KMC X11L Chain

(discontinued)

After being dissatisfied with both Shimano and Sram chains, I gave KMC a try. Asthetically, they come in black, silver, or gold and look better than the competition. They last at least as long as Shimano, and longer than Sram chains in my experience. The quick link they supply is the best in the business, super easy to operate, though a tool is recommended to open it. I have reused the quick links, though they don't recommend it, and have had zero failures. Its also nice not to have the directional chain, like Sram uses. If you're like me then at least once you've gone and changed a chain, taken the time to get everything all ready to rock, only to find that you put the lousy chain in the wrong direction and have had to start all over again. Its a simple thing, but a nice feature.