Cyclocross Magazine
Single narrow / wide chainrings - performance in the mud for CX
What is everyone's thoughts on using single narrow / wide chainrings in muddy CX race conditions (vs. a standard single chainring with bashguard)? I like the idea of narrow / wide chainrings in dry conditions, because it is much harder to drop a chain (if you bang the rear wheel on a barrier or the ground). Interbike is showing a bunch of upcoming design changes to single narrow / wide chainrings that will help with the problem of the chain being clogged with mud (but they are not out yet).
i.e. from Wolf Tooth's website: http://www.wolftoothcycling.com/collections/chainrings/products/110...
"Note on mud: wide/narrow chainrings do no work well in heavy mud (Wolf Tooth or any other brand) if you plan to ride in very muddy conditions, we recommend a chainguide or chainkeeper and clutch-type rear derailleur! Without these precautions, you may experience chaindrops and/or chainsuck."
francesco suppo
I have the cx1 groupset.I live in Italy and I race all the winter and I haven't any problem with te mud,absolutely fantastic the cx1 with the dedicated chainring
Dec 20, 2014
tony phongsy
wolftooth chainrings are the real deal when it comes to not dropping a chain. i have tried all other methods leading up their ring with mixed to disappointment. The rings work in all conditions of wet, sloppy thick mud, to even when its dry and you make the dumb mistake dropping the bike instead of setting it down after dismount. No drop. Ran with regular derailleur no clutch....most important thing is to get the chain length correct.
Apr 30, 2015
don
It depends on the mud. I ran all season CX1 last year with zero drops. At cx nats however, on the Monday re-schedule day during the practice two juniors, both with Wolf tooth rings, had repeated drops right in front of the pits. The mud was thick and sticking to everything. Just 30 minutes later another junior had no issue with CX1 but the course had been beat in a little bit and while still very muddy, it wasn't coming up near as sticky. I can't state with any science whether the CX1 ring performed better than the wolf, or whether the conditions were slightly better.
Jun 10, 2015