Race Face Narrow Wide Chainring
Are the days of multiple chainrings and often troublesome chain guides behind us? Certainly not for everyone, but clever chainring tooth shaping and clutch-equipped derailleurs that act to keep the chain from bouncing off of the ring mean that it might be the case for some riders. Of course, going to a single ring is entirely dependent on both the terrain that you spend your time on and how strong of a rider you are, but SRAM's release of their single ring, wide range cassette XX1 drivetrain, complete with the group's X-Sync chainrings, has proved that many riders can get by without using a chain guide, a previously unheard of setup. While SRAM may have been first to the party when it comes to machining chainring teeth into the alternating thick and thin shapes that match the inner profile of the male and female chain links, it didn't take long for other brands to come up with their own options. Race Face's Narrow Wide chainring is available in 30, 32, 34, 36, and 38 tooth sizes, and it's the $59.99 USD 30 tooth option that has us the most interested as it offers an easy enough range for many riders without sacrificing too much at the opposite end of the gearing when it comes to a lot trail riding. The 32 and 34 tooth rings retail for $43.99 USD, the 36 and 38 tooth for $49.99 USD.
| Details • Intended use: single ring drivetrains • Alternating narrow and wide tooth profiles • Sizes: 30 (tested), 32, 34, 36, 38 • BCD: 104mm • Compatible with 9, 10, and 11 speed chains • Threaded and unthreaded versions • Colours: red, green, blue, black • MSRP: $43.99 - $59.99 USD |
The ring's alternating narrow and wide teeth mesh with the thinner and thicker gaps between the chain's inner and out plates to provide a snug interface. ConstructionThe shaping of chainring teeth is far from being a fresh idea. Have a close look at the rings on a double or triple ring setup and you'll see that many of the teeth look either slightly twisted or seem to be missing a third of their height, something done to allow the chain to move across the rings easier and faster, especially when under pedalling loads. Now take a look at a standard chainring designed to be used as a single ring and you'll likely notice that it is completely flat, with no gates or pick-ups (
the technical terms for shift aids) to be seen. But why not shape the teeth to help keep the chain on? That is the idea behind Race Face's Narrow Wide chainring, with the name referring to the ring's alternating narrow and wide tooth shapes. While the thinner teeth look to be of standard width and fit between the chain's inner plates, the thicker teeth are shaped to fit snuggly between the wider spaced outer plates of the chain, thereby make for a much tighter meshing of the chain and chainring. Viewed from above, the alternating teeth match the inner profile of both the male and female chain links.
The 30 tooth ring features a machined-in offset that allows the chain to clear the crank's tabs.
While the narrow and wide tooth shaping is the big talking point with Race Face's chainring, the fact that it fits standard 104 BCD crankarms is of equal importance as it allows the Narrow Wide ring to be bolted to the large majority of cranks available today (
SRAM's XX1 rings use a proprietary 76mm BCD). While this would usually mean that the smallest size available would be a 32 tooth option thanks to the crank tabs interfering with the chain on smaller sizes, Race Face was able to offer a 30 tooth version by offsetting the ring slightly to sit inboard of the crank tabs. This isn't the first time that this method has been used, but it is more valid than ever thanks to many riders wanting to go with a slightly smaller than usual single ring setup that will allow them to continue using their standard 11 - 36 tooth spread cassette and still be able to grind up steep climbs.
The Narrow Wide ring is also offered in both threaded and unthreaded versions, with the latter using standard male and female chainring bolts to attach it to the crankarm. The version tested here sees threads machined directly into the chainring bolt holes that allow it to forgo using the usually required female nuts, with the male chainring bolt threading straight into the chainring. Crank tab shims of different thickness
can also be used as required depending on what type of crankset you are mounting the ring to, with them also making for a nice, clean look.
PerformanceWe fit the Race Face Narrow Wide ring to a few different types of cranks and bikes - everything from a 150mm travel Scott Genius to a hardtail - in order to check for any chain line or interference issues, as well as to test the Narrow Wide's ability to keep the chain in place without the support of a clutch-equipped derailleur. As for the first two concerns, there proved to be no issues with alignment or with the ring not sitting on the crank tabs correctly. The offset mounting, which is required by the smaller diameter 30 tooth size, allowed the chain to sit just inside the crank's tabs, with no jamming or clearance problems to
report. The spacer caps also make for a nice, clean setup that doesn't look cobbled together like many of the single ring setups out there - no weird spacers or funky hardware required.
The real question, though, is if we dropped the chain while using the Narrow Wide ring. It wasn't that long ago that we couldn't imagine using a single ring setup without a chain guide of some sort, and while the narrow/wide shaping of chainring teeth is certainly a vital component in keeping the chain from derailing, clutch derailleurs play an arguably larger role... or so we thought. We didn't suffer a single dropped chain while using the Narrow Wide ring, both with and without a clutch derailleur. This includes everything from charging rough trails on a 150mm travel trail bike, to getting rowdy on a steel hardtail that managed to rattle our teeth but not rattle the chain off despite not using a chain guide of any sort. Impressively, the hardtail was the bike that was spec'd with a standard non-clutch derailleur, and the bike that had us fully expecting at least a few dropped chains. Not only were we proven wrong, but there was also a noticeable reduction in chain slap noise while using the 30 tooth Narrow Wide ring.
IssuesWith an easy and trouble-free installation, and not a single dropped chain to report, we really have nothing to complain about. Our single concern, although one that we were admittedly not able to suss out due to a long dry spell here in South Western B.C., boils down to how the ring's tooth profiles would perform in excessively muddy conditions. We say this only because other rings that use the same shaping have shown to pick up loads of mud and trail debris, sometimes enough to actually derail the chain. Again, this did not happen to us while using Race Face's chainring, but the incredibly dry weather never really did give us a chance to properly test this aspect.
Pinkbike's take: | While we can see many riders still doubling up by using both the Narrow Wide ring and at least an upper slider-only guide, we have complete confidence in our guide-free Race Face Narrow Wide setup while charging on some pretty serious terrain. Not a single dropped chain, even while riding a hardtail without either a guide or a clutch derailleur on rough, rooty terrain, has proven to us that going guide-less is a viable alternative for a rider who wants a simple and lightweight setup. - Mike Levy |
www.raceface.com
That being said I hope there is a way around that, if not I would like to see SRAM and Shimano develop some larger rings for the rear cassette that coule be purchased after market. For instance that big 42t final ring on the XX1 cassette, if I could buy that ring alone and swap out the final ring (32t 1099) for that one I would get the same lowered gearing as a 30t in the front.
I am nervously waiting for next year for those long tooth chainrings from RF, MRP and E13!
m.pinkbike.com/news/General-Lee-Wide-range-Cassette-Adapter-First-Look-2013.html
Combined with the General Lee adapter and a clutch mech it´s the best setup I´ve ever had.
Bonus is that I didn´t need to sell a kidney to afford it. XX1 is all about the money.
Wolf Tooth was first to the party with regard to making X-Sync type rings for standard BCD's but with larger brands like RaceFace, e.Thriteen, FSA and others joining suit; it'll be important to support small manufacturers like them. I think they're doing a great job.
Edit: I'm an idiot; just re read the article.
How about we ride our bikes
I have noticed the ring is far more pedal efficient than my previous renthal combined with mrp mini g2 as the bottom roller adds extra resistance. This I would imagine would decrease chain wear on the new rings when in the extremities because there is less chain held on the ring. This also has a flipside as I have noticed I haven't been able to put down as much power through the pedals when charging the trails as there is less chain on the ring to drive. Whether this is me being cautious of chain drops (I doubt as I tend to forget about it when riding) but definitely some difference compared to running a guide.
So far happy with the ring, although rumour from my lbs is sram has a patent and other makes are being stopped?
I want to run a raceface nw 34t and do away with the guide and pulleys as I've got myself an xt shadow + clutch rear mech.
I don't want a bash ring over the top of the new raceface ring but I hit a lot of rocks where I ride and get boulders flying up hitting the bottom of my chain ring.
Any ideas for a good taco style bash without the guide????
www.workscomponents.co.uk/works-components-104bcd-chainring-alternating-thickness-extended-tooth-design-270-p.asp
Like can you mis-fit so the chain is 1 link out and the wide teeth fit in the narrow gap in the chain...and so on ?
FYI I didn't read the full thing so if this is mentioned above, sorry.... I'm actually supposed to be working ATM, just having a quick mid afternoon pinkbike scive ! sweet...
I then mounted XX1 cranks with a SRAM X-Sync 28T chainring a week ago and on my second day's riding I dropped a chain. In my enduro race-run. That sucked. I still had the XT front-mech mounted, but I wonder if it now can't get close enough to the smaller 28T ring to be effective (direct-mount-low on a CovertCF so no movement options) so whether or not the RaceFace is better than the X-Sync it's hard to know without doing a tooth-to-tooth comparison.
Unfortunately due to the CovertCF's limited low direct mount, and it's asynchronous wonky seat-tube, I can't use many of the lightweight guide options out there (e13 XCX-ST, Superstar XCR-ST) etc). The only one I can use is the MRP AMg but I can't yet find availability nearby (or through a dealer).
Conclusion: I would prefer to run the RF N/W if I could get a 28T to run with my 1x10 setup as around here I really need that extra gear. Maybe as I get stronger I could lose it but now with the XX1 cranks I'd probably ditch the spider altogether and get a spline-mount AbsoluteBlack or similar, which is what I will probably do when I get the XX1 cassette, the last piece of the jigsaw I need to swap over.
As amazing as these new rings are, and however much faith I have in them to work as intended, I don't believe I will be able to get rid of the guide altogether due to my riding style. I'm a switch-foot rider, by which I mean that I always lead with my inside-foot forward. Left corner? Left foot forward. Right corner? Right foot forward. And yes, like a freak, I can jump off both. The problem is that I will often have to make a backward half-turn of the cranks to make this adjustment, and when the going is rough this creates extra chain slack which means that it's more likely to jump off, wide-narrow or not. Yes a possible solution is to forward pedal between corners, but that's not always what you wanna be doing, fighting your braking, or might not even be possible if you are locked up braking late and hard.
I think SRAM is gone down few editions of XX1 installation regarding chain length.
I set up mine the "old" way, suspension compressed on largest cog and checked that RD can deal with the chain length, no dropped chains on full XX1.
@groghunter: Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately they look like regular direct-mount only, whereas the CovertCF is direct-mount-low, like this
i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q481/mikelai/ebay/shimano_fd_m780_direct.jpg
The only conclusion I can come up with is that would make gearing parts and chain last too long & would sell less parts
HEARS HOW GEAR SHOULD BE www.pinkbike.com/video/218538
setup include Zee shadow+ Derailleur, Shimano CS-M771 Cassette and Shimano XT CN-HG95 Chain
www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=109723