Originally Posted by
TejanoTrackie
Problem is, you need to change a large number of teeth on a chainring to affect a significant change in gearing. This often requires also changing the number of links in the chain, which requires having a chain tool. Also, the cost of your typical good quality chainring is sufficiently higher than a good cog to afford a cog and lockring tool, which everyone with a FG should own anyways. In addition, you usually need a tool to restrain the chainring nuts on the back of the crank spider as well as a hex (allen) wrench to remove / install the chainring bolts.
Everything you have pointed out is correct.
However, my point is:
To change a cog, one needs at least a lockring removal tool ($15-$30) and some grease (~$5), utilizing the rotafix to remove and re-apply the cog, VS to change a chainring, one only needs an allen wrench (I have sucessfully gotten my chainring bolts off and on without the use of the dedicated tool.
Though for the record, I do own the tool, and have needed it as well.
The price of the Cog and the price of the Chainring are subject to many different factors, but there are cheap enough Chainrings that make it more
financially beneficial to change the Chainring than to change the Cog.