Why does a X ring chain cost so much more than a O ring chain?

1200ts

1200ts

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USA - Riverside CA
This is a Andy Chain question but I know he is not on the forum anymore but, can someone please explain why the identical size and brand of chain costs around $40 to $50 more if it has a X-ring instead of a standard O-ring? Looking at pricing where I buy O rings the difference is $.006 per O ring. So for a hundred link chain it costs the company making the chain an additional $1.20 per chain to use X rings. And as they are buying X rings in bulk it probably cost a lot less than this!

What am I not understanding here??????
 
1200ts said:
What am I not understanding here??????
Click to expand...
What you're not understanding is economics.

Retail price being related to the cost of production is the principle doctrine of Marxist economics, in which prices are controlled by the government.

In a free market capitalist economy, prices of goods are determined by supply and demand. Cost of production is largely irrelevant. Any item is worth whatever a buyer is willing to pay, regardless of how much it cost to produce.

As long as we motorcyclists are prepared to stump up their inflated prices for a chain, that's how much it'll cost. If it's a product that you can't easily source elsewhere then they have you over a barrel. It's not like you can buy an O-ring chain, then buy a handful of X-rings and swap out all the rings yourself.

The upper price limit is reached when consumers decide the benefit of an X-ring over an O-ring isn't worth the price difference. However, the "benefit" is usually nothing more than a perception in the customer's mind, not any practical assessment of the performance of each type of sealing ring. What makes us think X-rings are so much better than O-rings? It's because the people who make the X-ring chain tell us so.

I've seen a lot of claims by manufacturers and sellers about the benefits of X-ring over the crappy old-fashioned O-ring system. These claims sound reasonable, and are often regurgitated by self-proclaimed experts and various bike interest groups such as web forums. But I've yet to see any convincing evidence that supports the claims. I suspect the advantage of X-ring (if any) is marginal.

If anyone knows of an un-biased engineering study on the subject, I'd be very interested to read it.
 
My experience with batteries. I really like Odyssey batteries, everybody local bought them as they lasted for years, they were approx $250, but the last time I looked that was $400. Nobody pays that kind of money so I haven't seen one used since that crazy price happened. I expect the market decided that was too much when you can get similar for way less. That is about as simple and reasonable as that Sudo science called Economics as I can swallow, It gets way less logical fast after the basics of human emotions are removed.
 
Maybe, but if they can get people to swallow multigenerational mortgages to pay for a roof over their head and the next 3 generations. That's the kind of idea these bright sparks come up with for the betterment of society.
 
It'll get to the stage where people won't accept the selling price and the sellers will have to accept the the offered price.
That's when sanity will return IMHO. Could be wrong, not an economist.
 
Correct, they already are.. nothing like a Federal Election and lots of Media about rising interest rates to kill a good fast moving housing market..

And no, we don't use O ring chains.. ;)

:cool:
 
If you're serious about racing, you'll want to use non O-ring chain for minimum friction, but it needs to be in good condition. You may have to replace it every season. I suspect race teams with a bottomless pit of money (like MotoGP) fit a new chain for every race.

I remember the old days when we used to buy industrial chain by the metre for my bikes. It was shit chain, but it was cheap. Broken chains were a reasonably common occurrence, even with the puny horsepower of a clapped-out 250.
 
Do you live in Australia, those batteries are made in the USA. They cost a bomb out here. Our dollar is a bit less than the US dollar. BTW Cam there has been a spate of broken chains in the smaller GP classes lately, haven't seen that for a very long time.
 
Just checked OdysseyPC680 retail at the cheaper Chatswood Battery World at $335oz or $232us and at the more expensive Booky shop at $375oz or $260us. Great batteries but priced out of the local market
 
There would be no neoprene ring chains sold if everyone listened to Andy, and he does know his stuff. Everyone likes the low maintenance idea, and that's what was behind o ring chains. On the dyno all the race guys here use they compared o ring and non o ring types of chain and woth any of the types fitted there was no measurable difference. Modern chains seem to give huge mileage without stretching, then suddenly get worn. With my scottoiler it is tempting to try a non oring from Jason, Andy's successor.
 
I wouldn't worry about working out the diff between O'ring. X'ring. Z'Ring etc, just marketing as others have said.
In fact the marketing of drive chains is a bit like women's cosmetics or multivitamins.
Just have to see the price go up when they say a chain is suitable for a Hyabusa or ZX10.
Yeh, right, sure it's a different chain!!
As I've posted before had a great run previously with non O'ring from Andychain, but these days running basic O'ring from reputable Company, but would prefer to go back to the lighter non o'ring..................Will look into again next change.
 
The last 8000k's I've been abusing my chain more than a ball gagged cat-o-nine fetishist on a sissygirl.

X Rings? Sounds like a kink. More lube maybe?

The damage has been done. Fire hose water pressure from the biggest NT wet season in 20 years mixed with fine and less fine NT abrasive road grit at a 180K average leaves the rear sprocket looking a tad Mako.

A bit of Inox. She'll be right for the 4000K launch back to perth in a coupla days.
 
I use the same chain on my race bikes as the MotoGP teams use and it is a DID 520 ERV7 X-Ring chain
Reason for using that chain is I downloaded the various tensile strength ratings of the 520 chains available and went for the strongest one which at the time was the ERV3
DID changed to the ERV7 in 2020 which is an upgraded version of the ERV3

superbikesupply.com.au

DID 520 ERV7 Race Chain 120L

RoadRacing D.I.D's 520ERV7 is the chosen chain of road racing teams in MotoGP, WSBK, MotoAmerica, and used by incredible talents, such as Valentino Rossi, Andrea Dovizioso, and Alex Rins. UpgradedFor 2020 Upgraded from the 520ERV3, the 520ERV7 boasts a 3% higher tensile strength, a 13% longer...
superbikesupply.com.au superbikesupply.com.au

None of the non O'ring chains came anywhere close in tensile strength when I studied the charts from DID, EK, RK etc
 
I'm one of the suckers that fell for the marketing of the X ring chain.
That's has been all that I've been buying for the last several years.
I feel vindicated now, Thanks Red.:cool:
 
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