The chains used for karts are roller chains and the main geometric characteristics are the length, pitch, width and diameter of the roller. They can be traditional or equipped with o-rings. The most used chains are the 219 series for single-speed karts and the 428 series for shifter karts, but there are also other sizes, more rarely used, such as 215 or 35 for single-speed karts and 40 for shifter karts. The chain serial numbers do not correspond to physical measurements but are arbitrarily set by the three international regulatory bodies, ANSI (American Standard), ISO (International Standard) and BS (British Standard).



The chain is a fundamental component of the transmission (read all the information about it in “Tech Talk - The transmission of a kart”) and its lengthening or, worse, its breakage can ruin a race weekend or a day of testing. It is therefore good to do two things: first, to take care of its maintenance as best as possible (read “How To - The correct maintenance of chains, gear wheels and sprockets”); the second, to choose highly resistant models, referring to the most reliable brands on the market based on years of experience in the design and manufacture of this component, as simple as it is important. It is good to know, however, that in addition to the most well-know brands, such as D.I.D. and Regina, there are other lesser-known brands on the market and some also have an excellent quality/price ratio. We have selected a total of 6. Find out about them.