Kilgore_Trout

right now i'm running a 48x19, with a truvativ 3/32" chainring in the front, a 1/8" EAI cog in the back, and a 1/8" chain to accommodate the cog. i've been told i'll be ok like this (in terms of the chain staying on the chainring) as long as something doesn't caught in it. since i'm getting new cranks i figure i might as well get a new chainring.. however, i CANNOT seem to find a 48t, 130BCD, 1/8" compatible chainring (outside of really expensive sugino chainrings).
the FSA pro road chainring appears to be the closest, most affordable item i can find (however i've been told they use 3/32"); though i really don't know if FSA is any good.
i'm currently sending businesscycles.com an e-mail regarding the FSA chainring they have on sale.

can anyone point me in the right direction?
thanks

queerpunk

Stronglight Chainrings from Business Cycles.
https://businesscycles.com/compspec.htm

humancongereel

cool, not a bad deal.

Kilgore_Trout

would getting a 3/32" chainring while keeping the 1/8" chain be a huge problem?
is anyone else mixing and matching with this? i would have stayed with 3/32" but the only EAI cogs i could find were 1/8".

stephenhatesyou

worst that'll happen is the chainring will wear out a little quicker, and it will be a little noisier. riding all 1/8" is ideal, but throwing a 3/32" chainring in there isn't really going to do you or your build any harm.

Kilgore_Trout

alright. i don't have a huge problem buying a new chainring slightly sooner than i would normally have to because im mixing the sizes. as long as my ride is still smooth i don't have a big problem with it.
has anyone heard anything on the quality of FSA chainrings?

GetOutOfNJ

I don't get it... what would get caught in it? Your pants? Squirrels?

Does riding 1/8 on a 3/32 drivetrain increase your chances of sucking things into your chainring? Or of tossing the chain if you do?

humancongereel

probably road grime, dirt, etc...like stuff that would get caught and wear the parts down faster. just my guess.

or, well, actually, pebbles or something to jam it up, since there's more room in which to lodge.

Roche

I have a similar problem but I can't get it to work.

I just converted my old mountain bike to single speed. I'm using the existing Shimano Deore crank/chainring with a new singlespeed cog.

My 3/32 chain fits the chainring just fine but doesn't fit the 1/8 cog.

Are you guys saying that if I get a 1/8 chain that it will fit my 3/32 chainring?

Kilgore_Trout

yeah, it will. i'm riding a 1/8 chain on a 3/32 chainring, and it's a bit loose and makes some noise, but after 20miles of riding with that setup (no big distance, i know) it still works. i just figured that if i'm getting new cranks i should get a new chainring as well.

Roche

So a 1/8 chain can fit a 3/32 chainring, but a 3/32 chain cannot fit a 1/8 cog?

I'm confused.

Kilgore_Trout

1/8 is bigger than 3/32. so it's ok to have a bigger chain on a smaller chainring.

mander

TA Alize will do the job too.

bluenote157

Just to confirm what everyone is saying.... If you have a 1/8 chain, you can go with 3/32 chainring/cog(or 1/8 for that matter). If you have a 3/32 chain, you CAN'T go with 1/8 chainring/cog.

From my experience, I would make my ride all one size. Hmm.. i wonder if 3/32 is even significant enough of weight savings?? Anyway, I have a 1/8 chain, 1/8 cog, and 3/32 chainring. There is a lot of play on the chainring and it isn't as quiet as it could be.

dmg

You're going to wear down your chainring faster than you would with an all 3/32 drivetrain (since the chain has an extra 1/32" of space, it's going to move around a bit and hit the teeth unevenly, and it'll be a little noisier). If you have a super fancy chainring that you want to last as long as humanly possible, you might want to get a 3/32" cog. I wore my chainring down to the point of no return in about 6 months when I was using a similar setup, but it was a regular road chainring. After 6 months with my salsa 1/8" ring there's no visible wear.
I can't imagine there's any real weight difference... chainrings are pretty light and chains weight about the same. Maybe an ounce.

Aeroplane

Just wanted to say: Yeah, a 1/8" chain will work fine, unless you have a bashring. I had a bashring on my SS, and with a 1/8" chain it rubbed on the ring a LOT. Like, I heard a small pinging noise every so often when I was cranking the hell out of it. This couldn't have been good for the chain. I ended up taking off the bashring because of it.

dutret

plenty of bashrings work though and you can always space it out a few mm.

tellyho

Rocket Ring: $20.

illzkla

me and my roommates have 1/8 chains and cogs with 3/32 chainrings. thats what happens with a cheap conversion.

adding up our milages...thats a few thousand miles...no chains thrown...no chains coming off...no nothin.

well...my friends chainring (stock on his '80~ schwinn) bent in half coming out of a trackstand. that doesnt have anything to do with the difference in sizes though...i dont think.

piwonka

i got a rocket ring and it didn't fit well on my 130 BCD cranks.
might wanna spend some extra money for better quality so you don't have a tight spot in your chain.

killsurfcity

been riding mixed sizes for 6 years, it's not a problem.

Nims

Chain, chain ring and cog compatibility is quite simple if you boil it down. Remember blocks and pegs when you were a kid?

Think of the chain as the hole, and the cog or chain ring as the block.

Then note that 3/32" (small) is smaller than 1/8" (large)

So... If you have a small hole, you can only fit small blocks in it.
If you have a large hole, you can fit small or large blocks in it.

*insert sexual innuendo here*

If you have a 3/32" chain, you must use 3/32" chain ring/cog
If you have a 1/8" chain, you can use whatever combination of 1/8" and 3/32" chain rings/cogs you want. .

That is absolutely all there is to it in terms of whether or not a given combo will function.

End of lesson!

atomsuite

They're fine. I run FSA rings on my geared bike and an FSA track ring on my track bike.

humancongereel

they make 3/32" cogs, so it's only what happens with a cheap conversion when...well, i dunno, you tell me why you want a chain that's too big when you could just buy a smaller cog easily. because track bikes are "supposed" to have 1/8"? what is it? i want to know why people would rather mix than just buy a readily available 3/32" cog.

killsurfcity

in my case, stuff is mixed b/c i got half of it before i really knew about any of this stuff (LBSs can be damned useless) and now i use it b/c i have it. but if i were to get anything new, i'd get all 3/32 b/c for me (non velo) there's no reason not to.