Alugear are a small Polish company who's products I came across on R2-Bike's webshop. I liked the designs and decided to give them a try, and share my experiences with you: The read and fellow rider. This is my personal opinion and I have received no discount on this product.
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| Image courtesy of Alugear |
Based on my previous experiences with third party chain rings, I must admit, I was sceptical about the performance. However, the moment I saw Alugear's tooth design I knew they were onto something. The design is quite similar to that of the Sram Eagle chain rings, which I consider to be the pinnacle of MTB chain ring engineering at the moment. Priced at 49-60€ in Europe and depending on your local VAT, the price point is very attractive when compared to competitors like Absolute Black. Alugear products are also available through their own webshop with free shipping to Europe!
The chain rings are available in multiple fitments including Shimano direct mount, Sram 3- and 8-bolt direct mount, Raceface cinch, Cannondale Hollowgram, Rotor REX and different PCDs including 94, 96 and 104, you're almost sure to find the suitable fitment for your cranks. Offsets are available in 0, 3 and 6mm. Colors include: Black, Silver, Blue, Green, Orange and Red. Available tooth counts 26-38 teeth.
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| Image courtesy of Alugear |
Machined from 7075 aluminum, the Alugear chain rings are advertised as the lightest on the market. I weighed my Shimani direct mount 34t chain ring at 61g, which is more or less exactly as advertised. For comparison, the Shimano XTR 34t chain ring weighs 85g and costs almost double that of the Alugear product!
Needless to say, the chain rings are 1x only with a narrow-wide tooth profile. The tips of the teeth are properly chamfered and relieved to clear the chain as it exits the chain ring, the tooth roots are chamfered to clear dirt and the driving tooth flank again chamfered to clear the longer inner plates of Shimano HG+ 12-speed chains.
The direct mount Shimano interface fits nice and snug on my XTR cranks. I also have a Sram direct mount 3-bolt chain ring and that one is a bit loose on the splines, but seems to fit OK.
On the trail
My biggest gripes with many thrid party chain rings are noise, and durability. I cannot comment on the durability of the Alugear product yet, but I'm happy to report it's absolutely silent in use, even more so than the Shimano OE chain ring!
Ovality is 12% with a DTDC set at 108°. This seems to work very well, and the chain ring feels very natural and smooth. The distinct "dead zone" with a round chain ring is gone, and applying steady power, especially on climbs, is noticeably easier.
Conclusion
If and when the chain ring proves durable, I have absolutely no reason not to recommend the Alugear chain rings to anyone considering a third party oval. Made in Europe from high quality material and with impeccable finish, the Alugear product is definitely worth considering!
one year later... is it holding up? what about chain drops?
ReplyDeleteAplogies for the delay, but commenting still doesn't work for me on mobile. I recently replaced this with a new 34 tooth version. The original had ~3000km on it and it still worked fine, though the teeth do show wear. I would expect to get around 4000km from this chain ring, so not bad at all.
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