8speed chain compatibility

[GayUnicorn]

Have a 29 er Carrera project bike and 8 speed SRAM cassette and Clarke 8 speed,
Friends of mine say the following:-
The rollers on chain are nominally bigger and when friend swapped cassette
Says two highest gears are wider than the rest of cassette.
They believe the "compatible Clarke 8speed chain" is too tight in cassette rings and skips under load.
They have checked derailleur and jockey wheels free and say even cable removed in highest gear on stop screw problem persists.

They say they have shorten chain and it has tension

They say unlikely SRAM sent wrong two gear rings for cassette and believe chain rollers on Clark chain
Binding between teeth as larger than what came off with a pair of digital calipers

Can anyone advise on a Halfords available alternative
Chain if this is correct

Thanks

[fausto99]

Would that be what was the very cheapest 8 speed chain available in the UK a while ago? Branded Clarks anti-rust and had a very ugly rough grey plated finish? If so, I bought one and it's been working fine on my Shimano 3 x 8 speed set up on my winter bike for months.

[Chris56]

I had bought similar chain with an 8s Sram cassette and it didn't like the 11t cog at all. Changed the cassette for the Shimano HG200 and it worked fine

[alexnharvey]

Would that be what was the very cheapest 8 speed chain available in the UK a while ago? Branded Clarks anti-rust and had a very ugly rough grey plated finish? If so, I bought one and it's been working fine on my Shimano 3 x 8 speed set up on my winter bike for months.

I think that ugly plating is a zinc coating.

[GayUnicorn]

Hi thanks for info, two smallest gear rings and lock ring part of cassette swapped by shop as something wrong with it

Think the problem solved, the gear changes are ok, a premium chain I believe would improve it.

Thanks for help

[GayUnicorn]

We measured the chain, swapped for a genuine one been fine ever since

Side note shifting silky smooth as well.