Whaddya mean it won’t fit?! My chance to maybe revive a dead forum. A couple of weeks ago I posted about a chainring tooth that snapped off in Idyllwild.
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I said I would order a steel one. But…COVID parts shortage! The proper application ones were out of stock, and so was the aluminum SRAM direct replacement. So I hedged my bets while riding more carefully on the damaged one. I ordered (on a Sunday, vendor closed) a Praxis one that was intended for their cranks for a Specialized. Same 34T, 104 BCD, but threaded to fit on the back of the spider, not the front. I called on Monday and they were highly skeptical but it was already on the way, only $20, and returnable. I theorized maybe I could use the male side only of my two-piece bolts. I also ordered a Blackspire aluminum ring plus an Absolute Black taco bashguard as my real plan with insurance. Both pricey and longer lead time. I got the Praxis in two days and it worked. Getting the bolts in from the back required a sawed-off Allen wrench which I already had and now carry with me. The threads have full engagement through the ring, and the chain line is the same, and it located solid on the cutouts. It looks a little weird if you look closely.
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The taco arrived next, but I couldn’t get it to slide in and then lay flush on the ISCG tabs because of the motor, so I sent it back and got a refund.
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Then the Blackspire arrived a week or so later, but the Praxis is working great. I think their tooth design might be even better than SRAM’s. It’s smooth. I kept the Blackspire because their rings have been good for me in the past and a future spare seemed a good idea. Then I got notified that the proper steel SRAM was back in stock and reasonably priced, so I ordered one. Just arrived and looks really nice. But I think I’ll just keep riding on the MacGyvered Praxis until there’s an issue, or I can’t ride but have spare time. Life’s too short and I’m too lazy to swap rings until then. “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”… unless it’s an actual upgrade. Ain’t bikes fun?
