Using 10 speed chain on 9 speed drivetrain - KMC X10SL

Can you do it?

Yes. There's absolutely no problem with using a 10 speed chain on a 9 speed road or mountain drivetrain. Indeed, there are a few advantages:

  • the ten speed chains weigh less - its possible to save around 40g in weight by switching from an ordinary 9 speed chain to a 10 speed lightweight chain;
  • the narrower 10 speed chains shift a little better than the 9 speed chains; and
  • the narrower 10 speed chains also are less prone to rub on the front derailleur cage when running the extreme cross-chaining options.

KMC X10SL superlite chain

One such chain is the KMC X10SL super lightweight chain. It features a gold coloured Titanium Nitride ("Ti-N") coating that is supposed to make the chain less susceptible to dirt and easier to clean. The chain also has hollow pins and material removed from the side plates to save weight.


Out of the box, the full length chain weighs 246g including joining link. In comparison, the standard KMC 9 speed chain weighs 285g.

Related articles:

10 speed / 9 speed gearing comparisons

10 speed MTB cassette ratios

Wide ratio 9 speed cassette

For my daughter's latest build using 26" wheels I needed to come up with a wide ratio 9 speed cassette. I ended up putting together the following:

XTR / Dura Ace 9 speed chain

Weighs 289g which is about 45g heavier than the.

10 Speed Cassette Weights

11-32 tooth cassettes

9 speed clutch rear derailleur mash up

There are several ways to get a 9 speed clutch derailleur.  The most popular is to use a Shimano 10 speed shadow plus rear derailleur like a Zee, Saint, SLX, ...

XTR M980 10 speed cassette

Quick facts

Content-type: text/html Error
Sorry, the application you are using has encountered an error.

Please click on this link to report the error: REPORT ERROR