dang...no phil love?

my drivetrain is 100% 1/8"...ring, chain, cog. i started with a surly stainless. found it a bit noisy, but not crazy. chainline was very good. hub threads were a bit loose/sloppy...just a bit. teeth were clearly stamped, w/sharp edges. durability (again, good chainline) was excellent...5k miles at removal and i happily kept it as a spare. looks perfect.

then went to the cheapest EAI (black machined steel). far superior, for very little more cash. buttery smooth & whisper quiet. black coating was barely worn after another 5k. sold the surly, made this the spare...

...and picked up a phil. holy bling-TASTIC, batman. every bit as precise as the EAI, with completely smooth organic curves, no trace of machine marks, and a mirror polish. i thought it would get dirty and disappear, but after ~1k mi on an otherwise maintained but used/dirty drivetrain, it still shines on. worth every penny...don't knock it 'till you've tried it.

mildly related: i used a king alloy SS cog on a cassette-hub SS mtb. teeth/splines were plenty strong for the torque, but the teeth wore quickly in XC conditions. steel would have been a better choice here. not sure how this translates to road, but for $20 more, i'd take the certainty of steel. no doubt the king is a quality product, so why not go for the more durable material?

wait...you need threaded. EAI black. period. end of discussion.