? about GOOD Chainrings
 

I just got into the fixed gear craze, I've been riding a Schwinn Paramount and now a Trek T1, I'll put a review later.

It comes standard with a Stronglight CT2 49T 130mm chainring and a 15T cog. I want a 42/15 and 42/17 combo depending on the riding that I do, 49T is too tall, I'm practically cruising downhill.

I want a comparable or better chainring, in quality. I could only find the Stronglight in Europe, I think they are french, correct? Anyone know a dealer in the US, or a comparable chainring in black :P

Thanks,
Oscar

get a 144 drivetrain ;)

business cycles can get you the stronglight, i think. you could just get a 17 and a 19 cog, though; you may not be able to get a 42 in a 144bcd stronglight ring.

why do you say to go with the 144? For the type of riding that I do, I want a high 60 to low 70 gear inches.

I've got the same bike, with the same stock chainring but got rid of the 15T cog straight away since it was too small (whats up with that Trek, 1/8 chainring and chain but 3/32 cog??) and replaced it with a EAI 18T. It's perfect for me now, and no problem up or down. Chain and chainring are still doing good and can't see why I should replace them.

The bigger the chainring, the more street-rezpekkt u get! ;)

he meant a 144bcd. Basically chainring bolts have various bolt diameters. 144bcd is common for track chainrigs because they are usually the ones with 1/8 thick chainrings and these are very easy to find when you want to keep you drive chain at 1/8th. When you have a different bcd it is common that it is going to be 3/32nd thickness which is usually a road chainring.
This man explain better than I do:
http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html#chain

My experience has confirmed time and again: steel chainrings will outlast aluminum chainrings of the same width several times.

7075-(T6) aluminum chainrings will outlive 6061-(T6) aluminum chainrings 2 to 1, due to the much higher hardness of 7075 vs 6061 (at parity of temper).

Finally, due to the shape of the teeth which in case of 3/32" chainrings are tapering down very quickly to a tiny point, vs. the ones on 1/8" which maintain a much more "full-figured" shape, 1/8" chainrings will last about 3 times longer than 3/32" at parity of material and temper.


The worst chainrings I have ever used were the 3/32" Rocket Rings. Avoid like plague. The best aluminum chainrings I have ever used were 1/8" suginos and 3/32" Salsa chainrings (I wish they had them in 1/8"). The Surly stainless steel chainring I bought a couple of years ago still looks like new - practically unblemished.

That's not what it means - the bolts aren't a different diameter, the bolt circle is.

ooops my mistake, but you knew what I was getting at

OP, if you mean 130mm as the bolt circle diameter (bcd) then you should be able to get a 42t stronglight. otherwise the sugino zen messenger is 1/8" and 130bcd and is a nice ring.

i still maintain that it's more versatile to get a 18t cog than to replace a perfectly good ring, especially since it's mentioned above that it's 3/32". 49t gives you more skid patches, if that's important, and cogs are cheaper than rings.

I got a 17t EAI cog which puts me at 75 inches. It's really nice and I can keep a good pace doing hills. Thanks everyone

it gives me a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling whenever i see this forum being used in constructive ways like this.

...anyways, glad to hear you got it fixed kemfizix. keep riding