Good Chainring Important?
 

Hey guys I am a complete newbie and I am wondering why having a decent chainring is important on a singlespeed/fixie where shifting is not a concern. What is the point in having a nice chainring / how much do you need to spend to have a decent one. Thanks!

Good ones are quiet, smooth, and last a long time. Prices vary a lot.

id say so

https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t5...91197054_n.jpg

I had a super cheap chainring once. After a while it looked like the meat of the teeth was being squeezed out the sides.

Oof

That's actually one of the better endings too, I've seen and heard of them going into the rider instead.

The point is to have a Round/Straight/True/Wobble-free chainring that resists deflection under heavy loads and high RPM.
Dumping a chain on a FG because the chainring lacked these qualities is why one selects a nice one instead.

-Bandera

Can anyone point me towards one that is nice and that wont break my bank?

You need to determine if you have a 130 or 144 bcd crank and your budget.

Indeed.
Also fitting a quality chainring (nice to know what size & whether 1/2 x 1/8 or 1/2 x 3/32) to a low quality crankset with inherent wobble & flex makes little sense. It's less expensive in the long run, and far more functional straight away, to purchase to a good quality basic square taper crankset w/ the proper crankarm length, gearing and BB.

Instead of us just guessing how 'bout a pic of your machine from the drive side and a simple statement of:
What frameset, crank model, gearing, use and budget you have.

-Bandera

Probably the most important characteristic of a chainring for SS or FG use is roundness, because it greatly affects the chain adjustment, since you don't have a spring tensioner as found on a derailleur multi-speed system. This is especially the case on a fixed gear setup where minimal chain slack is desirable.

Thanks for all of the info guys!
I do not have a frame for this project yet. I am looking for one and will probably use a circa 74 Nishiki Sport 54 cm frame... I really would like to get away with spending less than 80 bucks on a crankset. I am more interested in how much I need to pay for a decent chainring and what brands are reliable etc. than a specific chainring.

It will cost you less to buy a decent crankset with a decent chainring than to separately buy a cheap crankset and a good quality chainring. For example, several of my fixed gear bikes have Andel cranksets which cost only about $100 and are good quality.

https://www.retro-gression.com/colle...track-crankset

kinda wanna hear the story behind this destruction

Huh.
I got an old Shimano 600 165mm crankset and a Sram 10 speed Force chainring or a 9 speed Shimano chainring to throw on a future build.
I'll let y'all know if it blows up on me.

This.

'70's road frames w/ horizontal dropouts can make good FG road conversions, I ride one myself.
However not all road double cranks from the period are suitable candidates for FG w/ improper chainlines, swaged construction, 3/32" rings and a host of other issues.
The cost effective & functional choice: a good quality basic FG crankset.

As always, suit yourself.

-Bandera

+1 on this. Cost and performance would both suffer if you decided to say, put a Zen ring on noodly cranks. The Andels are a great deal and they're 144 BCD if you decide you want to go for a more porny fancypants ring in the future.

downhill,
~20 mph,
hit small bump,
chain pops off cog,
chain gets lodged between cog and dropout,
rips chainring in half with a fabulous PING like a garand rifle 30-06 clip flying out,
locks up rear wheel,
bends entire rear triangle,
skid 40 feet,
laughter,
instagram

Just tossing another option out there http://www.origin8.bike/products/?pi...s%20and%20Sets
I have an Origin 8 crankset on my SS. Nice silver color, has served me well for over 2 years. Plus two of the shops I go to often sell Origin 8 stuff so its nice to be able to see it and get replacements.

How is it a fella your age is familiar with the idiosyncrasies of the WWII Thumb Buster?

any american worth his salt should know about the greatest* gun that ever came out of this country




*imo

Guess I'm not a real 'murican. :o

:)

My Dad is a Korean war Vet. When I was a little kid we'd go camping in the CA/AZ/NV desert and do a lot of target shooting. Before we'd leave we would make a zillion water balloons and put them in a 55 gallon drum. When we got to the desert we'd leave them outside over the first night and they'd freeze solid. We hung them up on a sawhorse using clothes pins. March 100 yards away and blast them. They shattered nicely. http://forum.blu-ray.com/images/smil...ed/sniperR.gif

One of my favorite sounds was that TWANG when the clip ejected. I used to tell my Dad how much I dug the sound. He told me it was one of his least favorite sounds. I had to think about that for a while before it made sense to me.

Yeah...

Truth be told i wouldve ****ing hated that gun if i had to use it in a combat scenario, for that exact reason.

My uncles were there too, one of them twice. Not many good stories came out of that.
The one that went once met his wife there but, ultimately that was a very tragic as well.

Damn, good thing it didn't turn out worse.

It wasn't a bad gun in the least but certainly in terms of usage I would go 1911 or M-16 because there have been so many variants over the years and they have had some serious use. Would I own a Garand, heck yes, but I do already have an M-14 and M1 carbine so do I need one, not really. It is certainly a solid weapon that got the U.S. through World War Two but Garand thumb is no fun.

In terms of chainring I would go for Sugino Messenger or Surly if you are running 130bcd. You can thrash around a Messenger and it won't let you down.

We fired some of those (30-06) in Scouts on a camping trip in Laramie. We were mostly around 15 years old and less than 100 lbs, so that kickback was something. :lol:

Oh, bike content: I picked up a Sugino ALP crank with 167.5mm arms and healthy stock rings for $1 at a swapmeet a few weeks ago. Those old 144 BCD Sugino cranksets can be great for FG. Even though most were meant for road, the stock rings tend to run pretty true.

I've never had a chain derail on my FG, but just having cogs and rings that are true and round makes setup so much nicer. :thumb:

Lots and lots of Call of Duty II :lol:

I heard stories where the soldiers would toss them against a helmet or wall and wait for the enemy to peek out, expecting to see a reloading easy target. Then again, these were stories...I would seriously argue that either the M1 or the M14 would top that list, but i only own a M1 so...

Interested in this thread, shopping for budget crankset right now....

I think at least some of that had to be real. It is a solid idea and I have heard it in various places.

I would still probably put the vote towards the 1911, it is arguably one of the most used weapons in modern history and the U.S. despite having some newer and potentially better options (Glock, hello) still uses it in some cases.

Sugino Messenger is a reasonably decent crankset. I wouldn't say totally budget but not high end either.

How would a better chainring have prevented this? Just curious.