If you’re looking to bring a bit of ovality to your CX bike, there’s a new option in town. Adding to their already impressive collection of 1x narrow wide rings, Absoluteblack is eyeing the world of cyclocross with their latest additions. Their claim, is that the oval rings offer a smoother power delivery and reduce the spikes of high torque in the pedaling stroke that can cause a rear wheel to break loose in low traction scenarios. More importantly, the narrow-wide tooth profile will help keep your chain in place in the worst conditions and eliminate the need for that pesky front derailleur…
Each Absoluteblack 1x ring makes use of specific machining to make sure mud and debris has a place to go, rather than building up and forcing the chain off the ring. The rings are designed in the UK, manufactured in their own factory in Poland, and then anodized in the UK.
Offered in SRAM Direct Mount and 4 x 110 and 5 x 110 BCD, the bolt on rings have a fixed ovality of 11.4% with a timing of 110.5° after top dead center. The SRAM DM rings instead have an optimized ovality to each size ranging from 10.2-12.1% and with a timing of 110.5-112.3°.
Both the 4 bolt and 5 bolt rings will be available in 38, 40, and 42t rings in black or Racing Red, while the SRAM DM gains a 36t option. Claimed weights are listed as 63g for 5 bolt, 65g for 4 bolt, and 89-104g for the SRAM DM. The 7075 aluminum rings will start at $78.99 for the bolt on rings, and $84.99 for the direct mount.
