Shimano

Dura-Ace CN-7900 Chain

A chain is a funny component: We judge them not on what they do do, but rather on what they don't do. If your shifting is crisp and you don't get chain suck and your drivetrain is quiet when you pedal -- how can you improve upon that? Shimano understands this, and with their Dura Ace CN-7900 chain their goal wasn't to re-invent the pro-quality bike chain. Rather, they've refined the refineable in order to ensure that you spend nearly no time thinking about your chain.

The Dura Ace CN-7900 is built with an asymmetric design -- meaning that the outer plate and inner plate shapes don't exactly mirror each other. The profile of the outer plates is designed to reduce the possibility of chain suck when you're shifting between chainrings. And the inner plates are shaped to interface with Dura Ace CS-7900 cassette cog teeth with an unprecedented precision -- reducing mechanical drag (which, behind aero drag, is the greatest enemy to your efficiency.) The net effect is smoother and quieter shifting, whether the shift is on a casual endurance ride in December, or in a 1200W herky jerky maelstrom coming out of the final corner of a crit.

The perforated plates and hollow chain pins of the Dura Ace CN-7900 chain make it over an ounce lighter than the Dura Ace CN-7800 chain. After a brief stint with new master links, Shimano has gone back to the tried and true connector pin we know them for. These chains come with the updated connector pin, rather than the original master link which saw several problems.

The Shimano Dura Ace CN-7900 Chain is compatible with the Shimano Dura Ace FC-7900 and FC-7950 cranksets and Shimano Dura Ace FD-7900 front derailleur. According to Shimano it is not compatible with the Dura Ace 7800 series crankset and front derailleur.