Believe it or not, I'm not obsessing about the weight of my components! Nevertheless, I recently attempted to upgrade my racing setup with a lightweight (hollow pin) Wipperman chain (9 speed) and American Classic (aluminum) cassette (11-21). The result was very unsatisfactory. To put it simply, I couldn't get in gear.

After reading Zinn at length and attempting to adjust derailleur limit screws and barrel adjuster, I took the bike in to my favorite cycle mechanic...who also had trouble. After exhausting all possible drive chain settings, he put on yet another new (SRAM) chain. Still the shifting was very poor. He concluded that issue didn't seem to be chain width, but rather the ramping on the cassette cogs. Since getting into gear is more important to me than shaving off a few grams of rolling weight, we put the old Ultegra 9-speed (also 11-21) back on the bike.

The American Classic site recommends using a Dura-Ace 10-speed chain for optimal performance with their aluminum cassettes. Before scrapping this whole process, or trying a Dura-Ace Chain I'm looking for advice (and information). I've searched but can't find a credible online source for chain specifications (width, weight, etc.) and/or general information about chain/cassette compatibility. Can anyone refer me?

Also, has anyone used American Classic cassettes with a similar setup? Any assistance would be much appreciated.