Race Face 104mm Single Chain Ring

Summary: Like others have said, if you are going back and forth on this chain ring, or can't decide, just buy it already! Chain ring installed easily and I was out on the trails in no time. I didn't want to have to swap out my rear derailleur or cassette, so I went with the 30t chain ring to give me almost the same gear ratio coverage as I had with a 3x10 setup. After riding a couple of times I know there will be some really steep climbs that will be tough in the lowest gear, but the simplicity and cleanliness of the 1x10 setup is well worth the extra effort from time to time. In Depth: I ride a 2012 Trek Fuel EX 8 that came with the standard (at the time) 3x10 setup. I have a non-clutch Shimano XT rear derailleur and an 11-36 cassette. I've always wanted to convert to 1x but couldn't justify pulling off perfectly good parts. I've been away from mountain biking for a couple of years and recently went into a local bike shop. I was blown away that all of the new bikes come with 1x11. My crank was starting to creak and my front derailleur was acting up so I figured it was time to overhaul the crank and I figured I'd convert to 1x10 and save the hassle of trying to get my front derailleur dialed in. I decided on this chain ring because after researching it was the cheapest and simplest way to get a 1x drivetrain. I pulled off the stock deore crank and gave it a good deep cleaning. I removed the chainrings which is pretty simple. I didn't need the special tool to hold the back side of the chain ring bolts (I have enough single use tools so I try to avoid buying them where possible). The Race Face chain ring itself is a very nice piece of equipment. It is very nicely machined and is super lightweight. The red anodized version is beautiful and the graphics aren't too over the top. If you are installing a small ring in front (30-32t), you will almost certainly need to remove your crank to get it on. I wanted to install with the plain side facing out, but mine could only be installed with the "Race Face" graphics facing out. The raised bolt holes fit perfectly into the crank. I was also able to reuse 4 of the stock bolts I removed earlier. I was afraid I was going to have to buy longer bolts but didn't need to. I installed the crank, shortened the chain a little bit (i think it was 2 or 4 links) and was ready to go. First time I rode this I was blown away at the reduction in chain slap and other drive train noises I had gotten used to. I was concerned because I don't have one of the new clutched derailleurs, but the chain hasn't come off or slipped once. I've been riding a lot of technical single track with roots and rocks and the chain stays on perfectly. It will make a little bit of chain noise when you get into the largest or smallest cog in the back but that's pretty typical. I'm happy I chose the 30t too. After using an online gear ratio calculator I realized I was only losing my top 2 and bottom 2 gears. I can live without those especially with how much cleaner and simpler my bike is. All in all this is a great piece and I'd highly recommend it to anyone on the fence. I was amazed that I could convert to 1x for only $40 and am so glad I did.

I have ridden a good many miles on this on two different drivetrain setups. On the first setup, 9sp with SRAM X0 long cage no clutch rear derailleur, it dropped the chain once when I fell off a log in a wierd way. Otherwise it performed flawlessly. There was some chain slap but that has nothing to do with the chain ring. With the new setup, 10sp with SRAM X9 short cage type 2 rear derailleur, it has never dropped the chain and seems even smoother in regards to chain slap. The part is light, high quality and I couldn't find a less expensive solution. The option to get a 30T is great because it helps bridge the gap between a 1X11 (way too expensive) and standard 1X10. I do not miss the higher gear that I never used anyway.

As part of my 1x10 conversion on my mountain bike, I needed to find a chainring with a low tooth count. The Race Face Narrow-Wide fit the bill perfectly - standard 104BCD, anodized red (my favorite color), and a reasonable price ($40 when I purchased it from Amazon). The "Narrow-Wide" part of the name refers to the tooth design; for each regular chain ring tooth, there is a flatter, wider tooth right next to it. When combined with my SRAM X0 Type-2 derailleur (clutch type) the wide teeth of the Race Face chainring holds onto my chain so well that there is no need for any extra chain guide or chain retaining device. Bonus: for the 30-tooth version, you do not need chain ring nuts and bolts, you just need the bolts because the 30T has threaded mounting holes that serve as the T-nut.

Just added a 30T to my 1x9 set up on a Full Suspension 29er. I have a 650B and Fat Bike running 30T NW on 1x10's using Clutch Type 2 SRAM RD's and they have never dropped on me even on the most gnarly trails. So I had a 32T normal chain ring on my 1x9 using a bash and N gauge jump stop, but the 32T ring with a 9 Speed combined with a full sus just never felt right on some trails. So after loving my other 2 30T NW rings I figured let me give it a go. My set up is a XMC 9 Speed Chain, Shimano XT Rapid Rise RD, FSA Gap Crankset, Shimano Deore Shifter and a Deore Cassette. I dropped the Jump Stop and Bash off the crankset and just left on the 30T NW ring, I took out 2 links to clean up the chain slack and headed out for some testing. After 18 miles of single track and not once did it drop, I had wondered if I would get one drop since I am using a normal style RD and I can say with out a doubt even when I tried to get it to drop I wasnt able to. So its safe to say that even with out a clutch style RD you can run these with out using a bash or a chain guide. These are well worth the money, the 1x10 set up has been a dream and makes gearing cake. You never have to worry about matching RPM's when coming into a climb or descents. I have been using 2 other NW rings and they are wearing great just like any other well made chain ring. If you are going for a simple setup with the added bonus of dropping some weight off the bike then snag one of these. I will be swapping my other 2x setups over to 1x's each week!

Plat ok !

This ring is lighter than the OEM chain ring..not that I notice a difference but if it matter to you keep it in mind. One side of the ring has recessed bolt head space - great if you plan on running a bash guard or not.. I have put about 100mi on this chainring ring so far. It has been through approx. 20k+ feet of vertical gain / loss so far. The frequency of chain drops has reduced significantly, however it still drops. The chain used to drop on the bottom bracket side, now it drops on the outside of the crank. I will most likely reinstall the bash guard I have in order to remedy this. For the trails I usually ride this is a great ring. Light, looks cool when installed without bash guard. Noise from the chain has been reduced. Albeit less frequent, I am still experiencing chain drops when pedaling over rocky areas.

I converted my 2x10 SRAM system to 1x10 with this single chain ring. I have 11-36 SRAM cartridge on the rear and this chain ring on the front. I was AMAZED at how much more quiet my drive chain is with this 1x system. Each time I ride, I am stunned that it is whisper quiet while doing bunny hops and drops. It has completely eliminated chain slaps. I used to have a stinger on my 2x10 front chain ring to prevent chain drops while backpedaling over drops and jumps. All that is gone with this single chain ring. I have never had a chain drop since I changed to this gear. When I set this up, I could not pull the chain off this gear with my hands. I grips the chain that well. I am a total fan of this product. I cannot believe how well this works for how affordable it is. Now, nobody has an excuse not to covert to 1x. I even converted the old front shifter to be my dropper seatpost remote. It works very well and look great. It was nice to get rid of the old dropper seatpost remote.

Nothing to think about, buy best deal works fantastic. Put a 32t on my 2x mountain bike and ditched the front derailer. Super smooth. Put a 43t on my specialize sworks with 12 / 27 cassette super smooth didn't have to do anything but put on race face and ditch the front derailer works great with original dura ace short cage rear derailer. I don't spin out on decents and can climb anything under 7 percent in the saddle above that its out of the saddle and a training ride.. I would use it to race most local road races. Not having the front derailer on a road bike is super nice especially at race pace. Thanks to Race Face for such a great product at fair price. I plan on buying more and going all 1x on my quiver and just swopping chain rings for deferent events. No worries with the right combo you wont spin out or be over geared .