Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Chester, SC
Date Reviewed: September 1, 2005
Strengths: Very few, got with cranks
Weaknesses: Wear out in no time, especially in dirty conditions!
Bottom Line:
These chainrings must be made out of recycled beer cans! The 20 tooth was gone after two rides! I replaced it with a harder ring (titanium). The middle & outer rings endured a bit longer, but were pretty much history after just 500 miles. I live in South Cackalacky, known for mud and clay, but I try to avoid the mud holes when possible to prevent trail damage. And of course I wash down and relube the bike after every ride, it's not a cheap machine after all.
If you like buying stuff, these rings are for you, 'cause you'll be doing a lot of that. As for myself, I think I'll look for something that I can use a bit longer.
Bike Setup: Rocky Reaper, Cane Creek wheels/headset/grips & barends, Kooka cranks, Brooks saddle, Hays discs, Shimano everything else
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Submitted by
Joe Pientka
a Cross Country Rider
from Suffolk, Virginia, USA
Date Reviewed: October 10, 2001
Strengths: None
Weaknesses: Weak Aluminum. The teeth break too easily! I haven't had this product 6 weeks and only have about 100 miles on it and I have broken a tooth. I am not a super agressive rider and shift properly.
Submitted by
Mark Newbury
a Cross Country Rider
from London
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2001
Strengths: The work fantastically
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
These rings shift a treat - they don't wear as quickly as other types of rings I've used and I do about 100 miles a week on them. Id go for these over Shimano every time
Bike Setup: Race Face Next LP cranks, 9 speed XTR mechs
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Submitted by
Phil
a Racer
from Dresden, OH
Date Reviewed: November 25, 2000
Strengths: Great looks, durability, shifting
Weaknesses: None to date.
Bottom Line:
I originally purchased these rings with my Next LP crankset. When I upgraded that bike to 9 spd, these rings got moved over to my freeride rig. The original rings were Sugino CSS Supershift rings, and these rings are way better than those. The black finish has been very durable so far, and these rings shift better than the original Suginos. The only downside has been these 5-arm rings are designed to work with a traditional 5-arm crank, but the Specialized Strong Arm Pro crank has one of the bolt holes co-located with the crank arm, which means that the pin RF puts on the 44T ring to prevent the chain from lodging between the big ring and the crank arm isn't as effective (you can still put it just ahead of the arm and it works somewhat). Other than that, they work seamlessly with Shimano stuff and my Sachs/SRAM chain. They are more expensive than some but the durability I've seen over the last year (little to no wear, no broken teeth) justifies the price.
Similar Products Used: Sugino CSS rings, Avitar Werk, Shimano
Bike Setup: '98 Specialized FSR Extreme, Judy XL long travel, XT gruppo, Specialized Strong Arm Pro Crank, Avid SD brakes
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Submitted by
Jeff
from Bay Area
Date Reviewed: November 21, 2000
Strengths: shifts nicely (about same as shimano), lightweight
Weaknesses: wears out too quickly
Bottom Line:
I bought the raceface rings with my cranks, and don't have a major complaint. I haven't broken teeth, like some other reviewers have, but I did find that the aluminum rings wear out pretty damn fast (about 1,000 miles), although I guess that shouldn't be too much of a surprise. The big problem is that the 22t ring gets really bad chain suck when it wears.
I was told by my LBS that 5 bolt shimano LX rings interchange nicely, and last longer. I opted for the raceface steel rings instead (got the 22t for $16 at performance).
On the plus side, they shift as nicely as shimano... I wonder if there is such a thing as shifting better than shimano?
Submitted by
jerry wonnacott
a Cross Country Rider
from corvallis, oregon
Date Reviewed: August 17, 2000
Strengths: Improved shifting with the added pins, looks nice, durable, not Shimano
Weaknesses: A little expensive
Bottom Line:
I find that these rings work just fine, the newer versions shift very well, just the same or better than my FS rig with 9speed XT, keep the drive line clean and these will hold up well, shift well, and you be satisifed, they certainly look nice, too...
Similar Products Used: Older Race Face, Real, Shimano, Sugino
Bike Setup: Litespeed Ocoee, King Wheels, Race Face cranks, XT drive train (8 sp), Litespeed bar and seatpost, Kore Elite stem
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Submitted by
Peter Banks
a Cross Country Rider
from North Delta BC
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2000
Strengths: Not really any.
Weaknesses: I was more than pissed when the big ring teeth chipped away so easily. I know that the 9 speed stuff is a little cheesier than the 8 speed stuff, but when I looked at the teeth, they seemed to be a whole lot thinner one side than the other. The teeth that broke away were on the thin side. When I contacted RaceFace about this, they said I should be more careful when I ride. OHHHHHHHH!!! Bring me my cane.
Bottom Line:
I took their advice. I put on a Ring God, and an 8 speed middle ring. No more lost Race Face teeth, as a matter of fact no Race FAce at all.
Nice looking rings that shift pretty well. The only problem is that after only three (yes 3) rides, there are 2 teeth missing and a few others that are so deformed they might as well be missing. I've never had a set of rings wear so quickly. Since they shift smoothly, set-up doesn't seem to be the cause. It seems that the material is just too soft to stand up to any use. Or maybe I just got a bad set? Oh well...back to Shimano...
Bike Setup: Sugino crank, UN-72 BB, PC-91 chain, XT frt Dr.
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Submitted by
charlie
a Cross Country Rider
from kinnelon, nj, usa
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2000
Strengths: quality of shifts, beauty, i love those race face guys-they're the greatest!
Weaknesses: costlier than some other rings
Bottom Line:
i think raceface has made some rockin good rings, they shift like fresh lettuce(crisp!), and they look like kate hepburn(ok, you pick the beauty of your choice). if you can get them for a good price, i would say choose them above the others, they really are what you would want from a chainring: something that shifts so well that you dont have to think about them again, you can just think about riding(or if things arent perfect you can think about whatever else on your bike is going to break :)
Similar Products Used: shimano, shimano, and some more shimano
Bike Setup: xc/trials
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Submitted by
Jamie
a Weekend Warrior
from Thunder Bay, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 8, 2000
Strengths: durability, shifting, superb style
Weaknesses: price
Bottom Line:
USing this product for a variety of purposes has resulted in some pretty serious abuse. They seem to stand up very well to assaults from logs rocks and concrete ledges. One day I'll get around to purchasing a bashguard but until then these rings can take the abuse. If you're looking for a quality product to enhance performance and styles of your machine then this is for you. 4 chilis for value because of the price but overall a mean set of rings!
Bike Setup: Parkpre frameset, Manitou sx-r, xt drivetrain, raceface cranks, sunn rhyno lyte with specialized evil twin tires, kore lite stem, club roost riser, 28 pound super heavy-duty hardtail
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Submitted by
Phil
from Minnesota
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2000
Strengths: Killer looks, shift great
Weaknesses: chainring bolts, pricey
Bottom Line:
They work much better than my old impel steel-rings, which were well worn after about 1,000 miles. The only problem is that I can only put on 4 chainring bolts because the third hole is behind the crank arm, and the rings are a bit wide. The only thing that concerns me is tooth wear. Since i mainly ride around town, I don't worry about them bending, besides the fact that they are pretty beefy(they are thicker than my bmx bike's chaingring). I have yet to see any real wear on them though.
Submitted by
J. Salmon
a Weekend Warrior
from Chapel Hill, NC
Date Reviewed: January 1, 2000
Strengths: They don't bend
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I'm not too picky about front shifting, but I want a ring that can take being slammed into stumps and even the occasional rock. I have had a '98 set on my Klein for over a year and they have worn well and are straight as ever. I now have a set of '99 rings with all the ramps on a new ride (still riding the old rings too) and they shift a bit better. I get no chain suck (even after Hurricane Floyd), but I use an 8 speed. 9 speed is stupid, but that's a different review.
Favorite Trail: your mother daves trail and kevins
Duration Product Used: less than 1 month
Similar Products Used: sugino stock rims
Bike Setup: stumpy 98 m2 RF lowrise bar z2 alloy tioga 2.1 dh in the f and a yeti f in the r
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rick
a Weekend Warrior
from North Vancouver, B.C.
Date Reviewed: July 26, 1999
Strengths: Has the same advantages of strength,looks and long wear as '98 version with the added advantage of shifting as well as Shimano which last year's don't.