36t chainring recommendation

[Stu_mt]

Hi All

I’m after a 36t chainring, can anyone recommend one & maybe provide a link?
Cheers

 

[Mcharza]

Definitely check this steel ring eRING STEEL MTN 1X 104BCD - Praxis Works

 

[Stuart569]

I've had this one fitted (36t)
for about a hundred miles now. Best mod I've made, keeps you out the 2 smallest cogs at the rear and cheap too!

 

[Gary]

Yeah. as above cheap Aliexpress or ebay narrow wides. Been using them for years on all my bikes. All have various shit sounding brand names and paterns printed on them but they're all the same thing and equally as good as any £30-40 Alu NW rings from the big mtb brands.
and at this price you can afford to change the ring every time you change your cassette and chain.

 

[Stuart569]

Yeah. as above cheap Aliexpress or ebay narrow wides. Been using them for years on all my bikes. All have various shit sounding brand names and paterns printed on them but they're all the same thing and equally as good as any £30-40 Alu NW rings from the big mtb brands.
and at this price you can afford to change the ring every time you change your cassette and chain.

I should of added that it was on your advice I fitted mine!

 

[Haedesz]

I agree with @Gary.
Just arrived today, very pleased with the quality / finish!

This one is an anodised aluminium 36T - 104 BCD narrow wide, round.

I would be surprised if these didnt come out of the same factory brands like raceface or others order them from.

Ordered on Aliexpress. Search on there for Motsun or Deckaz brand. Make sure you got the right type / fasteners etc!

8€ delivered btw

 

[Stu_mt]

I agree with @Gary.
Just arrived today, very pleased with the quality / finish!

View attachment 21656 View attachment 21657
This one is an anodised aluminium 36T - 104 BCD narrow wide, round.

I would be surprised if these didnt come out of the same factory brands like raceface or others order them from.

Ordered on Aliexpress. Search on there for Motsun or Deckaz brand. Make sure you got the right type / fasteners etc!

8€ delivered btw

Nice one cheers ??
Do I need replacement fasteners or can I just use my existing ones?

 

[Haedesz]

Nice one cheers ??
Do I need replacement fasteners or can I just use my existing ones?

For my Levo I had to get nuts to thread on the bolts. The original ring was threaded, my aftermarket one wasn't. Google "chainring nuts"

For your vitus you may need a different "type" of chainring!

 

[Stu_mt]

I agree with @Gary.
Just arrived today, very pleased with the quality / finish!

View attachment 21656 View attachment 21657
This one is an anodised aluminium 36T - 104 BCD narrow wide, round.

I would be surprised if these didnt come out of the same factory brands like raceface or others order them from.

Ordered on Aliexpress. Search on there for Motsun or Deckaz brand. Make sure you got the right type / fasteners etc!

8€ delivered btw

US $3.29 45% OFF|MOTSUV Round Narrow Wide Chainring MTB Mountain bike bicycle 104BCD 32T 34T 36T 38T crankset Tooth plate Parts 104 BCD-in Bicycle Crank & Chainwheel from Sports & Entertainment on AliExpress - 11.11_Double 11_Singles' Day

Would this be the one??

 

[Stu_mt]

For my Levo I had to get nuts to thread on the bolts. The original ring was threaded, my aftermarket one wasn't. Google "chainring nuts"

For your vitus you may need a different "type" of chainring!

Ah fair enough, I assumed yours was for Vitus as well..

 

[Haedesz]

Yeah thats the exact one. I've checked the vitus e sommet crank: FC-E8000 so that would need the same 104bcd previously mentioned.

edit: Yes it's the exact same type as mine.

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

I just want to thank @Tony.OK for putting me onto these things. I didn't even know they existed until I saw it on his Giant Trance E+

I wanted to get a green one to match my Trance E+3Pro but when the EKFAN arrived the green was more like OLIVE green. Thankfully MOTSUV had a closer match for my bike so I went with that.

I got a 36T which is standard on the Giants, but also a 34T to try out. At the expense of losing a bit of top end speed (34 to 11T) during flat transitions, I'd like to see if I can gain some climbing ability without having to go with super big (and heavier) cassettes, which also require longer chains. I just want to 'feel' what (34 to 36T or 34 to 42T) would be like to climb on my 10-speed cassettes.

These chainrings are so affordable, it doesn't hurt to try.

I still have the 36T EKFAN olive green - pity it doesn't go with my current bike. I don't like things going to waste... maybe I should just buy a 2020 Trance E+ 0Pro so that I can use the EKFAN chainring.

 

[Evolution Stu]

That looks quite similar to my RaceFace rings green!

How was the 34T mate?
ive upgraded my Trance to 10-42 for the climbing ability. Be interested to know how that 34 goes!

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

That looks quite similar to my RaceFace rings green!

View attachment 21727

How was the 34T mate?
ive upgraded my Trance to 10-42 for the climbing ability. Be interested to know how that 34 goes!

Nice!

Haven’t tried it yet. Still waiting for a new chain to arrive. We’ve got a ride tomorrow and didn’t get a chance to swap everything. I also just got an 11-42 cassette.

Where did you get a 10-42??! What brand cassette is that?

 

[Evolution Stu]

Where did you get a 10-42??! What brand cassette is that?

sorry!
It’s a HG500 11-42

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

That looks quite similar to my RaceFace rings green!
How was the 34T mate?
ive upgraded my Trance to 10-42 for the climbing ability. Be interested to know how that 34 goes!

OK, here's my review of the MOTSUV chainring 34T. First of all STU if you haven't already, you might want to sit down before you have a look at the prices of these things on AliExpress compared to what you paid for your RaceFace. That being said, I'll be keeping a close eye on how quickly the MOTSUVs would wear out (if at all). I can't fault the machining quality, but the metallurgy of their so called 7075-T6 aluminium alloy has yet to be proven.

Before I give my personal feedback on the gearing ratios, I think it's important to point out that the original PRAXIS 36T chainring is actually made of STEEL! I didn't expect that at all... so I guess that any after-market replacement (Chinese or otherwise) is never gonna be a strong or as good as that.

Another thing that I found unusual is that the holes on the steel PRAXIS chainring are threaded! So it only uses x4 spider bolts up front with no need to use barrel sleeves at the back of the chainring. Also unusual is the Yamaha spider itself - it appears to be designed so that the bolts themselves are made to bear the pedal load from the cranks. I guess it's not an issue, seeing as the bolts are threaded directly and squarely against the PRAXIS steel chainring.

But when installing an after-market aluminium chainring tho, a spider bolt pairing is needed (bolt plus threaded barrel). Here's where things deviate from the conventional. Normally the barrel sleeve (installed from behind the thickness of the chainring) needs to poke out by about 1 - 2 mm. This would then slip inside the spider holes - the principle being that the barrel (x4) is what bears the pedalling load. BUT the holes on the Yamaha spider are not bored out large enough to accept the barrel protrusions. So for the bolts to work with the Yamaha spider, the barrels can't poke out past the thickness of the chainring - and for the MOTSUV chainrings, the barrels can't be any longer than 4mm long.

So once again, it's the BOLT and not the barrel that bears the load... and to be honest, I'm iffy about this. Sure enough after a 30 minute test ride, I was able to tighten the spider bolts a little bit more. Just a heads up, I would keep checking the tightness to see if the spider bolts eventually settle down. If it doesn't... I may seriously reconsider installing the original PRAXIS steel chainring back on.

Gearing Ratio:
I was surprised that the top end ratio (34T to 11T cassette) didn't make as big a difference as I expected. My cadence was higher of course when I hit the 32kph motor cut-off point, but the experience was more like 'that's not too bad' and not so much a 'hell no.'

The low end ratio (34T to 36T cassette) was easier as expected - but I'm still not sure if it equates to a significant climbing advantage compared to the original 36T chainring. The only difference is that I was able to sustain the climb using one power-mode down, but whether or not this adds to less battery drain and more mileage I don't know.

Overall, I think it's something I can live with. My 11-36T 10-speed cassette and the 34T chainring up front is an adequate configuration for the kind of riding that I do - and possibly the lightest I can hope for. Besides the cassette being lighter due to it's smaller cogs, this also allows a shorter chain length.

I'll be testing my new 11-42T 10-speed cassette - with both the 34T and 36T MOTSUV chainrings next time.

 

[Evolution Stu]

Great review, thanks. I had the same drama with the chainring bolts, had to drive to work at 1am to machine my sleeves down. ?

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Great review, thanks. I had the same drama with the chainring bolts, had to drive to work at 1am to machine my sleeves down. ?

Now you tell me! Haha

 

[Stu_mt]

Cheers All

Chainring arrived today, £6.50 delivered off fleebay ?

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Heya @Evolution Stu you wouldn't happen to remember the chain length needed when you changed your cassette to 11-42T (with 36T chainring)? I was just wondering if a standard box of 116 links is enough...

 

[Evolution Stu]

Heya @Evolution Stu you wouldn't happen to remember the chain length needed when you changed your cassette to 11-42T (with 36T chainring)? I was just wondering if a standard box of 116 links is enough...

Hi,
i Don’t recall how long mine is, I’m sure it’s longer than that. I didnt change mine from standard as I am lucky enough to have a mate with a trance 2 that runs an 11-46 and his chain was the same spec as mine so I knew mine was ok.

will nip out to the garage and get you the data.

 

[Evolution Stu]

Sorry mate, wife collared me about some clowns hanging about a outside and I got totally sidetracked! ?

mines a 122.

 

[Gary]

the chain length needed when you changed your cassette to 11-42T (with 36T chainring)? I was just wondering if a standard box of 116 links is enough...

Yes 116 is long enough

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Yes 116 is long enough

Got off my lazy bum and decided to do a proper count. Looks like 116 is not enough Gary.

Early on, I made the mistake of cutting my eBike specific chain to the shortest possible length for a 36T chainring and a 11-36T cassette. Had I known this chain is so expensive I would've left it alone. When I measured to cut it, I disconnected the rear shock and let the Giant Trance E+ swing arm bottom out all the way and had the derailleur arm pointing forward. The chain fit is on the tight side but I'm not gonna be doing big hits on the largest cog anyway (unless I forget I'm on it). Didn't bother to count at the time.

Kept losing my place during the recount, so I took the chain off (I was changing to try the 36T MOTSUV chainring anyway). Total as it turns out is 114 links.

So if I change to an 11-42T cassette, I need 6 more links = 120 links.

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

How was the 34T mate?
ive upgraded my Trance to 10-42 for the climbing ability. Be interested to know how that 34 goes!

Just an update Stu... I've since gone off the 34T chainring. It's just too spinny and I missed the 36T CH on flats which is much better when commuting. The 36CH also keeps me away from the smallest cogs most of the time as someone else has already mentioned, which I agree is a good thing for the longevity of the chain.

So I'm back to 36T chainring, which is here to stay. I already bought my 11-42T cassette - which I'll try once I sort out a longer chain.

 

[Evolution Stu]

Good update, I commute 50 miles a week and already think it’s often a bit of a low geared setup as it is so your confirmation has saved me some money. Thanks.

Ref the chain, I seem to stretch mine to .75 every 500 mile And change it at that point. The cheapest place appears to ALWAYS be Merlin when I check.

KMC E10 Silver E-Bike Chain - 10 Speed | Merlin Cycles

 

[Gary]

Clean your drivetrain regularly, lube it properly and don't ever shift under load.

If I were to change my chain as frequently as every 500 miles I'd need 10 chains a year.
I don't.
Current chain has done approx 1100 miles and is at 0.5 with a Park tools checker. Previous chain was replaced at 1000 miles or so not from wear but as it got damaged (split link at pin from pissed mate shifting under full load in boost despite being told not to change gears at all) chain before that did over 3000 miles.

 

[Gary]

Oh.. And Ebike specific chains are an absolute load of bollocks made up by the manufacturer to fleece you.
Just buy a decent quantity regular chain and set fire to a bunch of fivers fir the same effect.

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Got a pleasant surprise regarding chains.

Went to EVO Cycles and asked for an extra long 10-speed chain for a 1-by MTB drive. I said I just want a normal Shimano chain but the boxes only come in 114 or 116 links. Apparently the directional design of a Shimano chain - shifts quicker and smoother with Shimano cassettes so that's what I wanted.

Turns out the only extra-long 10-s chains they had were Shimano eBike chains at 138 links, and were reasonably priced at $90 bucks - not bad considering they're 20% longer. I'm hoping they'll shift less clunkier than the KMC e10 chains - quoted at $120 which is crazy. Pity I didn't know about them last time EVO had a sale - could've scored them for $67.

I just wanted a long standard chain and didn't even know these existed.
If anyone else is interested, part number is CN-E6090-10

 

[Gary]

Shimano directional chains are more commonly for road drivetrains. not mtb

You've been ripped.
there's absolutely nothing E bilke specific about that chain at all except the little logo on the box.
a SRAM 1071 speed chain with 120 links is around £25