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Hi,

I am about to convert my 2 chainring setup to a single chainring.  My crank is 110mm 5 bolt.  I intend to use a 42T ring with a 11-28 10 speed cassette (on SRAM Force RD).  My goal is smooth operation and no rubbing.  The choices I found so far are:

  1. Thorne Koksijde ($39.99)- no offset, no ramps or pins. Supposedly compatible with 8, 9, and 10 speed.
  2. Sugino 110 BCD Chainring ($34.99) - 2014 Al, cyclocrossworld adverts it as "These chainrings are 8,9,10 compatible and are perfect for converting your crank to a single ring application." but all other sources list only 8 and 9 speed compatibility
  3. Stronglight CT2 ($68) - 7076 T6 anodized, shifting ring for 10/11 speed
  4. Stronglight ZICRAL (???) - 7076 T6 anodized, shifting ring for 9/10 speed

which of the above would you recommend (or you would not)?

So far I think I will want to use the Paul Components Chain Keeper (and alternative is the K-Edge Chain Catcher with a Ring Guard).   Any pros/cons are very much welcome.

 

Thx

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why don't you talk to yr LBS mechanic, i got one that'll do house calls.....

practically you'll have only the middle gears so a 10 speed cassete is 6 anyways, do what you want, but i think you could make it less complex and less expensive, why not go single cog as well,and then it's a single speed, or are you missing semi-horizontal drop-outs?

Thx Andrew

I more or less gave up on LBS mechanics a long time ago.  I do it all in the house (with the exception of wheel work).

I am not sure that I'll only have middle gears with 1X10.  While I never cross-chain I have well setup road bike which allows me me to use all 10 cogs on each of the front rings.  I am not sure how cross-positioned chain will work under large forces but considering I'll have my single as the inner ring, the only questionable gear will be on 42T @ 11T  - I don't expect this one to be used that frequently :-)

SS is for sure less complex but is 1X10 too complex? - I don't think it is and price is not much of a concern at this level.  Plus, most importantly I really think I need more than 1 gear.

i do all my own work too, if you can't put together and take apart your own rig you go broke real fast, i visit the mechanics i know for philosophical discussions, it's more therapy than work, i bring donuts. i guess you never found that special friend, mpls is crawling with old mechanics that have been in the business for 20+ years, so i spend time and work out my problems on the mechanics couch.

have you considered a schlumpf crankset, kick back 2 internal gears in the front, now i'm just pulling yer chain, but it is available....

chainline will prevent any usage(considering the forces exerted under load) of the lowest and the highest gears on the rear sprocket. the sense is that a 21 speed is actually a maybe 16 usable gear ratios, when you factor in chainline exclusions. so therefor a 1x10 is really a 1x6 or a 1x8 with 2 ratios eliminated and another 2 grinding hard. and yes this is rocket science or at least mechanical engineering. just stop when you've had enough , i'm going to bed my head hurts, last words: two gears fixed flip flop on the rear hub

schlumpf crankset - first time I've heard of it but way cool!!!

I'll stick with the old fashioned at first and will see how things go.  If issues will come up it will be a drawing board time :-)  Thx Andrew

P.S.  +1 on the conversation aspects of LBS visits.

I have the Stronglight CT2's on my setup. It's not a single setup but the rings are super smooth and very strong.....and light. 

 

Go Thorne. Might as well support the guy. Honestly the ring is not going to matter at all. I'm on year 3 on some generic rings I'm not even sure where I found.
Thx for the pointers.  If it was for a multi ring setup I would go with Stronglight CT2 but since it's a 1X I went for the Thorn.  Once all is put together on my new 2012 X-Fire and I race it few times I'll report back.  Cheers
Alloy Salsa (I use them) and steel Surly rings are good to start. FSA makes 42 inner chainrings (hard anodized alloy) for doubles too. P.S. FSA is cheap

I run a 1x10 (36t chainring) set up and can use all the gears with no problem.  I made a chainguard from an old 42t chainring (filed the teeth down) and left the derailleur on and between the two, no dropped chains.

FSA make good chainrings. Tough and cheap compared to the Stronglight.

Thx again.  BTW, No FSA 42T inner for 110 BSD.  (Or at least I could not find one)

I used to run a 1x9 and now run a 1x10 on my pit bike.  I also ride it throughout the year as my daily commuter, so I've spent a lot of time on it.  I use an FSA 42t 130bcd and a paul chain keeper on the front, and a 12-27 on the rear.

 

A few comments on it.. first, I don't know why everyone is saying on a few cogs are usable in the back, but I think that may just depend on how your chainline works out with respect to your frame and crankset.  I have no problems riding (even under heavy load) in any of the rear cogs.  I get some mild noise in the very top and very bottom ones (the 12 and 27 for me), but it is nothing significant and very quiet. 

 

I did, however, some problems when I first set it up and put the front chainring in the inner position (as you can bolt it to either side of the spider usually).  Moving it to the outside made it run perfectly.  So just know that you may need to play around with those two options.  Also don't forget to go ahead and buy the single ring-width chainring bolts if you haven't already.

 

The Paul chain keeper can be a little bit tricky to set up, but IMO is essential as you will otherwise pop your chain off the front very easily.  The only trouble I had with it is that if your chainring and crankarms aren't perfectly true--even the slightest wobble can cause some rubbing at the extreme chain angles no matter how you adjust it.  I fixed this by using a different set of crankarms, even though the ones I had were in good shape and visually looked very straight.

 

Oh and on the 42t chainrings, I wouldn't worry about 8/9spd vs 10spd designation as I think the width only really matters when you have double chainrings up front where the spacing between the rings can cause problems.  Also most of the 42ts, being inner rings, shouldn't have any ramping so you can probably assume they don't if it doesn't say anything to the contrary.

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