Narrow Wide Chain Ring on Triple

[Deacon Patrick]

I mentioned this in a different thread, but it seems like it deserves it’s own thread (and has been discussed here various places before, which is how I knew it might work).

My middle chain ring is now a 38t Raceface narrow wide (only took me four times assembling and disassembling it to get all the recessed and pin bits going the correct ways! Sardonic grin). I am not running a front derailer, so positioning the chain to match the narrow-wide is easy with manual shifting, and I only shift to the 24t when bikepacking singletrack.

Initial test ride (ten miles on singletrack and dirt road, half up, half down, with a few steepish climbs to crank hard on, and lots of rough trail and washboarded fast descents. chain never bounced off (it did with my old rings on the rough stuff). We’ll see how it goes on this weeks bikepacking trip — mostly dirt roads likely won’t need my 24t.

Thanks for opening me up to this possibility. The chain feels more solid than the old ring (but an exact replacement could also feel more solid being new). 

With abandon,

Patrick

www.MindYourHeadCoop.org

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[Ron Mc]

seems like if you've gone to the trouble to fit a chain to that wide range, a FD is a no-brainer.  Especially shifting between the two larger rings in terrain when you're moving.  On my latest bike, compact double (little ring is mostly for bailout, but also for trails) I did ride it without a FD and manually shifted between the rings to check RD function, simply because I was waiting for my bargain-price FD to sail across the big pond from UK.  Though must admit, I've never had a wide-spaced MB triple (never even liked the looks of them)

[Deacon Patrick]

I hear you, Ron. The FD really adds a stunning amount of sound that I could never get rid of. It's also a common sentament among those who shift to a 1x drive train to be delighted to not have the FD to mess with. This way, I have my rock guard (my 46t ring), my riding gear, and my granny, but without a FD.

At least for the riding I do as me (and is there any other way? Grin.) I spend all my time in my middle ring (36t previously, 38t now, with 12-34t cogs) with the sole exception of singletrack or high altitude steep dirt roads, in which case I'm not shifting the front rings back and forth, but staying in the 24t.

I'm not saying this set up is for anyone but me, but on my initial ride I was amazed by how snug and responsive and silent the drivetrain was. If it's any consolation, when I asked my wife and daughters how they would like to shift their front chain rings when I build up their Clementines, it was unanimous. FD's all round!

With abandon,

Patrick

[Montclair BobbyB]

I always use friction shifting on my front derailleur (and don't understand why one would want indexed FDs, mainly because you lose the ability to trim)... On my mountain bikes, I run SRAM XO or X9 Grip Shifts (indexed rear, friction front) and swear by them (but realize that's a tough sell to most people)... I also love the old Suntour XC rear derailleurs, with super heavy springs.  I seldom drop chains on even the roughest technical terrain.

Patrick, if you're dropping your chain on rough terrain, could it be a combination of having too much chain, required for running a 1x setup, and/or perhaps not having a strong enough spring on the rear derailleur?  Whether you hate your FD, running a triple (or double) does enable you to run a shorter chain if you stick to the rule of keeping a straight chainline, not crossing your chain from large cog to large chainring or vice versa, 

Just one opinion.  BB 

[Deacon Patrick]

The chain is shorter with this set up now. I can actually use the full range of gears in both, though I minimize the use of cross chaining in the 24t as it's in the inside position of the triple. The 38t is in the middle, so I use it's full range.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Mark Reimer]

Nice! Glad you got it working Deacon. I love wide-narrow rings. They can make for a noisy drivetrain over time as the teeth are a precise fit to the chain, but staying on top of cleaning makes it a non-issue. 

[Eric Daume]

You can't run a front derailer with a NW chainring--it might allow the chain to get off sync and not line up correctly to the narrow/wide teeth.

I run with a double and no front derailer on a couple of my bikes. Works great: riding solo, move it to the 42t ring. Mountain biking or riding with kids, move it to the 32t. On my Cross Check, this also makes it easy to switch between geared and single speed configurations.

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[Patrick Moore]

What is a "narrow wide" chainring? = wide range double?

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[Mark Reimer]

No. Every other tooth is wider. Google it, pictures make it easy to understand. 

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[Patrick Moore]

Got it! Thanks.

[Bill Gibson]

You might enjoy Pal Calvin's presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFsVyq0fczU

I hope the link works.

Bill Gibson
Tempe, Arizona, USA

[Patrick Moore]

Thanks; informative video. When did cyclocross go to 1 ring? At 10 or 11 cogs?

Narrated by Gomer Pyle!

[Bill Lindsay]

Campagnolo sold cyclocross chainring guards for converting your Super Record Crankset to a 1x cyclocross setup in the 1970s and 1980s.  You can still find them on ebay.  It was a standard setup.  I don't know how far back it goes prior to the 1970s.  Google Campagnolo cyclocross chain guards to see images.  The really cute part is how prettily they are profiled.  

[Deacon Patrick]

The narrow wide 38t ring handled beautifully on our briefer by half inaugural bikepacking trip of the year. It got long climbs with my full load and low gear was low enough (just -- pre-QB days it would not have been). That was dirt roads and no trail. No rough roads though, minimal washboard. so no chance to more extensively test chain drop. Those tests will come once the snow melts on the trails or I get impatient and ride them anyway. Grin.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Deacon Patrick]

Update: I rode the same route I busted my chain on the other day, and the new narrow-wide chainring handled beautifully! It got tested with snow of every consistincy (powder to packed, to slush, and everything in between), one section of road with deep cake-on mud, and it handled everything beautifully. All kinds of jouncing, zero wierd sounds and no chain bounce or come-off's.

Pictures show it's easier to go farther when you have a working drivetrain. Grin. (Pictures start here and go "left" or "newer" for a total of 11 shots):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/32311885@N07/16938771525/in/photostream/

With abandon,

Patrick 

[Mark Reimer]

Wow now that looks like an amazing place to ride!

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