[Dinosaur]

I was riding this morning, ascending a steep hill in my small ring and 25 gear. I heard a loud "snap" and the next thing I knew I was laying on the ground. I looked out on the road and saw my Wipperman stainless steel Campy ten chain laying there. I broke a sideplate at the pin about ten links behind the Connex Link. The pin was still intact. The chain was relatively new, only 1004 miles. It's sort of ironic as I just starting packing a Connex Link and a chain tool with me. All I had to do was connect my chain and head home. This is a first for me. I think I will stick with Campy chains from now on.

Anyone else have this problem with a Wipperman stainless steel ten chain?

 

[Thorn Bait]

Never a problem in 5000 miles - and no wear either....

 

[jp_nyc]

I had a Wippermann chain quietly slip off while I was coasting down a hill in the rain. So quietly, in fact, that I didn't notice I was chainless until I tried pedalling up the next hill.

It's a weird thing to look down and see nothing connecting the chainrings to the cogs.

I went back looking for the chain, but couldn't find it. It remains a mystery.

 

[bigbill]

I had a wipperman stainless on my pegoretti. I had a race on a Sunday, so on Saturday I took it off to clean. I degreased it and while I was wiping the gunk out of links, I found seven sideplates with cracks around the pin. The chain had 1200 miles on it and had measured almost no wear with a steel ruler before I removed it from the bike. I had an old wipperman that I kept on a nail to use for measuring out new chains. It had about 4K on it and had worn the width of one pin before replacing. I couldn't find any cracks on it. I currently have a wipperman nickel with 2800 miles on it, no cracks. But I check often.

 

[Ken]

I was riding this morning, ascending a steep hill in my small ring and 25 gear. I heard a loud "snap" and the next thing I knew I was laying on the ground. I looked out on the road and saw my Wipperman stainless steel Campy ten chain laying there. I broke a sideplate at the pin about ten links behind the Connex Link. The pin was still intact. The chain was relatively new, only 1004 miles. It's sort of ironic as I just starting packing a Connex Link and a chain tool with me. All I had to do was connect my chain and head home. This is a first for me. I think I will stick with Campy chains from now on.

Anyone else have this problem with a Wipperman stainless steel ten chain?

I weigh 175 lbs. and have broken 2 ten speed chains (Campy) all while climbing out of the saddle. Luckily never got injured only startled me a little. I read somewhere in a news group that 9 speed chains will work on 10 speed drive trains. On my Campy ten speed drive train I now use KMC 9 speed chains. I connect it using an Sram powerlink. This setup is strong, silent and very cost effective. Why pay more unless you're a real weight winnie.

 

[C-40]

nothing new...

Wipperman apparently made a fairly large number of chains from defective material some time ago. Cracks forming around the pin hole have caused breakage of the side plates.

Unlike this problem, most of what peple report as "chain breakage" is just the chain coming apart where it was joined - most often due to improper installation. Early users of Campy 10 chains often failed to properly install the old permalink and others just ignored the instructions and rejoined the chain with no special pin.

 

[Jesse D Smith]

I'd avoid them at all costs.

I was riding this morning, ascending a steep hill in my small ring and 25 gear. I heard a loud "snap" and the next thing I knew I was laying on the ground. I looked out on the road and saw my Wipperman stainless steel Campy ten chain laying there. I broke a sideplate at the pin about ten links behind the Connex Link. The pin was still intact. The chain was relatively new, only 1004 miles. It's sort of ironic as I just starting packing a Connex Link and a chain tool with me. All I had to do was connect my chain and head home. This is a first for me. I think I will stick with Campy chains from now on.

Anyone else have this problem with a Wipperman stainless steel ten chain?

Glad to hear you're not seriously hurt. I was going to guy a Wipperman stainless, but then I read the reviews on this site. There were enough bad reviews from people with the exact same problem as you to convince me they were junk. A broken chain is the one thing that can leave you walking home, along with being extremely dangerous.

 

[Birddog]

This is not a new problem, I first heard about it at least 2 years ago. The one that broke on me looked just like the pictures of others I've seen. The break occurs on the side plate with a crack starting from the stamped letter to the outer edge. I was lucky, it was making noise and I was looking to see what was causing it as it snapped. The nickel plated chains from Wipperman are fine, it's just the SS ones that have problems.

Birddog

 

[Dinosaur]

Sounds like it was a defective chain...

Wipperman apparently made a fairly large number of chains from defective material some time ago. Cracks forming around the pin hole have caused breakage of the side plates.

Unlike this problem, most of what people report as "chain breakage" is just the chain coming apart where it was joined - most often due to improper installation. Early users of Campy 10 chains often failed to properly install the old permalink and others just ignored the instructions and rejoined the chain with no special pin.

The chain broke at a side plate at a pinhole about ten links from the Connex Link. The link was installed correctly, open end toward rear of bike when in lower position. I bought this chain from Performance, on sale at the beginning of the year. I'm wondering if should bother to send the chain back to Performance and ask for credit, although the part that broke is laying on the road at the top of a hill where it broke.

As a side note, I just started packing a chain tool and an extra Connex Link in my saddle bag recently. This is the first chain that broke on me in about 32 years of riding. I'm also recovering from hip surgery and went down on the side where the I broke my hip. My surgeon said I could fall again and nothing would probably happen, and he was right. I guess compression screws and titanium rods are stronger than bones...Aside from the chain breaking I was just happy not not to fracture my hip again..I'm also glad I decided to pack a chain tool and extra Connex Link. I was a long way from no where..

 

[the bull]

How do you know it slipped off?
I have had them completely disappear while adjusting them on the bike stand!
I went to move the barrel adjuster and bam, no chain!!!

 

[jp_nyc]

Wow. That's magic!