Frankenbike Chainset

currently running my road (ish) bike in 1x with a 44T chainring.

i’m looking at dropping to 40T and weighing up options and prices. Cheapest and possibly best aesthetics is reuse my MTB RF Next SL carbon cranks and run a 40T direct mount ring. Currently on ultegra cranks and wolf tooth ring which looks crap due to the missing bolt covers!  RF ring is about £40 and Wolftooth £75

40T on rf cranks isnt exactly common as most MTB’s would run way smaller.

any reason I should worry going that route over say new ring or even SRAM force 1 or GRX which are dedicated 1x road/gravel set up? I’ve enough spare BB’s to go almost any chainset i want!

cassette is 11-42T so no – thats not an option.

You’ll need to play around with spacers to get the correct chainline but you can make it work.

Currently running a 40T chainring on Raceface deus cranks on my gravel frankenbike.

Thought so. Spacers and chainline I can sort. Was wondering about the relatively big distance from direct mount to teeth vs bolts mount to teeth and bendy chainrings but i guess I’m over thinking it!

I’ve a 38t direct mount as an alternative for the normal 42t spider mounted. Can’t say i’ve noticed any more flex in one than the other. Force/3 bolt not cinch but can’t imagine there’s much in it.

Mine is superstar- they used to be good for having a pretty comprehensive mix of sizes, offsets and mounting types at considerably less than wolftooth go for in the uk.

My first foray into 1x on the roadbike was a superstar 1x narrow wide. Granted it was big at 48T but it dropped the chain for fun at the most inappropriate bottom twitching moments!

deffo cheaper but feels way thinner and not really that different to stock rings so put me off using them again.

Thought so. Spacers and chainline I can sort. Was wondering about the relatively big distance from direct mount to teeth vs bolts mount to teeth and bendy chainrings but i guess I’m over thinking it!

Def nothing to worry about there.

Easton EA90 and EC90 cranks have exactly the same direct mount fitting as the Race Face mtb cranks, and the Eastons take chainrings up to at least 50t.

I run RF Next R cranks with a 42t Absolute Black ring and all good.

I’m planning something similar in my gravel bike. Took the GRX cranks off and replaced with depression m590 as I prefer the chainline.

Long term plan is my RF turbine crank with a Garbaruk Easton 38T ring