Bike Perfect Verdict
Strong, corrosion-resistant and decent shifting chain with fashionable color options at a fair price. Go silver for good value though
Pros
- +
Corrosion-resistant
- +
Decent shifting
- +
Re-usable join link
- +
Silver is good value
- +
Old School splittable
Cons
- -
Oil-slick is pricey
- -
Not as quiet as SRAM/Shimano when new
Why trust BikePerfect Our cycling experts have decades of testing experience. We\'ll always share our unbiased opinions on bikes and gear. Find out more about how we test.
The 11-speed Gusset GS-11 chain is designed for both on- and off-road use and its standard silver model has worked well for us, whatever the weather and ratios we’ve thrown at it.
Now the Gusset GS-11 comes with a trendy oil-slick finish which, while it looks great, adds nearly 50 per cent to the standard chain's retail price.
To work out whether this particular model actually brings anything else to the table, other than the flashy colors, we've put it through its paces and compared it to the standard chain.
- Best bike chains for mountain bike, gravel and road
- Best chain guides: the best chain security and chainring protection
- Best bike chain lubes for road, gravel and MTB
Gusset GS-11 Oil Slick chain review
It's significant that the Oil Slick Gusset chain costs so much more than the standard, because, besides the color, the silver GS-11 and the oil slick version are exactly the same top-spec chain.
Both use chamfered outer plates to speed up shifting, and those outer plates are slotted to save a few grams, too. The pins are DHA Chromium Carbide hardened and the whole chain gets a Ni-PTFE coating to increase slipperiness and durability.
That means the chain has shrugged off all the weather, grit, salt and low gear straining we’ve thrown at it since last year, first on our winter road bike and then on our gravel test bike. Even when we’ve ridden well past the squeak there’s no signs of corrosion and wear apart from the humped joining link. That’s designed to be re-useable and Gusset says there’s no issue splitting and re-joining the chain by pushing rivets in and out conventionally either.
Shifting is slightly noisier and a little slower than top-spec Shimano and SRAM chains comparing new to new, but after a couple of months of riding the comparison was close enough that it was hard to call. Corrosion resistance certainly seems more forgiving of poor after-ride care than mid-range chains from the big brands, too.
Verdict
If you’re more concerned about longevity and corrosion-resistance than the slickest shifts when new, Gusset's chains are definitely worth looking out for. However unless you're committed to the Oil Slick aesthetic, go for Silver to get more value for your money.
Prices: Gusset GS-11 Oil Slick chain
- 11-spd Oil Slick: £64.99
- 10-spd Oil Slick: £44.99
- 11-spd Silver: £49.99
- 10-spd Silver: £27.99
