Rocket Rings - this is why they suck
 

I had had pretty bad experiences with Rocket Ring chainrings. They just wouldn't last. Well, today I paid attention at what is written on the label, and I read that they're made of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy. Then I looked up the catalogues, and found out that 6061-T6 has 95 Brinell hardness, which is a JOKE! Of course they don't last, when they are made of such soft material!

For comparison, Salsa chainrings are made of 7075 aluminum alloy, which has 150 Brinell hardness.


(For more comparison, a typical austenitic stainless steel has 160 to 210 on the Brinell scale - and nitrogen strenghtened will go over 230. High carbon (non stainless) steels have Brinell hardness above 260 - typically around 300, but over 330 exist.)

Well, i don't mean to be a jackass, but I just read your post all I really got out of it was "waahhhh waaaahhhhh". You get what you pay for. End of story.

i mean they're great for super cheap rings that are easy to find

Rocket rings are about half the price of a salsa chain rings and they last about half as long. Seems fair enough to me.

great for a beater for bad weather, something that isn't ridden competitively constantly. i'd put them on a rain bike or snow bike or when-i-feel-like-getting-sloppy bike, but not the every day racer.

edit: actually, i have put then on rain and snow bikes. perfect for the application.

Well, a worn chainring will engage less rollers on the chain and thus cause uneven load on it. As a consequence, the chain will wear faster. The fewer the rollers that carry the load, the more they plate-pin interface will wear. Anyway, turns out that a chainring (or a sprocket/cog, for that matter) that wears fast, will also cause your chain to wear fast. So you have additional costs.

Rocket Rings are terrible, I agree. However, I once pretty much bent one in half. I was trying to remove a crank without pullers. The chainring bent almost in half from the blow of a rubber mallet. I was able to smash it almost flat afterwards. This may be a good thing, this may be a bad thing. But hey, you can fold them and use them afterwards, Campy stuff can't do that.
But yeah, they are terrible.

And I read your name, and all I got was "famous anus".

throw down for a good chainring and turn that rocket ring
into a throwing star the next time a car tries to cut you off

The OP explained why they are no good.

Maybe you need to reread the post.

For the same dough, you can get a FSA ring. $35-40

How many hardness points are in something like a Shimano chainring? Say at the Dura Ace level?

What? Rocket rings don't stand up to lateral blows from a mallet?! Outrageous!

Beh, if you're really worried about chainring longevity. Go pick up a steel one.

I have a rocket ring on my fixie and haven't had any problems, but I dont ride it nearly as much as my road bike.

You're paying too much for your rocket rings. Try about half that much.

Sure thing, even I said that, implicitly, in my post. But that's not the point I made.

this could be easier to understand if you used the rockwell c scale.

I'm sure you are talking about the 110/130 rings! Price the 144mm's...

Shocking revelation, aluminum wears !!

I did enjoy your mini-thesis on the effect of a worn ring. Could you please explain how a worn ring engages less rollers.

Is Origin8 any good? Or Brev Masi?

I bet Famous Anus cookies would be rather notable in their flavor profile.

The OP was sharing some technical information which some other readers may find useful. Thank you.

However, as someone who deals with complaints and warranty claims for a tool and machinery retailer, I'd say the time to research the specifications is before buying. It is generally approximately true that half the price is half the spec.