It is true that cycling is one of the most elitist sub-cultures in north america, for sure. But it’s also a lot of fun. So, what are ya gonna do?
2 Likes
After two bent chainrings and a sheared off crankarm, I don’t practice sprints anymore and I only sprint in the saddle. I’m not saying that as a flex, just that if you really want to practice sprinting hard you need to be absolutely positive that your cockpit and drivetrain are in exceptional working order. Even then, things can go catastrophically wrong.
1 Like
I don’t think that selling a product that one considers unsafe is a good idea.
2 Likes
I think you give them too much credit.
The “engineers” probably just plopped some publicly available chainring geometry into their solid modeling software and then kept tweaking the thickness until they hit their weight targets. That’s the extent of their R&D. No deflection testing, no FEA simulation.
1 Like
If it’s rock solid dinner plates you’re after, then look no further than the UK time trialling scene!
I have a 56T Pyramid Cycle Design chainring, and a 62T Drag2Zero chainring, both are big chunky bits of aluminium, so probably not for weight weenies but they won’t fold over during a sprint, and I’m fairly sure they get extensive use on the track too.
2 Likes
Quick update: I received the proposal to test out revised chainrings as well, but refused since I don’t want to take any risk in future races.
Did immediately receive a full refund from Alugear of my order from a couple of months ago.
11 Likes
Same here. Hopefully they have realised how much trouble they could be in. Hope the new rings are better as I’d hate for someone to die from them. It would have only took a car coming the opposite direction for me to have been seriously hurt/killed.
Only big/high level race brands for me now.
6 Likes
I have had this exact issue myself with the Alugear 2x 54/40. The big chainring flexes som much that I can basically make the chain to drop “on demand”. Putting out torque on these is just fucked up. Sprinting for me is a no go. Everything is set up properly, new chain, casette and such.
3 Likes
So I ordered a 1x chainring from them (Alugear) before I saw this thread. I’m hoping the 1x are stiffer. But I got this email from Alugear yesterday:
“We’re reaching out regarding the status of your recent order. To ensure our cycling products meet the exceptional quality you deserve, our production lines are currently under maintenance.
This means there will be a delay of about 1 week in getting your gear ready for your next adventure”
Call it interesting timing but my gut says they’ve paused all production to address this issue. I’ve sent them an email asking specifically if they are beefing up the chainrings and get more info. Still waiting to hear back. But I was planning on buying a 1x for my crit bike but absolutely would not run them as seen in the video above.
1 Like
Zero chance I would ride their stuff right now…I’d cancel that order, if it were me.
5 Likes
Who else makes a good 1x chainring for Shimano? I’ve tried Garbaruk in the past for my CX bike and it lasted less than a year before bending (taco’d). I went to Wolftooth for that bike but they don’t make anything large enough (54t) for what I’m looking for. And if the Garbaruk 42t bent I don’t have much hope for a 54t. I picked up a Stone 1x off AliExpress but even though it says 12sp it doesn’t actually work with Shimano 12sp chains. The normal parts of the chain are fine but the quick link doesn’t mesh with the chainring and sits on top causing chain drops. Passquest makes a similar chainring but it looks like a rebranded Stone to be honest.
Remove a link. Sounds like cavendish after every sprint ends
Hi guys, I’m Grzegorz from Alugear and I would like to say a few words regarding the topic of falling chain.
I will not make any excuses.
We always strive to make the best quality and reliable product, as in the case of our 54/40t we also wanted to have a light product. Before commercializing we made a lot of in-house tests as well as products were tested by riders and never any issues were seen or reported all was running smoothly and as intended. We were surprised and worried after we received the claim from Alex and took immediate action to solve the problem. The new design includes changes to the ribs and we added extra inner ring on the plate, this will increase significantly the stiffenes of the big ring.
We are always open for constructive discussion and listen to our bike friends as without you we would not be able to improve our products
12 Likes
Aerocoach are worth a look. They work with pros and track riders so should be stiff enough to deal with plenty of watts. I had one of their Arc 1x chainrings on my TT bike and was very happy with it, albeit with TTing it obviously tended to be steady watts not sprints.
1 Like
Does Rotor make anything suitable? I don’t know the quality though.
I ran Wolf Tooth for 3 years on a 1x Shimano system on gravel with zero issues…and for most of that time, I wasn’t even using a clutch derailleur, just a normal Ultegra RD.
I love Wolftooth. They just don’t make a 54t chainring unfortunately.
The Aerocoach ones look good but I’m only seeing the alloy/carbon mix ones that are like $250 USD. Which I could maybe justify but would love a cheaper option if available.
I had a drag2zero 58 tooth which was great. Pyramid design also make 1x in big boy sizes.
Gotcha…I forgot we weren’t talking about a gravel bike.
Rotor’s products are of exceptional quality. My M9000 specific oval chain rings are better than Shimano’s XTR chain rings. Needless to say, you can’t bend them with your fingers.
I’d scamper over to their website and check if they have something suitable.
1 Like