Connex Wippermann 808 Link Kettenschloss 1/2×11/128' // for 9-fach Chain

Shimano makes a great chain but that installation pin that you break off is the worst!These little goodies fix that issue, plus they let you remove the chain whenever you want.

There is nothing on the market that compares to the Connex quick disconnect. NOTHING! All other quick disconnect master links are ANYTHING but quick, and almost impossible to remove without the special "Quick Disconnect pliers" to pinch the link together so it can be removed. How is using a tool quick? Especially if the tool isn't with you.The Connex is SO easy to install and remove, I can do it with my eyes closed, and have many times to show my friends just how easy it really is, ...EVEN with the chain under tension! That's right, you can install and remove it without removing any tension from the chain or removing the chain from the front chainring, any gear combination you happen to be in (Derailleur gears only, not single speeds). If the derailleur allows you pull two links of slack in the chain, you can install or remove the link easily with your fingers -even with your eyes closed.Now you might be asking yourself "How can something so easy to install and remove be strong or stay in place under extreme MTB conditions?" The answer is German engineering. The link can only be disengaged by rotating it at least 90° to the chain, at which point it completely releases the lock system, but when the chain is running, the Connex link is securely locked together (like all other QD master links) and can never disengage because it can never come close to that 90° angle.As for strength, these are indestructible. I use hot wax dip as my chain lube so I have several chains I use in a rotation and swap out my chain often, because I wax them all at once to save time. I typically use the same Connex with all the chains, and as the chains stretch out and get replaced, the Connex goes on and on chain after chain.Even though the Connex is more expensive, it is by far the better value, not to mention its ease of use. I take my chain off way more often that the average biker, so for me there is no other link I would consider using. An easy QD link may not be important everyone, but for those of us who use wax or just like to remove and clean your chain often, the Connex is the ONLY way to go.

A friend of mine waxes his his wife's bicycle chaines. I got interested in waxing the chain on my bike and he told me about some videos on Oz Cyclies in Australia . The guy who does these videos feels Connex is the way to go. Not cheap but worth every cent. I bought on for my 10 speed street bike. It took me a little while to get used to putting it on the chain and taking it off but now I could do it blind folded. I get 200 miles out of a chain before rewaxing so I bought six chains so I can clean a bunch at one time. Even though I use regular lubricant on my 8 speed off road bike and also on my touring bike , one can do a much better clean up on a bike once you remove the chain. With Connex , you just need your fingers, no tools and the link lasts a very long time, like 50,000 miles.

It was easy to install, but the chain kept slipping in 9th gear ( i.e. the smallest cog on the cassette, as one of the other reviewers noted on his KMC 9-speed chain). I thought I was going to have to return the Connex, but instead I simply turned the two halves of the Connex link around. That is to say that I just flipped the two pieces around so that the half link that was on the inside is now on the outside so that the pin of the outside half link goes in the leading hole of the chain while the inner half link pin goes in the trailing hole of the chain. Now it doesn't slip in 9th gear any more. It works great!

I ended up putting these Connex links onto an older bike without the 11-tooth cog, swapping out for a more "normal" shaped quick-link (e.g. KMC or Shimano). While the Connex link has not disappointed in other performance terms - strength, longevity, durability - I cannot recommend it for cassettes with very small cogs.

Works as descibed.

Just as others have found, the Wippermann Connex Stainless Link - 9-Speed One is bomb-proof and much easier to attach/remove than other connector links. I've been using them on my chains for years and have never had to replace one. Breaking a chain to clean it means that the chain becomes weaker and less reliable. Sorry Shimano, you're out to lunch on this issue.I was surprised that others that reviewed this product use wax for lubrication. Hot-dipping the chain in a combination of paraffin (canning wax) and motor oil has made my chains shift better and last much longer while not attracting dirt. Being exclusively a roadie I never have to clean my chains, I just relube every 300-400 miles. Sadly, most bikers have no clue about this procedure.

I was also misled by the picture and received three links instead of three chains. That in itself isn't the reason for a low rating - the issue was when I tried to create a return order, the RMA created would only allow me to return one item for some reason. I bought three individual links which showed up as three items with quantity of 1 each, but the returns page would only generate an RMA for one item with 1 quantity. I am calling customer service to sort this out, but the 1 star rating will hopefully flag others like me who don't realize what the actual product is. Maybe the return problem was unique, and maybe the item itself is quality, but unless you're really trying to get one of these links, don't.