I’ve got an absolute black N/W oval ring on an 11 speed setup.
Last few rides it’s started dropping the chain a fair bit. The chain comes off over the crank arm (away from bike)
Clutch mech, clutch on
I’m sure the chain line is fine and it’s all new stuff, got the ring at Christmas and new chain/cassette in Feb
It’s been fine, I’ve had 2-2 1/2 months problem free so why now with no real change to the drivetrain?

Any thoughts??
Ta

Is your clutch working? If it’s shimano, they need to be adjusted periodically.

Working as in not allowing the mech cage to move forward when engaged then yes. Adjusted or fiddled with, no..

How do you adjust them??

Depends on the model! Small Allen key to tighten up the clutch a bit, only needs 1/4 turn at a time or so.

When is it dropping? Is the chain the right length?

It’s an XT. M8000 group set I think
Doubt it’s the chain as it’s been working for a month or so. Last few rides have been quite bad.. even dropping on flat stuff!

I haven’t checked for a stiff link now I think about it…..

Did you check for chain wear …. 11sp…. meant to wear faster….
(2.5 months doesn’t sound long but depends how much you ride…) but same for the clutch mech adjustment…

I know experience previous with AB NW (on 10sp) the chain has gone way before the NW (or clutch has needed adjustment)…. new chain and works perfectly.

Chains last fine on 1 x 11 unless it’s really wet and gritty.
There’s a small black cap under the clutch mechanism, quarter turn and it pops off, think it’s a 1.5mm Allen key to adjust the clutch. Start with just a quarter turn and adjust with the clutch off. When it’s on the cage should move only when there’s a fair bit of effort involved.
Any gears in particular that it falls off in?

While that does sound very fast, the thick teeth can wear which seriously reduces the effectiveness of the ring at hanging on. Fastest I’ve managed it was a very high mileage 6 months though.

Have you git anything like odd chainline which would wear the thick teeth faster?

Wet and gritty…. I’m in the Peak District!

Will check clutch. As I said I think chainline is ok but will recheck.

Gears it comes off in.. notice it more in higher gears when descending but have had it in lower gears as well.

Last setup was pretty much fault free for 12 months or so.

Just think it’s odd that it’s just started (on a new drivetrain) after only a few months. The only original bit is the mech itself so I reckon first port of call is the clutch!

havent got a kinked link have you?

I would think it’s wear. Absolute Black stuff isn’t the best quality IME.

I was pretty unimpressed with my AB ring too. Very nice machining but it never retained the chain as well as others, and it seemed to be wearing a bit fast too, though nothing like this fast.

Considering the price of a works ring (others are available, I rate Works highly though), I’d be inclined to get one to try. If it doesn’t fix it, then you have a spare- you’d have needed to get one anyway sooner or later so it’s not a loss, just an early spend

Check your freehub is running freely – if its sticky it can ‘overrun’ which can make the chain drop as it gives too much slack on the top. Also don’t be surprised if the thick thin is now thin thin. Sometimes they just wear really fast if you get the wrong grit on the wrong day.

I’d try a Works ring, they’re the cheapest and wear well.

AB stuff is proper pish.

Chains last fine on 1 x 11 unless it’s really wet and gritty.

and/or the chain line is off …..

I’m not going to argue the quality of the absolute black or not… but my experience is they outlast a chain easily in wet/muddy/poor chain-line conditions.

Last few rides have been quite bad.. even dropping on flat stuff!

This and the original description is why I think you should check the chain….and its not the clutch (or clutch might benefit from tightening anyway) but you shouldn’t need a clutch on “flat stuff”

Most of the time my kid rides WITHOUT the clutch engaged… with N/W and no chain guide… and with a new chain it sticks on….

(We only put the clutch on for serious stuff… and that gives a lot of chain slap on dropoffs (like the new dropoffs at Swinley) etc. HOWEVER the new chain doesn’t come off… ) if you hold the mech in its difficult to actually PULL it off with your fingers …

He races XC on the same bike (hence we keep weight down) so it’s not the strongest chain…. (KMC-X10SL) but he’s gone through 2 chains on the same NW. I just changed the chain and the difference is night and day… the NW is still working fine.

just as a little update..

thanks for the advice. I got round to taking the cover of the clutch bit and giving it a bit of a clean and tighten. Only done one ride on it since but didn’t drop the chain at all, and as it was doing it on almost every descent i reckon that’s an improvement!
fingers crossed that’s sorted it.

I run mine with the clutch off and it never drops. Sounds like ring wear to me.

Whenever my 1x bikes start dropping the chain, it’s usually new chain ring time, then normal service is resumed. IME the clutch only makes a marginal difference (set it too tight and shifting suffers), having clattered down rocky chutes with it off many times, without the chain coming off.

I agree AB narrow wide rings are soft as shite and should be bargain bin not hipster priced, about a fiver seems fair! A nine quid NW I’ve got has lasted longer for a 1/3 of the price, or as I like to call it, what they are really worth.

An update on the update…!
The chain staying on lasted one ride then started dropping again. I suspect it stayed on more through luck than anything else.
Bought and fitted a new NW ring and haven’t lost the chain since
Contacted absolute black to see what they thought and to be honest to try my luck to see if they’d consider a replacement
I’ve been told that because the chain has come off its damaged the teeth on the ring which is allowing the chain to drop off.
I also hadn’t realised that it was one of the black series which is a CRC exclusive range and as such absolute black don’t deal with warranties on those rings at all.
The oneup components ring I’ve got on now just looks and feels much better quality. Let’s see how long it lasts!

I won’t bother with AB stuff in the future.

I’ve been told that because the chain has come off its damaged the teeth on the ring which is allowing the chain to drop off.

I’m not defending AB specifically but this could well happen on any alloy chainring with a steel chain…It sort of questions fitness for purpose of any allow chainring because if they come-off in the wrong way they are pretty much going to damage any allow chainring…

I had a M8000 rear mech running the correct Shimano chain that jammed first ride and wrote off the mech and chain. I probably screwed up the pin as I actually put it together in the dark… (stupid idea) … but the combination meant that the steel chain was stronger than the rear mech and when the chain jammed it just bent the rear mech cages

the chain is always going to be stronger than the mech, it needs to bear a huge load while the mech isn’t load bearing. The chain is usually the last thing to break in a transmission disaster, hence the importance of a breakaway mech hanger or dispensable rear mech.

FWIW I’ve been using a RaceFace NW ring on my cx bike for 2 years and it’s wearing really well – never dropped or jammed the chain. You can get the SRAM NW rings in steel for £10 but I think only in 94mm BCD

My AB ring has lasted pretty well (about 14 months so far). There is a noticeable lip on the teeth now, but I had that with my previous Race Face rings – it’s still holding the chain fine though and that’s pretty goosed I think (I’ll change it and the cassette when they start skipping etc).

are some chainrings better than others then?

Ive recently noticed that with the dryer weather im going a lot faster down rocky stuff. Im now loosing my chain a couple of times a ride. Running a few months old superstar one.

he chain is always going to be stronger than the mech, it needs to bear a huge load while the mech isn’t load bearing. The chain is usually the last thing to break in a transmission disaster, hence the importance of a breakaway mech hanger or dispensable rear mech.

FWIW I’ve been using a RaceFace NW ring on my cx bike for 2 years and it’s wearing really well – never dropped or jammed the chain. You can get the SRAM NW rings in steel for £10 but I think only in 94mm BCD

Oh, I’m not trying to buy a Steel NW …. 😀 Just pointing out depending how it comes off it’s always liable to damage the chain-ring…
Same way mostly the rear mech doesn’t get damaged… I was just unlucky… but as you say if the mech hanger doesn’t break the an alloy mech will lose a fight with a steel chain…

Warranty wise its a bit of a nightmare I suppose…I didn’t actually think of trying a warranty claim with the rear mech ….. though perhaps I should have but was more concerned at the time replacing it and the chain so I could ride the next day…

It seems disingenuous of AB to exclude bought from CRC…