Can you use a Shimano 105 (road) chain with a Shimano MTB cassette?

[rumblefish]

I have just heard that since the introduction of Shimano 10 speed that Shimano have developed their 10 & 11 speed products so that you must run a road chain with a road cassette or a MTB chain with a MTB cassette and you shouldn’t mismatch.

I run 1 x 10 on my MTB and have a 105 (road chain) on the way. I am now concerned that it won’t be compatible with my Shimano MTB cassette.

Does anyone run a 105 on their MTB and if so does it cause any issues?

 

[sedifus]

I've had no trouble running my tiagra chain on my SRAM MTB cassette

 

[0psi]

Really?

A chain is a chain mate, cogs on a mountain bike cassette aren't any different to cogs on a road cassette. You'll be fine so long as they are both the same speed, ie: 10 speed cass with 10 speed chain.

 

[harmonix1234]

I have just heard that since the introduction of Shimano 10 speed that Shimano have developed their 10 & 11 speed products so that you must run a road chain with a road cassette or a MTB chain with a MTB cassette and you shouldn’t mismatch.

I run 1 x 10 on my MTB and have a 105 (road chain) on the way. I am now concerned that it won’t be compatible with my Shimano MTB cassette.

Does anyone run a 105 on their MTB and if so does it cause any issues?

You won't have any probs at all.
In fact, the 105 chain is a good choice for MTB because they shift well on any branded 10 spd cassette and they last forever and ever.
Great chains and highly underrated.

I have run 105, Ultegra and Dura Ace chains on MTB. Even the Yumiya Ti coated Dura Ace chains.

 

[akashra]

Okay, the last few years are where drivetrains have become really problematic when it comes to mixing and matching cassettes and chains.

Firstly, the short answer is NO - you should not use a regular Shimano (or SRAM) chain with a 10-speed Dyna-Sys cassette - but you should absolutely not use one with dyna-sys chainrings.
I have seen numerous chains twisted chains twisted and broken as a direct result of this - quite catastrophic failures really.

Basically, when they introduced Dyna-Sys, they introduced a matching HG-X series of chains. With DS the shift ramps are actually on the chain, so trying to use a non-ramped chain with the DynaSys chainrings causes all kinds of problems. DynaSys chainrings are also much closer together - and the FD accomodates this too.

It'll work so long as you're still using a 9sp FD and 9sp crankset - which I was running for a while - but as soon as you change those chainrings, you need a matching FD and matching chain.

 

[Josh Seksy]

Tim's on the money.

Shimano 10speed HG-X and Dyna-Sys products are not interchangeable...

 

[moorey]

Meh. I've been running 9sp chains on 10sp drive trains for a while now (chain is a dura ace). I'll decide.

 

[wombat]

Shimano 10speed HG-X and Dyna-Sys products are not interchangeable...

Yeah, that's the official Shimano line, but what is real world compatibility like? Plenty of bikes come specced with Dyna-Sys cranks and chains from KMC which, from my understanding, don't have the apparently critical ramps that HG-X chains feature, yet they seem to run great. In fact a couple of my last bikes were KMC X10 chains on XT cranks, and I swapped a HG-X chain for a X10 on another with no degredation in shift quality at all.

Personally I wouldn't put a 105 chain on a MTB, mainly because I'd just get an XT or SLX one for pretty much the same money; actually, that's not true, I'd put on a bitchin' black KMC one, or if it matches, a super bitchin black and red one!

 

[rone]

I ran a KMC on a DynaSys 2x10 before swapping to an XTR chain. Shifting is noticeably better with the Shimano chain.

 

[moorey]

Anyway, the elephant in the room is this ramped chainring talk. Who with half a brain still uses more than one ring anymore? :crazy:

 

[wombat]

I ran a KMC on a DynaSys 2x10 before swapping to an XTR chain. Shifting is noticeably better with the Shimano chain.

You reckon? I took a few-ride-old XT off and replaced with an X10SL and there was no difference I could detect, shift was fantastic, unlike trying to run a Wipperman chain.

 

[rumblefish]

I run a 1 x 10 setup so I might give the 105 chain a go. Who knows, it might be ok, or next week I might be posting in the "Confessions from the fuck wits" thread.

 

[OT]

I run a 1 x 10 setup so I might give the 105 chain a go. Who knows, it might be ok, or next week I might be posting in the "Confessions from the fuck wits" thread.

On my road bike I'm running 10 speed durace and the chain can only go on one way. Each side of the chain has a different stamp on it to work out which faces in or out. Get it wrong and the shifting will be poor and the chain can jump off the chain ring. 105 10 speed has 2 models of chain 5701 and 5600. 5701 has the different inner and outer sides, 5600 has the same inner and outer and can go either way, I'd check the fitting instructions first.

 

[wombat]

Those profiles are on the right side if the chain so they only affect the shift at the front. Won't make any difference on the OP's single ring.

 

[OT]

Those profiles are on the right side if the chain so they only affect the shift at the front. Won't make any difference on the OP's single ring.

Yes but if you put the chain on the wrong way the profile is now on the left and it may affect the shift on the rear cassette? Better to just put it on the right way to be sure.

 

[wombat]

Yes but if you put the chain on the wrong way the profile is now on the left and it may affect the shift on the rear cassette? Better to just put it on the right way to be sure.

Very fair point.