to match.String the end of the new chain through the sprocket and derailer, starting with the end that has no pin. The other end has the pin sticking out of it so that you can push it right back in to link it, but with that pin sticking out, you can't thread that side through, so use the side with no pin to thread it through the deraileurs. If you can, you want the pin sticking out on the other end to be facing away from the bike, but it's not fatal if it's not. Note that the chain will be threaded *through* the bike frame: you can only string it through before you connect it: you can't connect it and then get it on the bike somehow. The two ends of the chain should be hanging down. Note the chain needs to go through the front deraileur, and if there is a tab sticking in between the top and bottom sprocket of the rear deraileur, the chain will go inside the tab.Match up the links and place them together. If they won't go together, separate the open end a bit with your fingers, and then slide the open end over the midpoint of the link on the other end, then pull it back to the proper position so that the ends line up.Use the chain tool to push the pin sticking out back in fully so that it lines up with the others on the chain. The two end links should swing somewhat freely (though not as much as the others): you may have to push the pin in a little more or push it out from the other side. Now work the link up and down and side to side to get it to swing a bit more freely. (You'll note a reviewer below points out that you have to use a special pin, but I don't believe that's true until the chain breaks: the special pin is already installed sticking out when you receive this chain, so that all that is necessary is to push it fully in to install. If the chain breaks, he is correct that you have to replace the pin you use to connect the links with one of their pins).Undo the wire or cable tie you used to hold the derailer forward against the bike frame. Save the extra links in a zip lock bag and the extra pins that came with the chain.Get a chain lubricant and lube the chain. The grease on the chain will last a few miles: it's primarily a rust inhibitor. I use Tri Flow oil, but I'm not a super serious biker. More serious bikers will want something pricier.Ride about a mile to let the oil work its way in to the nooks and crannies of your chain, then take a paper towel or rag and wipe the excess oil off. This will keep the road dirt from attaching to the oil, gunking up the chain and grinding it down.The "new bike feel" really comes from having a new chain (it's very smooth to pedal) and a fully adjusted set of brakes with new pads. I changed the pads, and adjusted my brakes, and a used bike I bought with a rusted chain really felt like new.