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Not so great experiences with Garbaruk chainrings and cassettes

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30K views 51 replies 27 participants last post by  JohnShroe  
#1 ·
I really wanted to like Garbaruk. Their products are made in Poland. They are aesthetically pleasing. They come in many colors. And they promise SRAM and Shimano compatibility, at lighter weight and fewer dollars than SRAM’s equivalents.

Unfortunately my two experiences have been quite bad. These are anecdotes, of course, with some caveats. I’m wondering if I am an outlier or if this is typical. Both of my experiences surprised me given the positive reviews I’ve seen (eg on Pinkbike).

The cassette:

A trusted friend gave me a bro deal on a “new-ish” purple 10-52 Garbaruk XD cassette. He didn’t like the jump to the 52 and said that he only rode it once. Two issues became apparent with this (very good looking) cassette when I attempted to use it on a long travel 29er with an (otherwise standard) GX drivetrain with DT Swiss hubs.

On a standard DT Swiss 350 XD driver, when torqued to spec at 40nm, the cassette was not even close to fully installed on the hub - the endcap was flush with the 10T cog and the driver splines were still visible behind the cassette. I verified that this was not a cross-threading issue, and the cassette spun true on the hub in this position. Over-torquing the cassette got it into the right position, but made it virtually impossible to remove.

Second big issue - when back-pedaling in the second-largest cog, the chain fell off after less than one turn. Back-pedaling in all other cogs worked flawlessly. I verified chainline, cable tension, b-gap, limit screws, etc. Finally I contacted Garbaruk about the issue and they claimed that they had “fixed this problem,” but then when I asked if it was possible to replace mine with one made to spec (and I was willing to pay) they ghosted me.

So I gave up on that cassette. Next came the silver chainring:

Prior to getting the cassette I had wanted a 30T silver chainring for my hardtail and liked the look (and price) of the Garbaruk. What I had not noticed when buying this chainring is that Garbaruk doesn’t follow the 3mm boost offset spec for its chainrings - they vary the offset based on ring size, calling it “variable chainline technology.” In the case of the 30T it’s greater than 3mm - more like 4.8mm or so. They make claims that this optimizes chainline.

Whether or not that’s true, what I did notice about the chainring was that it had a “grindy” feel when pedaling - and the chain made weird grindy noises in many (but not all) gears - like the chainline was out of whack.

Things went along for awhile, though the cassette misadventure gave me pause.

Recently the chainring issue culminated in my chain partially breaking on a ride (XO1 12 speed with about 500 miles on it). The inboard plate of one of the outer links sheared off from the pin and was hanging in space. I switched to a chainring with standard 3mm offset and the chain grinding disappeared.

All in all I’m disappointed and don’t plan to buy Garbaruk in the future. Of course I don’t know for sure if these issues were entirely to do with these components - they could very well have only appeared because of the components I paired them with.
 
#3 ·
I have no experience with the cassette but have had their chainrings on several bikes.

No issues with the chainrings in fact they are quiet and wear much longer while staying quiet. I like the longer tooth design and the offset was not an issue.
 
#4 ·
Pretty tough to expect any kind of comeback on a second hand cassette. Yes it sounds virtually new, but you weren't their customer.
As for it not fitting, that is more worrying.
Chainring is also tricky, offset probably has to be spot on. Generally I've always replaced the chain at the same time as a chainring as I've experienced rumble or grinding.
 
#8 ·
For sure - I did end up replacing the chain with a new one, rather than fixing it with a quick link, as I thought of that same thing too. Unfortunately, it was also grinding.

As for their support, I was more like a prospective customer, if that makes any sense. I also had already bought a chainring. :) But this post wasn’t about customer support, just issues I ran into. I really wanted to like these products!
 
#6 ·
I’ve had a creak on a Garbaruk cassette which was an earlier version. But didn’t try warranty as I was given it. It still works fine with a minor creak. I’m sure it would be sorted if I was the original owner.
I have a chainring from another brand that sounded awful after 700 miles. I broke an xx1 chain and put a new one on and it was unusable. They were a bit baffled and sent me a new one. I won’t name and shame as no shame , they stepped up and backed it. I was the original purchaser.
 
#11 ·
I've had a few issues with my Garb 12sp cassette but none enough to ditch it yet. The 52t cog developed a bit of warp to it so it will always drop the chain backpedaling at that one spot where the wobble is. I don't really backpedal enough to induce it during riding and ratcheting isn't enough to make it happen so its not a huge deal. I have also had significant wear on the smaller sprinting cogs to where they will occasionally jump if conditions aren't perfect. With a new chain and perfect hanger alignment its less, but at around 700 miles it just seems premature.
 
#12 ·
I had a Garbaruk 10-52 Shimano cassette that had several issues. The lock ring would not stay tight on the cassette even when properly torqued and then later even when used with blue locktight. It would back off when riding and eventually contact the inside of the derailleur hanger, locking up the rear tire. I then recovered the locking washer from my old shimano cassette, even though the instructions did not say to use it, and added that. That seemed to over-torque the system while I was riding and the lock ring stripped itself towards the end of a long ride.

I like the value and weight of the part, but the aluminum lock ring is a bad design choice. It also did not shift as well as the shimano version, but that was as expected.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I tried a Garbaruk 11 speed 11-50T HG cassette and derailleur cage kit.

First I tried the cassette on its own. It never shifted properly. Either it worked well in the larger cogs or the lower cogs, never both. I checked everything: derailleur hanger alignment, limits, b tension, cable, housing. The previous XT 11-46T cassette worked just fine. And when I removed the Garbaruk cassette, I noticed the lock ring was noticeably looser than when I installed it.

I also tried the derailleur cage in tandem with the cassette. It was supposed to work on an XT 11 speed derailleur. But it would come in contact with the derailleur body and get stuck when it rotated around the pivot...that one was unexpected. I could have ground down the interfering part, but I was done with both the cassette and derailleur cage by that point. Even with the derailleur cage the shifting was not improved.

I then installed a Deore 11 speed 11-51T cassette and the original XT derailleur cage and called it a day. Both still work fantastically.

The Garbaruk cassette sure was pretty though! And light!
 
#15 ·
I run a Garbaruk 10-52t with a Shimano XT derailleur and find I have to adjust the b-tension much closer to the cassette as the indicator would have me. That’s to be expected I guess as the indicator is made for 51t. The 52t cog is also very picky about chain alignment so the limit screws have to be perfectly adjusted, otherwise the chain will catch on some of the shift ramps and make a clicking noose.
 
#18 ·
I bought one of their chainrings recently, my first Garbaruk product, and it’s been great. Runs perfect.

It‘s the 0mm offset version so does not have the variable chainline as the OP talked about with the 3mm offset version. This version is 55mm chainline (at least on a standard boost crank) regardless of the tooth count.

I think it’s worth mentioning that I’m also using this for the Sram Transmission system (Garbaruk was one of the first to say their rings are compatible) and I have to say it runs as smoothly and quietly as the Wolf Tooth Drop Stop B chainring, which so far at least is the high standard for compatibility with the flat top chains.
 
#19 ·
Be aware of the counterfeit Garbaruk derailleur cage coming from the Chinese sites they don't work. Even saw one on PB listed as legit. They are easy to spot cause they made the styles opposite. The fake sram stlyle looks like the shimano style and the shimano looks like the sram.
 
#20 ·
I used a Garbaruk 30t chainring on my Power2Max NGeco power meter for 3200+ miles and never had any issues. The Garbaruk 104 BCD chainring is the only 30t that work with the P2M power meters since they are made with and additional 2-3mm offset to allow for chain clearance to the flange on the power meter.
 
#21 ·
I have a couple Garbaruk cassettes, one MTB and one gravel bike. I was dealing with the lockring backing out issue but found it to be a microspline issue rather than a Garbaruk issue. I was having cassette lockrings back out of Shimano XT cassettes as well.

The cool thing about Garbaruk for me is that they make a 12 speed HG freehub cassette. I was able to install my spare HG freehub on my Hadley hubs, ordered a 12 speed Garbaruk cassette for HG freehubs, and boom! Now I'm running Shimano XT 12 speed with an HG freehub and I've got a sweet 1 piece cassette. No more lockrings backing out either.
 
#22 ·
Currently running two wheelsets w/MS Garbaruk 10-52 Cassettes and one wheelset w/SLX 10-51 Cassette on a SLX Derailleur w/SLX chain.
Sure the Shimano Cassette shifts crisper, but it's marginal at best and with the cost and weight savings (also marginal), I think it's a fair trade off.
I recently swapped added a Garbaruk Chain Ring and can't tell the differecne (from stock SLX).
 
#26 ·
I have been using two Garbaruk 11spd XD cassettes for at least a year and they've been great, just don't ever even think about them.
 
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#30 ·
I decided to give Garbaruk another try. Their newest 10-52 XD cassettes now come with cog sizes similar to the Transmission cassettes. The first three jumps are 52-44-37, instead of the old Eagle 52-42-36.

Have to say, this is a nice cassette, and the climbing gear spread is a really big improvement, especially paired with a 30T chainring. I had no issues mounting it to a DT350 unlike in the past. Shift quality is great, though it seems slightly less tolerant of panic downshifting across the whole cassette, compared to an XO1 or GX cassette. Only head scratcher to report is that the cassette still can’t backpedal more than a few revolutions while in the 44 cog. In practice, I can’t see this being an issue out on the trail.