Installing new Campagnolo 11-speed chain with KMC Missing Link - need help

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Rippin
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by Rippin

Hi all,

I'm sure this has been covered somewhere but search turned up no results.
I'm installing a new 11-speed Campagnolo chain and would like to use the KMC Missing Link (Campy-compatible) to connect it.
Campy specfies that I must cut the chain from a specific end and that I should never remove or modify the link on other end of the chain. The link that I should not remove or modify is an outer plate.

But the KMC Missing Link is an outer plate as well.

Has anyone removed the outer link on the Campy chain (which they said not to remove) and replaced it with a KMC Missing Link (or any compatible quick link for that matter)?

Or did you connect the chain using the Campy pin and then break the chain elsewhere to use the KMC Missing Link?
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TobinHatesYou
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by TobinHatesYou

Ignore the Campy instructions...it only applies to using their connector pin. Break the chain as needed from the side with the external link and install the Missing Link.

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ghisallo2003
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by ghisallo2003

My understanding is that Campag instructs to keep the end because it is the chain identifier rather than because it performs any different function.

On the other hand, I wholeheartedly recommend using the standard Campag connector which pins the chain. I have twice seen missing-links fail with resulting damage to rear mech, frame and rear wheel.

desperado95219
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by desperado95219

On the other hand, I've used missing links for over 10 years and never had even a hint of a problem.....or know anyone who has!

kode54
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by kode54

same here. i have used missing links for years with no failure. i have also started to use the Shimano link since it comes with all the new HG-901 chains. nice bonus.
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Calnago
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by Calnago

On all my Campy stuff I use the permanent peened pins. If you need to, you can break the chain up to two times (per Campy) and use a spare pin (purchased individually)to close it again. I might do this on occasion if I’m changing from a standard crank to a compact crank and need to remove a couple links. The master link, the one that comes with the zip tie through it) has a unique identifier stamped on it. If you use a missing link it doesn’t really matter where you put it. I have zero experience with the missing link on 11sp Campy chains as I like the peened links.

The newest stuff from Shimano is interesting. I really like the missing link they provide for their chains. In another thread talking about Direct Mount hangers etc., I did some extensive testing with every cassette combination and different chainlengths etc and experimented in verifying the most optimal shifting setup. What I found was that chainlength is very critical in achieving optimal derailleur adjustment with the newest Shimano derailleurs. So much so, that if you change cassette range or wheels with different cassette ranges then the correct length chain helps. I would actually have a chain ready for each cassette combo I used, and with the quick link it’s so easy to do. With Campy, the chain length, so long as it is set right, can be adjusted properly for the entire range of cassettes that are within the capacity of the derailleur, so changing chain length is really only necessary if you’re changing the front chain ring sizes. It would be nice if Campy had such a quick-link like Shimano. I’m ok since I have the chaintool but I understand that most people probably don’t.
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MyM3Coupe
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by MyM3Coupe

kode54 wrote:
Thu Apr 05, 2018 7:47 pm
i have also started to use the Shimano link since it comes with all the new HG-901 chains. nice bonus.
Me too. Since Shimano came out with a link they make and trust to ship with Dura Ace chains I've used this versus the stupid pin. Campy now is the only maker using antiquated pins.

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by graeme_f_k

You have no choice other than to take out the outer link plate if you are making your first joint with a KMC-type missing link ... that plate as others have noted carries the batch number. Removing the batch number voids all warranty on the whole transmission. That may and may not matter to you.

A peened pin, antiquated or not, if fitted correctly, will result in the strongest link in the chain. Correctly joined Campag 11s chains submitted for warranty where a failure has occurred due to worksmanship or labour are possibly rarer than hen's teeth ... we have seen single digits of examples in the UK since 2009.

On Service de Courses duty I have seen more failures of "missing link" type units than I ever have of rivetted joins, Campagnolo or Shimano, by a very considerable margin ....
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ghisallo2003
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by ghisallo2003

desperado95219 wrote:
Thu Apr 05, 2018 7:28 pm
On the other hand, I've used missing links for over 10 years and never had even a hint of a problem.....or know anyone who has!
And I had too. > 10 years with no problem.

And then a failure, which was very destructive to rear mech and wheel. The risk is indeed very small, but as GFK points out, it is greater than with the recommended connector. Whether the risk is worth taking is only for you to decide, but don't doubt that it is there.

MyM3Coupe
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by MyM3Coupe

ghisallo2003 wrote:
Thu Apr 05, 2018 10:42 pm
desperado95219 wrote:
Thu Apr 05, 2018 7:28 pm
On the other hand, I've used missing links for over 10 years and never had even a hint of a problem.....or know anyone who has!
The risk is indeed very small, but as GFK points out, it is greater than with the recommended connector.
There is also a risk of installing the pin and having the connection fail. That said, the Shimano (sm-cn900 11) seems very well engineered with beveled plates and all, and I'm sure is good if not better that the pin.

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Calnago
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by Calnago

Yeah, unless the quick links are designed and recommended by the manufacturer of the chain they are to be used on, I’d stick with a properly peened pin. The risk of a properly installed and “peened” pin failing after install is well, I’ve just never seen or heard of one failing.
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boysa
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by boysa

I'm another one who's used the Missing Link for many years without any problems. On a whim, however, I started using the Wipperman link about two years ago and frankly I prefer it over KMC.
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Rippin
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by Rippin

Thanks everyone, for your feedback!
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fogman
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by fogman

I have used the KMC Missing Link in the past with no issues. I have since purchased the Campagnolo 11 speed chain tool and now pin and peen my chain. I like to change my chain frequently (~every 1200 miles) so as not to wear out my cassette prematurely.

Slightly off topic: I use an 11 speed Record chain with Chorus cassette. Everything else is Super Record mechanical. Has anyone tried the Chorus chain with this set up? I was thinking a Chorus chain might last a little longer.


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c60rider
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by c60rider

fogman wrote:
Sat Apr 07, 2018 3:57 am
I have used the KMC Missing Link in the past with no issues. I have since purchased the Campagnolo 11 speed chain tool and now pin and peen my chain. I like to change my chain frequently (~every 1200 miles) so as not to wear out my cassette prematurely.

Slightly off topic: I use an 11 speed Record chain with Chorus cassette. Everything else is Super Record mechanical. Has anyone tried the Chorus chain with this set up? I was thinking a Chorus chain might last a little longer.


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Changing a chain every 1200 miles is a bit excessive unless you never clean it and use it in filthy conditions etc so I'm not sure using a chorus chain is of any benefit. Just leave it longer before swapping your existing chain. I had a super record cassette with the best part of 40,000 miles on it over 7-8 years and just changed the chain annually so that would be about 6,000 miles per chain. Never had any problems with gear changing but then I have slight ocd tendencies when it comes to keeping the drive train clean and I think that makes the biggest difference minimising wear along with it being properly adjusted.

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