Best 8 speed chain

Tine for a new chain. I'm running 3000w hub so I don't need anything short string now, but t I want a good chain that will last and won't break the bank I may be upgrading to a cyclone 3000w so something that can handle that would be nice

You are asking for two different chains. With a hub, high power especially, you don’t need a strong chain. I choose one that is thin lightweight and doesn’t rust, but any cheap chain that will match your gears will do.

With a 3000w mid drive, you will need another size if you want it to last, and strength will be a priority over rust resistance. 3/32’’ bicycle drive trains are not reliable driven 3000w power, and you will need a chain tensioner.

I'm happy with the KMC X8.93 chain I'm using on my BBS02 bike now. It's too early to tell if it lasts significantly longer than the KMC Z51 chain I used before, but it seems to shift a little bit better (and the Z51 is a good chain in both those respects). At my shop, we've switched to the Z72 because the cost is almost the same as Z51. But all of these chains are so inexpensive (like ten bucks online) as to make frequent replacement an obvious choice.

Get a chain wear gauge and use it whenever you lube your chain. When the thing exhibits >0.25% more length than it started with, swap it out. You'll spend a little more on chains but less on cassettes and chainrings, and the whole system will shift better and run quieter. If you never let the thing exceed 0.5% relative elongation, you should be able to make the cassette last for three or even four chains.

Gusset Bling Slink chain.
1/8 = https://www.amazon.com/Gusset-Bling-Slink-chain-gold/dp/B00AHYJLOK
3/32 = https://www.amazon.com/Gusset-Bling-Slink-chain-32/dp/B00AHYJHGM
but it ain't cheap

LewTwo said:

Gusset Bling Slink chain.
1/8 = https://www.amazon.com/Gusset-Bling-Slink-chain-gold/dp/B00AHYJLOK
3/32 = https://www.amazon.com/Gusset-Bling-Slink-chain-32/dp/B00AHYJHGM
but it ain't cheap

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Neither of those is suitable for derailleur applications, such as the 8-speed system in the thread title.

Chalo said:

Neither of those is suitable for derailleur applications, such as the 8-speed system in the thread title.

Click to expand...

If pressed hard I might be able to recall riding a bike with a derailleur so I will defer to your judgment but just for my own education: pray tell why ?

Read the description in the page that you linked. Those are single speed chains.

The main difference between single speed and multiple speed chains, is the lateral flex. Also, multiple speed chains are slightly narrower and they are chamfered.

A 3/32 BMX chain will fit in most derailers but it won’t shift smoothly, and eventually wear the derailer much faster.

5- and most 6-speed chains in their day were the same as 3/32" single speed chain, and not coincidentally they didn't work very well even with 5- or 6-speed freewheels. With the rise of 7-speed systems and bushingless chain construction, we got the first examples of what we'd now recognize as derailleur bike chain. The key features-- which didn't show up all at the same time-- were rather loose pivots that allow the chain to curve sideways, beveled sideplates that guide the chain onto sprocket teeth, and shaped sideplates that increase the internal clearance of the chain without widening it overall.

Without the shift-assisting features built into chains, index shifting wouldn't work as intended. Many of us discovered this when we first adopted SIS click shifting in the mid to late '80s and opted out of the more expensive Shimano Uniglide chain designed for that system.

7-speed chain was narrower than the chain that came before. Every added gear in the cassette since then came with a narrower chain to match. So 8-speed chain is actually two increments narrower in overall width than the 3/32" BMX chain in the link above.