KMC's Z510HX chain is Intended primarily for the rigours of BMX racing and internal hub transmissions, but this beefy 112 link chain also lends itself particularly well to fixed and single speed applications.

The anti drop design, counters chain sag and suits road conversions, although isn’t so effective on frames with vertical ends (better served by a half link design that allows the creation of a “magic gear” to achieve good chain line).

Fitting the chain is easy and intuitive, although the chunky “Mushroom” pins made cutting to correct length something of a feat using a traditional chain breaker. However, once split it’s simply a case of popping the ends together courtesy of the reusable tool free link.This felt quite insubstantial and I feared it might split under load but so far despite concerted effort I have no problems on that score.

Even though it's not rustproof in the commonly accepted sense, the chain's silver finish has lost none of its lustre despite constant exposure to wet, salt strewn winter roads. Similarly, despite pairing with a very modest sprocket and sparing lubrication it remains surprisingly refined.

I reserve judgement on the magical properties of the “Stretch Proof” mushroom pin; not least as chains don’t stretch-they wear. However, on the strength of the past month’s slavery it would appear a bargain upgrade for lower end production fixers and other bikes in hard service.

 

All the deals displayed on our review pages are pulled from a constantly updating database feed of the best affiliate deals available. The criteria for deciding on what are the best deals is who is offering the lowest, delivered price. In most cases we will be showing the very best deal available online, but sometimes you may be able to find an item cheaper. If you can please feel free to post a link in the comments box below. To find out more about affiliate links on road.cc click here.