Ordered an XT chain the other week, came in shimano box with or text joining pin, you know the one thats snaps off once you put it through.

Ordered one the other day which turned up today and its in a CRC bag, clearly an OEM product that was never designed to reach the retail market.
Worst part is it doesn’t have the correct joining pin, instead it has a normal pin half pushed in to the outer link.
Now I’m sure they are not supposed to be used to re-join the chain.

Thoughts?

Buy cheap buy twice. Or just buy a link pin

…and that’s why Jesus invented missing/power/splitlinks.

Worst part is it doesn’t have the correct joining pin, instead it has a normal pin half pushed in to the outer link.

Fwiw i bought a shimano chain in a proper box from wiggle recently (8 speed as it happens) and it was sealed in the inner bag just like this. Thought i would have a go since this was how it was supplied. Only done 100 miles or so on it so too early to say if this was a bad idea (ime if you bodge it like this you usually end up with a split open hole in outer plate before too long).

Thoughts?

Yes. Use a proper local bike shop!

Its hardly a lottery when the price is much cheaper than a packaged retail part.

Its why I always buy Sram. Never had an issue and even if you dont have the Powerlink itll still join up as new. I have bought OEM stuff from CRC and generally its fine but on occasions like this its hard to see the benefit other than the obvious lower cost.

It’s a lottery because you do sometimes get the genuine article.

If they sold OEM every time fair enough but when you’re not sure what’s going to turn up that’s the strange bit.

Is selling OEM allowed? Wouldn’t have thought Madison would be too pleased.

I do try to use LBS when needed. Spent about 10k with them in the last few years. Just needed chains quick which is why I used CRC. It’s easier to sit at my desk and click a few buttons than get in the car wasting my time and fuel unfortunately.

Those pins already in place are fine as the other side plate will not have had a pin pushed through it yet.
Not the same as trying to split and rejoin a shimano chain

The pin that’s hanging out is also a different colour

CRC are probably too big and popular for Madison not to be interested. Sure, they shift a lot of OEM stuff they get from manufacturers rather than Madison but they must get an amazing amount of stuff from them in comparison to any other online shop. Wiggle Im sure is probably the only similar size online only retailer.

I have split a chain more than one then just rejoined them, yet to have a failure.