after having a Shram which has developed extreme stickiness and several bent links after about a month (not sure if my maintenance was enough: it got lubed but not degreased and scrubbbed in that time, mainly because it didn't go off-road, and if it did there was no mud), I need a new chain, but am loathe to spend £15 on a chain. Given this one's rapid degradation, is it worth going for a cheaper chain? Is there a huge gap in quality and strength? I want the burliest chain available

Bent links what have you been doing to it? check your drive train for dammage such as bent teeth on the cranks i personally have not had any problems with an Sram chain

Avoid taya chains at all costs i took 3 in a row in the space of two hours back to the lbs as they snapped on the first test ride

I think it's the washer bit on the inside of the chain, the bit that makes contact with the chainring/cassette. I thinking the damage was done on landings. I've got anew chainring so that might have something to do with it. I've taken the old one off and gone through every link and there are at least five stiff links, not including around three I had either removed or repaired with a chain tool. It was the epdiemic that surprised me, and I think it was something to do with poor maintenance, although I only had a month, and didn't take it off-road or in the mud. It was lubed

With regard to stiff links when rejoining a chain, I found its often the outer links being held too tightly from the pin going in. If you put some pliers or similar in between the outer links and just gently try and open them up a bit, I found it loosens the link up nicely.

I'm not sure if it there what I use it for, but when I'm re-joining chains, I press the pin in, not quite all the way, then move the chain to the two prongs closest to the screw, then push the pin in the rest of the way - that way the link has some lateral give in it.

your better repairing an sram chain with a power link

Surely if you get a more expensive chain you are paying more for less - more money for less metal (= weight = ultimately less strength). So I'd go for a cheaper chain.
SteveP

Deffo go for a better chain everytime.

Cheap chains are a false economy.

Shimano chains are getting better. SRAM are still much better IMHO.

sram chains work fine, and are better if you want to split your chain on a (fairly) frequent basis: sram chains have a powerlink, while shimano ones need to be joined with a special black pin every time.

although, a bmx chain on a singlespeed setup works the best ;)

sachs chains
ive had no problems withthese run em till they fal apart and my gears are like ninja throwing stars :-)

I use a chain tool to remove mt shimano chain.. never used this "Black pin???? just used the one that came out.

Am I doing something realy bad??

Could be? I think its something to do with the shape of the original pins and the way they hold the chain together. Once they come out something has happened to the rivet and they are never as secure as before so hence the reason to fix them with the special joining pin. You could be lucky and never break it again but if its going to go its likely to be on that repaired link.