Curious to get others’ thoughts.
I’ve been riding XC and racing XCM for a year or so. I’m running Shimano 11-speed, in the mid-Atlantic, and mostly dry (not rainy or muddy) conditions.
I got about 140 hours of riding out of my chain before needing to replace it at 0.5% in the annual service this week.
I’m curious, is that a typical chain lifespan for folks? I apply Squirt drip wax to the chain every four hours of riding.
I also use Squirt with the SRAM X01 chain and I’m still on my first cassette and second chain after a solid year or riding and XC racing. I thoroughly degrease my chains (gasoline, degreaser, alcohol) and wax with melted candle wax, then top up with squirt after rides, or an on-bike degreaser and squirt after particularly dirty rides. For some reason unknown the X01 chains seem to hold the wax better than other chains that I use on my road bike. My chain keeps very clean with this combo and holds up well to mud and riding through dirty water compared to my XC race competitors. I think the magic lies in a chain that holds the wax well in combination with a thorough clean before using a wax based lube.
SRAM X01/XX1 has been tested to be very durable.
My experiences of waxing the X01 chain is very similar, it just works. I use the Dynamic drip wax only: the Speed Potion during the summer and the Slick Wax during the winter.
Thanks! While this bike isn’t on SRAM, my new gravel bike is - so I’m glad to hear about the chain life using Squirt. It bodes well for my bike with the more expensive drivetrain 
.
Also brings me back to considering when I should upgrade to SRAM 12-speed on my mountain bikes…
I went with XX1 because it had been tested to be very durable (actually I meant to go X01 but my LBS misunderstood and I ended up with XX1, charged me accordingly but I just decided to keep it).
Wear was still good after 2,500km (…ish, I think), not sure what that equates to in hours, but one of the outer links broke in 2 so I decided to bin the chain and fit an X01 this time, hopefully I can get a bit longer out of it.
You can run a 12 speed SRAM chain on your Shimano 11 speed and it will work well (better, even). If your cassette and chainring are in good shape I’d swap to a 12sp X01 for your next chain.
With all the talk about SRAM chain durability, it’s worth noting that they are slower than Shimano chains. Fantastic training chains, not great racing chains.
I address this by swapping to a YBN chain for racing. But to pile on the training chain bandwagon, I wax my chains and top them off with Silca Super Secret lube in between and they last seemingly forever. Regardless of manufacturer, using a wax based lube instead of a wet lube that will pick up grit will dramatically extend life.
True but also worth noting that it’s a 1-2W difference. Definitely doesn’t matter for the vast majority of us.
100% agree with your second point about wax.
I’m on 700 hours with a SRAM XX1 chain.
Although - this prompted me to check my chain. I’m at 0.5. Maybe time to change also.
You probably know that SRAM chains can’t be accurately checked with a standard chain checker due to their nonstandard roller size, and you need one like this:
Dave Rome’s article if you want to go down a rabbit hole: How to check for chain wear: The easy way, the best way, and why - CyclingTips
I change them a few times a year because chains are cheap compared to cassettes. There is also nothing like the feeling of a new chain.
Thx. Makes sense, as I noticed my XX1 was always tighter vs Shimano chains. Time to change I guess.
How are you finding the YBN chain for shifting, especially under load, with Eagle? I was going down the road to switch out my SRAM chains for the YBN based on the efficiency benefits but then saw all the comments about shifting issues so was concerned.
I haven’t noticed any big differences in shift quality using YBN SLA1210 chains with AXS. Maybe I’m not paying enough attention.
