Hi,

The following test was taken from a french bicycle magazine. It proved helpfull to me for choosing which chain to use with what groupset.

http://dk-forenserver.de/tour/attachmen ... entid=7857

(borrowed the link from german tour forum).

OK.

So what does "Parfait" mean? And what do the numbers refer to. The trouble with the attachment is there isn't much context.

perfect ...



Thats true, maybe a little background would be usefull.

O.k. thought the list would speak for itself but apparently not so. Small explanation:

First there is a list of chainbrands in combination with the type names of the tested chains. then there are the rows with the results of the the test with these chains on each of the four groupsets.

Parfait means perfect and is the only result a rider should want out of an expensive chain.
Très bon means very good, bon therefore means good,
moyen means average function,
fonctionne mal means bad performance and fontionne pas means: doesn't work at all.

For example I use the connex X10 (titanium version of the here tested steel version) on my campy 10 speed and the test says it performs perfect with the 10 speed group which is my experience too.

I already knew the article (completely in french which is readable for me but there it stops).
The magazine and their tests are amongst the best and their test almost always proved right to me.
The only conclusion you can take out of the list is that you can use it for buying another chain without being uncertain if it will work because someone else already has tested it (by the way the new and the old DA chains don't perform perfect but just very good which stated my experience that the Connex chain or the original campy chain is the better option)

I've heard you can only expect about 500-800 miles out of that titanium chain before it reaches it's stretch limits. How many have you got on it?

So far 750 miles out of the chain (rohloff says it't halfway gone) and 450 out of the carbon chainset. Both still running perfect (only racing). Got them almost for free but wouldn't consider buying both if I had to pay full price because I think the gains are only moderate.

what do the numbers in brackets represent?

the numbers in the brackets stand for the remarks represent the things the testers found whit each chain.

(1) chain too wide, shifts badly/sticks until cogs 16/17

I asked for the rest of the remarks, as soon as I receive the I'll post them here.

Carbon chainset?! Never heard of that .. you have any information on that or a link? Do you run it with regular chainrings or carbon rings? What is it's weight and .. afraid to ask .. price?

In the UK: chain set = chain rings

....they have lots of funny words over there such as "lorry" for truck and fag for cigarette

Of course I ment carbon chain rings (look at tune) used them with the connex chain and a tiso cog set which has now been exchanged for a custom made 10 speed full titanium version made out of 9 speed cogs with fiber spacers.

Wow.

So, J xl, how is it you manage to get this stuff "almost for free" as you said in a previous post, if you don't mind me asking? Sounds like one freekin light bike probably well under UCI weight.

Let's just say not all the (slightly overpriced) ultralight stuff you guys buy is completely untested. Because of my contacts (Race over 25 years and did a lot of testing during this period) I often get pre production stuff almost for free in return for a full test report. By the way this doesn't mean I'll just use everything, one of the first damn cinelli integralters broke which nearly costed my my life so since then I learned something.....
And yes two of my bikes are under UCI weight (one isn't since there is no way I'll ride town races (more curves than straight roads and potholes and speedbumps all over) on a bike under 7.5 kg full of absolutely bombproof parts (It's a Storck competition with record and Thompson parts).