Wolf Tooth Components has been busy. Since spotting them at NAHBS, they have been busy machining just about every mountain bike chainring standard you could think of with a drop-stop tooth profile. After seeing the first anti-drop MTB ring, it seems riders have been clamoring for a cyclocross version of the ring, and WTC is listening. Along with Absolute Black’s recent CX offerings, WTC is in the final prototyping stage for both 110 and 130 BCD CX chainrings.
In addition to the CX prototypes, WTC is now shipping 120 x 36T BCD mountain rings – perfect for your SRAM XX, X0, and X9 2x cranks with a 120 BCD spider. Detail on both rings, next.
Like the rest of WTC’s offerings, both of the new rings are still machined in house, in Minneapolis.
Soon you will also start to see WTC’s new logo popping up – which was created with the help of a local artist/graphic designer.
The CX ring design has been completed and is shown here. WTC machined a limited number of 110x42T rings for testing and feedback which will be under elite riders in both the US and Europe. The rings are still in the early stages of testing for things like chainline, chain retention, etc., but WTC expects the performance to be good. While this batch is marked as prototype, there are no plans to change the design unless feedback from the riders requires is.
Since there isn’t a CX specific clutched rear derailleur, WTC makes no claims that the chainrings will be 100% drop proof unless you retrofit a mountain derailleur to your bike. We have used a SRAM Type 2 rear derailleur with SRAM 10 speed shifters and it works well, so that is likely the best set up for the rings. However, we have had pretty good luck with their mountain rings on a non-clutched rear derailleur, and the fact that the rings are larger than MTB models, the performance without a clutched rear derailleur should still be pretty good – we plan on testing that out very soon.
It should go without saying, but the chain rings will not work on SRAM Red/Force 22 or Shimano DA 9000/Ultegra 6800 11 speed cranks due to their different bolt patterns.
CX rings are pre-selling now in 40 and 42T, 110 and 130 BCD now, with the 38 and 44T rings available soon. Pricing for the 38-42T rings is set at $79, with the 44T at $84.
On the 120 BCD cranksets, 36T is the smallest ring that will fit. Like their 30T 104 BCD ring, the 36T 120 ring must be offset in order for the chain to clear the spider’s arms. Wolf Tooth does have plans for a 38T ring, but it will be awhile before it is available since demand for rings bigger than 36 is fairly small. According to WTC, they aren’t aware of anyone else currently offering a 120 BCD ring, which has been requested by quite a few of their customers who are running power meters.
In order to work with the SRAM cranks, the chainrings are threaded and require the use of SRAM’s chainring bolts. You can pick up a 120 x 36T ring now for $79.
