XTR Chain on Ultegra 10 Sp Drivetrain

[love2fly]

Ask per the above. Can I use an XT or XTR hollowpin chain on my Ultegra cassette and chainrings?

Thanks

[Mook]

18 minutes ago, love2fly said:

Ask per the above. Can I use an XT or XTR hollowpin chain on my Ultegra cassette and chainrings?

Thanks

I have succesfully done it on my 10 spd. I cannot vouch for 11 or 12 spds.

[love2fly]

Mine is 10 sp. You haven't had noise or issues?

Edited December 5 by love2fly

[love2fly]

Been told it's not advisable and that 10sp is the Achilles heel......

[Smartie]

I use the cheapest chain (irrespective of road, MTB, etc.) and cassette I can find on my road bike. Ultegra 10-speed setup with Dura-Ace ‘9-speed’ derailleurs (running 10-speed). Smooth shifting with no issues ever noted with ‘road’ or ‘MTB’ chains.

Edited December 5 by Smartie

[Mook]

2 hours ago, love2fly said:

Mine is 10 sp. You haven't had noise or issues?

Honestly not. I have used SLX and XT chains on my Dura Ace 7800 10spd without any issues.

 

[Andreas_187]

3 hours ago, love2fly said:

Ask per the above. Can I use an XT or XTR hollowpin chain on my Ultegra cassette and chainrings?

Thanks

Yes. An 11sp chain on 10sp groupset shifts better 

[love2fly]

It's a 10 sp chain on a 10 sp Drivetrain. Not 111 so. I doubt very much you can mix 10 and 11 sp

[MORNE]

11 speed chains work great on 10speed.

Similarly 12 spd chains on 11 spd. Ive been doing it since 10spd. Hell, i even have and 8spd chain on a vintage 6spd bike. Ultegra/XT are the same thing. XTR/Dura Ace too. Its right there on the packaging.

As an anecdote…shimano Saint 10speed DH groupo is mostly used with 10spd road cassettes with last 3 cogs removed to make it a 7 speed (with 10spd spacing. Road cassette ratios are closer). 

1 hour ago, love2fly said:

It's a 10 sp chain on a 10 sp Drivetrain. Not 111 so. I doubt very much you can mix 10 and 11 sp

 

Edited December 6 by MORNE

[love2fly]

11 hours ago, Mook said:

I have succesfully done it on my 10 spd. I cannot vouch for 11 or 12 spds.

 

8 hours ago, Andreas_187 said:

Yes. An 11sp chain on 10sp groupset shifts better 

 

30 minutes ago, MORNE said:

11 speed chains work great on 10speed.

Similarly 12 spd chains on 11 spd. Ive been doing it since 10spd. Hell, i even have and 8spd chain on a vintage 6spd bike. Ultegra/XT are the same thing. XTR/Dura Ace too. Its right there on the packaging.

As an anecdote…shimano Saint 10speed DH groupo is mostly used with 10spd road cassettes with last 3 cogs removed to make it a 7 speed (with 10spd spacing. Road cassette ratios are closer). 

 

Agree 11sp is I terchangeable but afaik 10 sp is the Achilles heel. I'm not sure I should shell out on a chain that's not going to work but I'll see what the consensus is ...

[MORNE]

12 minutes ago, love2fly said:

 

 

Agree 11sp is I terchangeable but afaik 10 sp is the Achilles heel. I'm not sure I should shell out on a chain that's not going to work but I'll see what the consensus is ...

Yes you cant mix 10/11 speed shifters/mechs etc. 

Chains are a different story. I wouldnt use a 10spd chain on 11 purely because the cog spacing will be an issue, but 11speed chains being a ballhair thinner means putting 11 spd on 10spd - they run so much more quiet on the rear. They almost dont touch the next cog while turning…but are still wide enough to shift perfectly fine. We are talking fractions of mm’s.
i personally used 11speed KMC chains on my 10spd stuff. I now use 12spd XX1 chains on my 11 speed stuff. Gravel and Mtb. I promise you…at R2k+ for XX1 chain…i wouldnt be hacking it just to see if it works. I know it works

Edited December 6 by MORNE

[NotSoBigBen]

I have and am using an XT 10sp chain on a 10sp Ultegra Di2 ( well that's neither here nor there) road setup and it works fine. Can't say I've noticed any more noise or anything

I have tried the 11sp chain on 10sp and it worked no problem, I'm not 'sensitive' enough to really tell if it was quieter or shifted better though 🤔

[love2fly]

Okayyyyyy.....think I'm going to try it.....

[thebob]

XTR = Dura-Ace

Ultegra = XT

SLX = 105

The chains are interchangeable. Check the Shimano tech docs and you will see the part numbers are the same for the road and MTB chains for each generation of groupset family

[love2fly]

Finally went with an HG95 Shimano chain that I got for a steal.....much better. Thanks for all the comments.