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Narrow/wide rings

jackalope

jackalope

Mental acuity - 1%
Jan 9, 2004
7,700
6,108
in a single wide, cooking meth...
Oh noes update - popped up a big rock today and it smashed into my chain ring and actually knocked the chain off. So first drop since I've had the RF narrow-wide ring (with top guide and clutch), so it can obviously happen. No damage to ring tho thanks to the old and soft rocks found here on the east coast.
 
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squiby

squiby

Chimp
Jul 26, 2010
91
13
I have dropped my chain twice with XX1 and MRP AMG which has a guide and a bash. On one occasion I don't know WTF happened but my chain was actually twisted inside out around the chain ring. That was a butch to get back on!

I think the cage was bent and chain a little long. the derailleur finally got bashed beyond repair so I got a new one. Has not happened since.

The taco has a few good gouges in it so im sure it has helped the chain and ring last a little better. Just need a taco for my derailleur now...or not hack so much.
 
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bizutch

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,929
24
Over your shoulder whispering
squiby said:
.... That was a butch to get back on!....
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WTF dude? Why you gotta go throwing me under the bus? :shakefist:



But to contribute to the discussion, I have no urge to ever trust that my chain and chainring are as strong as the bash ring I have on my trail bike. The gouges and gashes it has are absurd and every single nick, ding and dent in it is one more ride I finished. Screw you minimalists. I hate walking out.
 
Carraig042

Carraig042

me 1st
Apr 5, 2011
766
373
East Tennessee
bizutch said:
WTF dude? Why you gotta go throwing me under the bus? :shakefist:



But to contribute to the discussion, I have no urge to ever trust that my chain and chainring are as strong as the bash ring I have on my trail bike. The gouges and gashes it has are absurd and every single nick, ding and dent in it is one more ride I finished. Screw you minimalists. I hate walking out.
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Don't listen to this old guy, he is resistant to change. Haha

Brett
 
squiby

squiby

Chimp
Jul 26, 2010
91
13
bizutch said:
WTF dude? Why you gotta go throwing me under the bus? :shakefist:
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Sorry dude. Not intentional. It is just my New Zealand accent. Off now for some fush 'n chups.

P.S. Im with you on the hatred of a mid ride walk out. Nothing worse!
 
bizutch

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,929
24
Over your shoulder whispering
manhattanprjkt83 said:
im just telling you i have been doing it for 5 years now without issue.
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THen I accuse you of riding like either a ninja or a nancy. :D

Carraig042 said:
Don't listen to this old guy, he is resistant to change. Haha

Brett
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Come trail ride with this old codger one day. Or just ask everyone the simple rule of riding with me: Never follow Butch's line. ;)
 
jnooth

jnooth

Monkey
Sep 19, 2008
384
1
Vermont Country
I had my doubts about the narrow wide thing but decided to give it a try. I run a 1X10 with a clutch derailleur and an E13 xcx. Riding normal all mountain around vermont I almost never dropped a chain. I could even ride just about all my DH trails with decent success but occasionally on fast rough sections of trail the chain would drop every now and again. The worst experience I had was on a spring trip to Moab last april. I rode captain ahab and Porcupine rim and between the two trails I dropped my chain between 40-50 times. must have been the nature of the trail (fast with millions of square hits). It happened so much that it broke my plastic top guide and every time it dropped I had to dismount and fix it.

I recently had another trip back to moab and did not want the trip to go the way the first one did so I ordered one of these narrow wide rings to see if it helped. I was hoping that it would cut down on the number of dropped chains but I did not expect perfection. after the whole trip riding the same trails I did not have one dropped chain! I was pleasantly surprised. Great product
 
ZoRo

ZoRo

Turbo Monkey
Sep 28, 2004
1,224
11
MTL
RaceFace Narrow Wide 30T... No clutch, 9 speed drivetrain. Some pretty testy downhills with plenty of hard hits and whatnot. Not a single dropped chain.

This thing is, with the dropper post, the single best invention in the last couple of years. Take the chain guide and front D out of there and enjoy a simpler, trouble free, quiet drivetrain.

 
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Carraig042

Carraig042

me 1st
Apr 5, 2011
766
373
East Tennessee
I did manage to drop the chain once. I nailed my chain ring on a rock and it came off. No damage to anything and this is the first time in the month or so I have been using it with no guide and a clutch derailleur.

-Brett
 
saruti

saruti

Turbo Monkey
Oct 29, 2006
1,173
75
Israel
used the narrow wide race-face 32 ring with regular X9 derailleur, was good for couple of rides...
than fail 3 times on the same ride...
put on back my chain guide till I saw that I can use a clutch Shimano derailleur with 9speed trigger and 9 cassette. (here on this great forum)
bought a ZEE derailleur, and this weekend was great. riding without a chain guide, and even got some KOM's on STRAVA :)
I hope it will stay like that.....
 
JustMtnB44

JustMtnB44

Monkey
Sep 13, 2006
855
123
Pittsburgh, PA
I received my RF narrow/wide rings today, will hopefully install soon; waiting for big-ted's adapter.

saruti said:
used the narrow wide race-face 32 ring with regular X9 derailleur, was good for couple
of rides...
than fail 3 times on the same ride...
put on back my chain guide till I saw that I can use a clutch Shimano derailleur with 9speed trigger and 9 cassette. (here on this great forum)
bought a ZEE derailleur, and this weekend was great. riding without a chain guide, and even got some KOM's on STRAVA :)
I hope it will stay like that.....
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This is exactly what I am going to do as well but with XT derailleur, good to know it is working out so far.
 
demonprec

demonprec

Monkey
Nov 12, 2004
237
15
Whonnock BC Canada
i have 3 rides on my narrow-wide set-up since switching to a clutch derailleur and tossing the chain-guide in the junk box . been working flawless , no issues climbing over logs and such $$$ well spent IMO
 
jonKranked

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
88,748
26,966
media blackout
e.13 has thrown their hat into the mix (for those that care). direct mount (even sizes 28-38, black only, available now) and 104bcd (even sizes 32-38, black and red, available later this month)
 
HAB

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,589
2,022
Seattle
Gonna try no guide/clutch derailleur/regular ring for the first time tonight. If that fails I'll pick up a narrow/wide ring.
 
R

ritche

Monkey
Dec 3, 2011
311
19
purchased the RF narrow/wide 32 teeth blue, for testing this weekend.

e13 making their own version of narrow/wide chain rings,
it is the end of their chain guides?
 
mattmatt86

mattmatt86

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2005
5,347
10
Bleedmore, Murderland
HAB said:
Gonna try no guide/clutch derailleur/regular ring for the first time tonight. If that fails I'll pick up a narrow/wide ring.
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I'm running a 1x10 setup with a clutch derailleur and regular ring on my cross bike and I've thrown the chain off a couple times in the last 50-60 miles of riding. The clutch derailleur helps but seems to be only half of the equation. I certainly wouldn't be as confident with a regular chain ring sans guide on a MTB.
 
4130biker

4130biker

PM me about Tantrum Cycles!
May 24, 2007
3,884
450
Anyone here ever done that trick where you try to pedal when you think your chain is on and hit your balls on the top tube?
 
StiHacka

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,508
In hell. Welcome!
I agree what was said about a clutch DR helping but not eliminating chain drops without a top guide or a N/W chainring. I use this abomination - a gutted G2 SL Mini. Lower guide broke off long time go, upper guide is minimalist- just a bolt preventing the chain hop off the teeth. It works really well.



Sorry for the pic, dirty bike is dirty.
 
wydopen

wydopen

Turbo Monkey
Jan 16, 2005
1,229
60
805
Im going to jump on the bandwagon too...havent dropped into the granny in weeks...been pushing a 36t x 11-36 but I think im going to go with a 34t narrow wide up front..id rather run a front mech than a chain guide but it will be nice to just run a bash..
 
blindboxx2334

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
thank you for posting that. ive always wondered when the first patent was filed..

had to break it to someone not too long ago that this alternating tooth profile is nothing new.. kinda fun. :rofl:
 
4130biker

4130biker

PM me about Tantrum Cycles!
May 24, 2007
3,884
450
Sham said:
Our German engineering teams invented narrow-wide / thick-thin chain retention for bicycles and we continue to improve on it. We strongly believe consumers deserve both choice and design integrity in the products they purchase. SRAM reserves the right to enforce its intellectual property in all matters relating to X-SYNC.
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I'm stickin with raceface for bringing this "technology" at a semi-reasonable price. Always liked shimano better anyway.
 
slyfink

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,792
5,615
Ottawa, Canada
I stocked up on WolfTooth rings when I first got wind of this. I have two spares now. Given that my first ring is not showing signs of wear even after a full season, I'm guessing I'm set for a few years now... long enough for this to sort itself out.
 
Foxbat

Foxbat

Chimp
Aug 14, 2008
71
0
Portland OR
I've been running a Wolftooth 30T ring with a Zee rear derailleur with no dropped chain issues in 3 months. I'm pretty sold on this setup.
bronson.jpg
 
R

ritche

Monkey
Dec 3, 2011
311
19
Do you see this in the future?, will it happen?

a dh bike without a chain guide, using narrow wide set up, to win a world cup or world champs.
 
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