I am lucky enough to be given one of Superstar Components prototype I/O chainrings in 30t guise to try.

Out of the box it’s obvious that the chainring has been well machined and truly is a thing of beauty ( if its ok to say this about a chainring ). Fitting was easy as and fitted like a proverbial glove…this in itself inspires confidence about it fulfilling its purpose. Ive only had about 100 miles on this so far and i can say its super silent, chainline is perfect and ive encountered no ploblems with dropped chains, shifting etc…
The teeth have a ceramic coating ( CeraKote ) on them to aid longevity but its early days yet.
Final thoughts are this..Even if this I/O chainring has the lifespan of other chainrings on the market Mikes/ Superstars competitive pricing*, the fact it’s British made, its looks, simplicity to fit etc make this a winner.

Bike/ drivetrain info. 2014 Specialized Enduro 29, Sram PG1030 cassette, X9 rearmech, Sram 1250 crank 104 bcd.

pics below.

*chainring price unknown..Mike to the forum please.

Looks good. Looks like it’s spaced away from the spider so the chain can clear the spider arms. How’s the chainline?

Chainline is spot on. I haven’t measured it but it runs silent in high or low gear without grating on the sides of the teeth.

how did you manage to get one to test. Currently got a 30t RF one, would be nice to compare it and write a blog article – hint hint superstar lol

poah…you have to be incredibly good looking….oh, and not already have a 30t N/W from RF 😆

I wouldnt have predicted mike teaming up with superstar – i suppose mike has the knowlege and ability to make things happen and with cotic gone the machines need work to make money…

Cant see how mike can machine it, sell it to ss and then onto the customer at ss prices though and surely only point in this is if it is cheaper than the rest, it offers nothing different / extra and whats the point in ceramic coating something that is £30 and lasts a year anyway? By that point the drivetrains buggered anyway….

@crankrider…nobody says it lasts a year..the point of the ceramic coating is that it is to out last other offerings on the market.

OH…I hope i havent gotten my emails confused with the whole Superstar/ Mike thing

I think I have my emails confused as emailed/ had a reply from Superster at the same time…Sorry 😳 😳

Mods let me edit please…

@ poah…and incredibly stoopid!

The smaller shimano bolt dimensions (seen on deore now and possibly others) should avoid the need for the stand-offs and make manufacturing even cheaper.

Mike if you read this interested about the CeraKote and Keronite coatings. In fact will track you down and message you.

tymbian – Member
poah…you have to be incredibly good looking….oh, and not already have a 30t N/W from RF

no one else had one as cheap as I got the RF for.

@ poah…and incredibly stoopid!

that’s Dr Poah so it rules me well and truelly out lol

So this isn’t a superstar / mike collaboration then? Getting a bit confused….

My comment about the coating refers to the fact that standard n/w rings last ages and at 26 quid ss price what is the point in getting them to last longer for extra cost / hassle? Just replace it when you throw the chain / cassette in the can.

how did you manage to get one to test.

He’s a ging and has a large collection of octopron.*

*May or may not be true.

I heard/read somewhere (maybe here?) that Superstar’s teeth are slightly longer than RF. Did anyone here make a comparison?

I’m getting the odd chaindrop with my RF every tenth ride or so and don’t really fancy a chain guide so am thinking/hoping that slightly larger teeth would be enough to make the difference.

Svalgis. ..can you lose a chain-link pair or two? Put a bit more tension on the chain..

..and this isn’t a Mike/ Superstar collaboration. I Messed up.

and this isn’t a Mike/ Superstar collaboration. I Messed up.

Where’s it from then?
I’ll be needing a new 30T soonish.

Yeah, spill it – I need one too

and this isn’t a Mike/ Superstar collaboration. I Messed up.
Where’s it from then?
I’ll be needing a new 30T soonish.

This one is from Mike who went into partnership with cy at cotic – he put pics of the ring up on instagram.

I would get this thread deleted – he may not want his name associated with superstar…..

he may not want his name associated with superstar…..

Can’t say I blame him.
Looks like a good product.

I’ve had an email from Mike and I’m sure he’ll be along soon…

Why would he not want his name associated with superstar?

Awesome thread, there might be some more getting made to test but these ones work really well they have been sent to folks all over the world with another going to a guy in Norway today, I’m a bit unsure what to do with the new tooth design profile,maybe I will just keep it as a what if product.

you need to send one to a guy in glasgow lol

Poah at the time Tim was looking for 30 teeth and no one had one, we had just finished machining ours so i said here try this

I dont have any left they have all been sold on ebay even the purple ones ?? bizzarre ,someone suggested sticking them on ebay which works for me so I did ,it means I can concentrate on machining and developing cool things

if I really wanted to join in at the bottom end of the market I could do this quite readily ,the numbers have been done but its saturated market anyone can machine a chainring , thats why I designed a tooth profile that works and gave it a coating to survive the peak district, Rings might last 4 months here in winter and when i saw the high end rings at 40 quid a pop that’s some ask in my book

Mickmcd, I’m in the market for a 30tooth as I run them on all my bikes. You will have to let folks know when/if you have a batch ready….

[/url]WP_20140916_004 by mike mcdermid, on Flickr[/img]

Ill make another 10 whilst the machines doing nowt they will probably get back from the midlands friday if I send them today

Now on eBay…the purple looks really nice.

EBay item 321529943085

£30 QUID, 😯 The bloke told me they would be closer to £20 👿