With older Dura-Ace chains, we thought that Shimano had reached the limit of refinement for the lowly bicycle chain. After all, what more is there to accomplish than to ensure that it shifts crisply and runs quietly? To our surprise, this Shimano Dura-Ace CN-7901 Chain is better. This improvement comes in a number of ways.First of all, the 7901 Chain is over 11g lighter than its predecessor. This is thanks to perforated inner and outer plates. Both chains share the same hollow pins, and it uses the same tried-and-true connector pin that Shimano has relied on for so long. The second improvement is a slight tweak to the shaping of the individual inner and outer plates. Shimano was the first company to build an asymmetrical chain. The point of it all was to decrease the workload to get the chain to climb to the next biggest cog in the back or bigger chainring in the front. Their efforts also produced a chain that does this faster. So lighter and faster shifting, with less potential for chainsuck -- we like that.With the asymmetrical chain design, it is of utmost importance to install the chain as instructed. This way, the beveling and overall shape of each inner and outer link can perform as designed. These new plate shapes mesh together with the Dura-Ace chainrings and cassette with 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 1200 watt herky-jerky maelstrom coming out of the final corner of a crit.The Shimano Dura-Ace CN-7901 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.
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