Has anyone else experiencing extremely rapid chain ring wear with XX1? I have ridden less than 500 miles since I got my bike in November and its making a grinding noise as the chain is not leaving the bottom of the chainring smoothly.

I showed it to a bike mechanic friend and he laughed saying the chainring was worn and thats what you get for going SRAM! A replacement from CRC is 70 quid and due to the bolt pattern you must use SRAM parts… I have a Race Face Narrow Wide on 2 other bikes with no such issues so I can’t see any reason for this other than a deliberate way to get more money out of you every few months.

Blackspire seem to do an XXI-compatible Narrow/Wide ring for less cash

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/blackspire-mono-veloce-xx1-narrow-wide-chainring/rp-prod112088

If you look around you can get other chainrings that are sram compatable.

I’m pretty sure a guy I know has one of these:

But 500 miles in a wet winter could destroy a lot of parts.

I’ve used them all year and no problems with wear.
They make a noise in the mud, but thats because they hold the chain tightly.

Depends where you are riding to an extent. Certain soil will increase the speed it wears.

You could also remove the spider and use a spiderless ring like absolute black, works or wolf tooth. Saves a bit of weight as well 😉

I don’t believe the options above are compatible, they are just XX1 copies.

Yeah I suppose I have been out in some pretty nasty conditions but then so have the other bikes…

I don’t believe the options above are compatible, they are just XX1 copies.

Are you cranks like these:

Yes, I see now how they are fitted! Cheers!

I don’t believe the options above are compatible, they are just XX1 copies.

What’s the difference 😕

The bolt pattern

Narrow/Wide do pick up quite a lot of debris which can cause some issues so its a good idea to clean them regularly.

Are you sure its the chainring though? If the clutch/roller-bearing in XX1 rear mechs gets stiff it makes the noise you describe. The roller-bearings are not well greased; the two I have had required the bearing to be greased once they started making the noise you describe.

Linky

If it really is chainring wear you should be able to see it, and if it has happened in the that milage I would be returning it to SRAM. Mine is fine with more milage on it.

I will check this out tonight, I can see the the chain sticking to the bottom of the chainring and it only happens under load going up steeper climbs. Would that be similar symptoms you experienced?

Yes – and there is a stickyness to the movement of the mech when you push it forward, like a hesitation and then it moves. I think this hesitation/friction means the chain is not pulled off the chainring teeth cleanly causing the noise and unpleasant feeling.

Both of the ones I have used stopped doing it after greasing the roller-bearing as per the link.

Word of caution – the roller bearing cap is plastic and easy to crossthread when re-fitting… you don’t want to tear out the threads.