Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - durable chainrings

My chainring source of choice to date has been Surly stainless steel. I don't care about the weight. I don't want to find shark fins under my chain anytime soon. Well now I want a larger gear. Surly doesn't make them bigger than 38t.

Aluminum chainrings come in different alloys with various numbers designating them. I'm looking for advice on which are more durable. Brand, thickness, alloy designation, whatever you've found that works well longest.

Edit: I'm looking for something with 44 to 50 teeth with 110mm BCD. I picked up a barely used 46t Suntour aluminum chainring at the LBS for short term use. It was once somebodies outer ring on their geared bike. It doesn't seem very sturdy. I'd love to find a 46t steel one.

I'm also very curious about this... I wish Surly made bigger chainrings, since they seem to be the only folks who make steel chainrings with no ramps or pins.

totally editing my previous post...

the problem might be in part the 110 bcd. That's a bcd you get on double/triple cranks, so the rings are made for use with multiple gears and aren't meant to sustain the beating you give a singlespeed or fixed ring.

all the rings i've ever used and liked have been 144.

i have, however, heard good things about spot rings - http://www.spotbikes.com/components/chain_rings.php - they make 110 but only up to 38T.

Now, the reason you're hitting that problem - not finding bigger rings - is because these are SS MTB rings, and any bigger and you're hitting road rings and you want a more roadie crank. with a spider as small as 110, you'd have a lot of ring hanging off it, with a lot of space for stress, flex, and breakage.

i'd say it's time to switch cranks.

If anyone can elaborate on what causes chainring wear aside from dirty and worn chains, improper chain tension, or mating worn chains to new rings I'd like to hear some science. I can't figure out how road bike riders whom I know have ridden 5000 kms this year have new looking rings, where I used to go through them like mad. Is it just a babied bike/smooth terrain thing? I've killed two chainrings in a year on my fixed bikes, one brand new, one fairly used.

grit wears down chains...offroad riding wears out all the stuff fast

you can get a long life out of offroad components if you
use titanium cluster, titanium rings, and steel chain, and replace the
chain often. the ti cogs will last a wicked long time even with grit,
'cuz the chain is gonna take much more of a beating than the ti
gotta lube it all the time of course

road riding + lubrication (with any type of cogset) = long life

titanium gears on road will last a lifetime...replacing only the steel chain
once a year

i personally believe that the stresses of FG riding can oval rings... i've made it happen. because your skid and your downstroke on the pedal are in the same place, some teeth get worn differently than others.

rocket ring makes a cheep but durable 110 ring.
they are available at harris cycles.

Amen to steel chainrings. I never pass by a junky old 70's 10-speed at a yard sale without seeing if there's a nice smooth 42-tooth 110bcd steel chainring on that sucker. You might check craigslist or a thrift shop for one - the whole bike might cost less than a Surly or Spot chainring.

For aluminum, I've had pretty good luck with Rocket Rings. I think they're designed for BMX. Not nearly as durable as a good steel ring, but better than others I've tried, and available in single tooth increments.

A while back Dan's Comp was selling the 47 and 48 rocket rings for $5 each. Nice...

I think most BMX cranks use one drive hole. There are some BMX cranks, however, in 110 BCD. These seem to be the best candidates since they are designed for single speed. Big Cheese and AC Racing make cheap aluminum chainrings in 44 or 46 teeth. Rocket makes aluminum chainrings in 110 BCD in this range. Don't know how good any of these are. The Big Cheese 46 tooth ring is doesn't have any weight reducing holes or cut-outs. That might make it stiffer than the AC Racing.

FSA makes some really thick aluminum 110 BCD rings in these sizes. They are kind of expensive, though.

Salsa makes a 110 BCD chainring in these sizes without pins and ramps. I think it is intended for derailure use, however. It's 7000 series aluminum, so it might be harder than the other brands I have mentioned.

Haven't seen any titanium chainrings in 110 BCD.

I'll use the 46t Suntour that I have for a while. After I decide for sure what chainring size I want, I'll probably buy a Big Cheese or FSA. Still going to troll the bike shops for steel chainrings in this size. Not too optimistic about it.

A while back Dan's Comp was selling the 47 and 48 rocket rings for $5 each. Nice...

Thanks! Ordered a couple 48t's. :)

http://www.charjsports.com/ProductImages/ChainRingSnapSeriesIPolished.jpg
I used one of these for awhile. I had no problems with them, but they are for BMX
this is the Snap Series 1 Chainring and go from 35t-47t http://www.snapbmxproducts.com/