Maybe a bit shallow, but I like my chains to be completely nickel coated (i.e. not just the outer plates) as it seems to delay the onset of corrosion.
As far as I can see the cheapest chains like this from the respective manufactuers are:
SRAM PC991
Shimano XTR/Dura Ace
KMC X9L
Am I missing any/got any wrong?
Thanks!
