We covered a bunch of upcoming crankset and chainring offerings from Praxis back at Eurobike, but now these new single ring mountain bike offerings are in stock and ready to ship in time to be stocking stuffers. Adding to their fairly simple 4-bolt 104BCD wide/narrow rings (which carry over), the new XT/XTR 4-bolt 96BCD and SRAM Direct Mount rings use a bit more shaping and style to lend aftermarket compatibility to an even wider range of cranks. Plus, a premium forged 4130 steel ring adds durability that might outlast your bike. Spin across the break to have a closer look, and get tooth counts and pricing…
The 96BCD rings are designed to upgrade Shimano’s new XT 8000 and XTR9000 cranksets with asymmetric 4-bolt spiders. The machined rings get a shaped profile that yeilds an integrated look with the new XT/XTR cranks, but the better 1x performance that you get combining a wide/narrow and Shimano’s Shadow clutched rear derailleurs. The new 96BCD rings are available now in 30, 32, and 32T options, each for $70.
The machined and profiled Direct Mount rings use the 3-bolt SRAM interface for a clean and simple bolt on fit. They are available in two offsets (DM-A and DM-B, 3mm difference) to be optimized for 49-52mm chainlines for Praxis’s own Turn cranks, SRAM GXP and both long and short spindled SRAM BB30 cranks. Initial sizes for the Direct Mount rings of 28, 30, and 32T are available today for $65-70, depending on size. 26, 34, and 36T versions are also on the way, with no word yet on their expected availability.
While SRAM went to the affordable and lower tech end with their steel ring, Praxis has gone the other way with a premium option. When we talked to Praxis, they said they actually developed their steel wide/narrow ring in response to consumers asking them for a high performing, longer-lasting ring (not as a cost-cutting measure.) While Praxis has a lot of experience with cold forging aluminum rings, they realized that they could deliver the shaping profile they wanted using a premium 4130 steel to get an even longer lasting chainring with only a minor weight penalty over aluminum. The resulting nickel-plated $75 ring is only available in a 32T 104BCD ring for the time being, but Praxis seems interested in expanding the options with premium grade steel pending positive customer feedback.
