Tweet from Dirt Magazine this morning RE: thick/thin chainrings…

Dirt Magazine ?@DirtMagazine 3h
Just had a very interesting email from SRAM on this matter…

I couldn’t wait and installed it last night – though i’ve not ridden it in anger yet, so still have time to put a new chain on. Strange how I didn’t pick up any import charges.

Yeah, seems to a bit hit and miss. I’ve had stuff arrive before from the US without incurring charges, but this time I’ve not been so lucky. £9 duty and VAT, plus a £6 handling fee from Royal Mail!

The link Dirt put up to Fresh Produce has been taken down… Hoping my Works Chain ring arrives before the SRAM Teddy Bear leaves the cot… 😐

Just a little update on my Wolftooth.

Still not dropped a chain yet. 🙂

Having a quick look at that patent sram have filed: https://www.google.com/patents/EP2602176A1?cl=en&dq=sram+chainring&hl=en&sa=X&ei=RP3SUbWvOoSgtAbAoIDoAg&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAQ

It looks like Wolf Tooth have the most worry about as they have all of the fancy chamfers and the cross shaped teeth…

Thing is, this to me is a real step forward in drivetrain, will be a pita if SRAM keep it to themselves, i quite like shimano bits too.

Mine arrived. 88bcd for the XTR 985.

What are those litte angled chainring tabs, Chunky?

Big thumbs up to Wolf Tooth. Ordered a 36 for an XT setup last weekend, turned up within 6 days, first outing was a 80km xc race. No dropped chain, no chain device used, perfect in every way.

I got fed up waiting for my XX1 chainset, indeed the shop are now telling me there are none on the horizon either( 170mm/GXP/168). So I’ve ordered a Zee chainset and a RF 32t ring.

Works ring here, lots of rides now, many of them bumpy, no dropped chain, well good.

singlespeedstu – Member

Just a little update on my Wolftooth.

Still not dropped a chain yet.

You taking that set up to the Alps this year?

seems as no ones mentioned/reviewed the race face one…

it works! raceface wide/narrow single ring, no front guide, xtr clutch mech and no drops at all

used in the peak district, i dont think it will ever drop the chain for my riding TBH, i’d be very surprised anyways….probably not best to descend the rockiest of descents in 10th gear (as chain at slackest point) but on normal smoothish trail centre terrain im sure that would be fine

so yep the raceface one works as advertised

Oscillate Wildly – Member

i dont think it will ever drop the chain for my riding TBH

Interested to hear how the chain retention lasts with a bit of wear

yeah well there is that HG – i to am a bit skeptical about the wear and if it will affect it, so not sold my top guide just yet 😉

but if its reasonable and i get about 5 months out of the ring up front and its still ok then i dont mind swapping it out a tad earlier to compensate, if it wears after 2 months then that will be the end of that!

Mine arrived. 88bcd for the XTR 985.

Oooo, didn’t realise they were doing it already!

Oscillate Wildly – Member
so yep the raceface one works as advertised

That’s good news, I’ve got one waiting to go on my new build. Was still going to us a top guide but might not bother now.

fathomer – depends where/what you ride

id not be doing without a guide if i was a downhiller, but i seriously doubt if you ride the peak at speed you’d struggle knock it off the chain with a clutch mech, well i haven’t and although im not the fastest going im not the slowest either

id say my last 2 rides with it on have been pretty testing, certainly i doubt i will ever ride much rockier than where i do so for me it works, if i lived somewhere flat i actually think you’d probably get away without even a clutch rear mech

it says it all when the olympic guys were running xx1 with no guides, do you really think those guys would have risked chain drop if they hadnt got confidence in it?! speaks volumes to me and the course was pretty rocky in places where it could have come off

its just one of them things that ‘works’*

*cant vouch for the longterm yet though with wear 😆

I ride a bit in the peaks, usually the stuff from the V publishing books and at rocky Cannock, so shouldn’t have a problem.

yep you’ll be fine! like i mentioned before if your descending really rocky stuff id advise perhaps shifting to the middle of the cassette, i reckon the only way you’d ‘possibly’ lose the chain is in 10th gear descending rocky stuff (when chains at its slackest), anywhere middle upwards on the back and the chain is pretty much solid and taught (dependant on if you have your chain cut correctly of course)

Oscillate Wildly – Member

it says it all when the olympic guys were running xx1 with no guides, do you really think those guys would have risked chain drop if they hadnt got confidence in it

To be fair, lots of SRAM riders have gone off message and fitted chain devices with their XX1.

Chunky.

Already been on on Apine trip but took a 2×10 bike.

Ah ok.

Just done my first proper ride on my Wolftooth, and it’s…… 😀

Bloomin eck its very impressive. 32 miler on the North Downs, hit the rooty steep choppy bits as hard as I could, this thing just doesn’t jump – silent too, I mean deadly silent. And at the moment I’m not even running a clutch mech. Time will tell, would I run it on an Alpine holiday all week? Dunno, might take it but also take a top guide for backup.

I reckon this on my Mojo with my Zee mech will be a pretty nice setup. Wolftooth are really nice to deal with too.

Get one before the big bad SRAM spit their dummy.

I used my Wolftooth at the dyfi enduro.
It’s quite rocky round there and the chain was dead silent for the whole event.

image by multispeedstu, on Flickr

No chain drop? Mine didn’t even skip. I tried back pedaling too over rough stuff and still didn’t miss a beat.

Just finished my first ride with my Wolf now that I’ve given up on the POS that was my Absolute Black. I gave it hell, fast and rooty, berms, slow and rooty, nothing phased it. The chain stayed put. Count me a satisfied customer

My 30t Wolf Tooth ring is now on, and I’m glad to report that after this morning’s ride all the hype appears to be justified. I’ve gone for a ‘poor mans’ XX1 style 1×10 set up using the 30t ring, Sram PG1070 11-36 cassette, XT medium cage Shadow + mech, Zee shifter and General Lee 40t adapter. Last night I spent a couple of enjoyable hours in the garage removing the Hammerschmidt 1×9 set up, and installing the 1×10 stuff, and this morning it all worked perfectly. My only concern is the exposed chain ring. The Wolf Tooth ring isn’t exactly cheap so I’ll probably end up fitting a lower taco of some description to protect it from the inevitable rock strikes. It doesn’t look like I’ll need a chain guide or tensioner though 🙂

Before

After

Yeti.

i’ve got one of these fitted with mine.

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.MRP-XCG-Single-Chain-Device_37967.htm?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=AdwordsProductAds&utm_campaign=Adwords&gclid=CMKx_4GYxbgCFfQetAodWAQAtQ

Wolftooth do a nice bash to go with their chainrings.

Only fits their direct mount chainrings though.

Thanks for reminding me Chunky, the bashguard for my Wolftooth ring has been out of stock, just checked and they’re in, so now ordered. I’ve now been running my Wolftooth for a few months and got a good 10 or so rides out of in in the dry dusty conditions we’ve been having. So far it has been flawless – though its chain retention properties have probably not been fully tested yet. But for those concerned about wear, since it is anodised black I can see exactly where it is wearing and the thicker teeth are not wearing across their width, so wear shouldn’t reduce the chain retension capabilities. The wear is occuring on the very edge of the teeth, but not the flank of the thicker teeth, so the wear mechanism looks to be similar to a conventional ring.

Cheers Stu, I’ll keep that one in mind.

wobbliscott – thanks for the update.