absoluteBLACK has always preached the oval chainring gospel, and now they’ve added an option for the latest SRAM Transmission mountain bike groups. Those groups use a slightly narrower MTB Flattop chain, and the rollers between the plates have a bit larger diameter, which requires chainrings with teeth optimized to fit.
The narrower gap between chain plates means the teeth have to be a bit narrower to allow proper clearance, allowing the chain to slide on and off the teeth easily and make room for any grit that might be on them.
absoluteBLACK went a step further and added a small slit on the wide teeth to facilitate mud (and other contaminant) removal. And they made the wide tooth that sits behind the crank arm narrower than the others to help shed muck more easily in an area they’ve found suffers from higher buildup.
The larger roller diameter means the well between teeth must be a bit larger, too, so that the chain can fully settle in between teeth and give the rollers maximum engagement on the driving side of each tooth.
Available sizes and claimed weights are:
28T – 54g
30T – 58g
32T – 64g
34T – 71g
36T – 78g
Prices are $105.95 (€96.95 / £85.99), and they’re available in black, titanium (shown), gold, and red. They have a 3mm offset to match the recommended 55mm chainline and use SRAM’s 8-bolt direct-mount interface.
They’re available now for pre-order, shipping July 5th.
