Will GRX (800 series 2x11) work okay with third party chains, such as KMC?
I've been using KMC chains for years and get great life and performance, and they are certainly a tad easier to change out with a master link versus farting around with pins.
I thought I read somewhere advising against third party chains with GRX. (Naturally, I can't find that source anymore).
The Shimano chain has a quick link and are some of the most power efficient and are priced well. I find them to shift better than my KMC that I was alternating on my road bike.
I'm considering switching my KMC Chain for a shimano one personally. Had KMC on two of my bikes: one with GRX 1x11 and one with SLX 1x10, and both had Sunrace cassettes. Granted I was using the lower end KMC chains, both had issues with jumping down the cassette when I would back pedal in the larger cogs.
I replaced the chain on my 10 speed bike with an Ultegra chain and have had no issues back pedalling. I realize this is super anecdotal, but I have definitely decided to not cheap out on my bike chain as a result of this.
I noticed similar on my Marin MTB. The bike was spec'd with a sunrace cassette and KMC chain. When I switched to an SLX cassette with XT chain, the difference was night and day. Quieter, smoother shifting, and no droping cogs while backpedaling.
