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SRAM & Surly Team Up To Bring X-Sync Rings For OD Crank, 1×11 to 5″ Tire Fat Bikes

Written by Tim Krueger
26 Comments
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RingsXsyn

Surly Bikes let out a little bit today about what they will be doing at upcoming tradeshow Frostbike. Of interest to the fat bikers of the world who have the new crop of super-fat 5″ tires, they are going to have the first SRAM-supported X-Sync chain rings that allow you to combine 1×11 drive trains with 190/197mm spaced rear ends, since SRAM only supports 170/177 rear ends with their own cranks.

Sure, people have been doing this for some time with RaceFace, eThirteen and other cranks or Wolftooth ring upgrades. However, SRAM says that their drive trains work best when using X-Sync chain rings, as they are not the same as other “wide/narrow” tooth profile chain rings.

Surly worked with SRAM to license the profile, but also make it from stainless steel (oh my!), and make it in the antiquated 5x94mm bolt circle standard they (charmingly) insist on keeping around on their OD cranks. While the OD cranks, combined with a solid, machined stainless chain ring might not be light, it will be the first SRAM supported crank set for the 190/197mm rear end chain line.

Take a click inside, they are not just making the chain ring, but made it to enable a pretty cool bike too….


Surly Special Ops Rings

The ring is being made in 28t, and also has an optional guard that fits the OD crank. They are going to be pretty limited, and not in stock until near the end of this calendar year. Mostly because the new Moonlander Special Ops is using most of the available production for something really special.

Moonlander-Special-Ops

At the same time, Surly showed us a glimpse of the Moonlander Special Ops. In a super awesome John Deere motif, this bike actually breaks down a lot of barriers. The traditionally Shimano stalwarts at Surly have not only worked with SRAM on the great chain ring, but did so to release the first Surly bike with a full SRAM drivetrain, and in 1×11 no less. Also including SRAM Guide hydraulic brakes, this is a complete paradigm shift for the typically curmudgeony group that more often is attracted to friction shifters.

Surly-Special-Ops
A full SRAM drive train on a Surly bike. A welcome change, or a sign that the end is near?

The new Moonie will be available for purchase at Frostbike, so that is probably taking all the ring production, and why they won’t be available aftermarket for quite some time.

www.surlybikes.com
Tim Krueger
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26 Comments
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vhom
vhom
9 years ago

I call BS. Had both the X-SYNC and NW from WoothTooth and Raceface and all three worked well. Don’t believe the marketing hype and get the cheaper Raceface.

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Dockboy
Dockboy
9 years ago

For an article about a chainring, there’s a conspicuous lack of photos of chainrings. I’m curious what this will look like.

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Chad
Chad
9 years ago

Vhom- Narrow wide does not equal X-Sync

I’ve been racing on the raceface ring all year, and in really muddy races the chain drops off terribly. It’s a bad feeling when you are winning a race, and drop your chain 3 times, and then barely make top 10.

X-Sync has more chamfered edges the help clear mud better.

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Mark
Mark
9 years ago

Also check surlys site. It’s actually 58 bcd and only comes in 28t. Totally useless. I mean “charming”

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gringo
gringo
9 years ago

As long as SRAM has got some Stainless billet coming in, how about a running material change on the 42t cog on the 11 speed stuff.

Pity to trash a cassette that is still good to go simply because the 42t cog is dead.

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Ol' Shel'
Ol' Shel'
9 years ago

Surly (QBP) doesn’t pay custom builders when it copies their ideas…

But it is happy to pay SRAM for a narrow-wide ring that it could easily make without paying a royalty.

I guess it’s all about power.

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bart
bart
9 years ago

don’t care about the chainring debate. Buy what you like and let others buy into the Hype or lack there of. What I do care about is how cool that Moonlander looks. I am such a sucker for John Deer colors! And such a suitable platform for the color scheme! Well done!

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RC
RC
9 years ago

“A welcome change, or a sign that the end is near?”……..end of ?????

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bart
bart
9 years ago

@ RC I think they are eluding to the non Shimano Spec and the end of their reign of only Shimano Equipped bikes

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Eastman
Eastman
9 years ago

This will also fit the Mr Whirly Offset Double (MWOD), yes?

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Greg
Greg
9 years ago

I am partial to Allis Chalmers orange but the Surly is cool.

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julio
julio
9 years ago

made in taiwan= Surlywan

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DJ
DJ
9 years ago

John Deere 11sp tractor time

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James
James
9 years ago

The chainring is nice if your still using a Mr. Whirly (MWOD).

@Eastman it will fit the MWOD. Finally another option aside from the 22t and 26t without having to use the weak adapters.

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dug
dug
9 years ago

@ Ol’ Shel’ Surly/(Salsa/QBP) may have copied some custom builder’s ideas. But by bringing a fatbike frame and a 65mm rim w/3.8 tire to the market they created a whole new bike category. Now every big bike manufacturer out there has copied what QBP has done. Should they be paying QBP or the custom builders? They are just as guilty.

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Frank
Frank
9 years ago

1×11 on a 100mm rim equipped bike doesn’t make any sense. Gearing is not low enough for snow riding. 1×11 or 1×10 might make sense for a narrower-rimmed fatbike aimed at riding on dirt or racing, but in snow you need the low 22×34 or 24×36 gearing to keep moving forward. There are going to be a lot of guys out there pushing these pretty bikes through the snow when they could be riding.

Also, trigger shifters are hard to operate with thick gloves, this is a step backwards from thumb shifters.

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Frank
Frank
9 years ago

I’ll be curious though to see how they hydraulic brakes work for people in the cold. Hopefully it works out, I’m sick of frozen cables.

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wheelz
wheelz
9 years ago

@Frank: The 28×42 low gear on the Surly is almost as low as 22×34 or 24×46. Fat bikes in particular aren’t going to be getting anywhere near 30 mph very often, so they are the prefect bike to be 1×11.

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Gunnstein
Gunnstein
9 years ago

Frank, just put a small enough chainring on, and 1×11 goes as low as you like. As for high end, this bike is not make for speed anyway, the 10-42t cassette is plenty wide enough. Also, 22/34 is almost exactly the same gearing as 28/42 which we’re talking about here.

Trigger shifters are easy to operate with thin gloves inside warm pogies. Thumbies are awkward no matter what you’re wearing, is my opinion.

+1 on frozen cables!

Damn, I want that John Deere. So right for a fatbike. Only it should be aluminium, thicker tubes look better on fatbikes.

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Frank
Frank
9 years ago

@wheelz: close but no cigar. 19.3 gear inches compared to 18.7, and really the latter is still a little steep in practice, 22×36 would be ideal for a fatty.

26t x 11 would get you there, and provide more than enough speed on the top end for snow. I don’t know why no one is making 26t 1×11 drivetrains for fatbikes.

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Zach D
Zach D
9 years ago

@Frank, don’t forget about a 11 speed gripshift. Much easier than a trigger with gloves.

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Awwww
Awwww
9 years ago

Oh, dang, I LOST a fatbike race.

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Ol' Shel'
Ol' Shel'
9 years ago

@Dug, the flaw in that logic is that QBP sells product to the builders that adopt its products.

Those builders never sell anything to QBP.

You could say that builders are taking from SHimano, SRAM, etc.

The point is that QBP scratches SRAM’s back because they’re in bed together, not because they need to pay to license any narrow-wide technology. They don’t reward the small innovators, because the small guys have no power.

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dug
dug
9 years ago

@Ol’ Shel’ I get it. I see your point.

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Terry
Terry
9 years ago

FWIW 58/94 is the greatest BCD ever. Kudos to Surly for keeping it going.

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Mike b
Mike b
6 years ago

Maybe I’m weak but I’ve been running 24t chainring with 11s gx and love it. Works well for the deep powder i ride in.

And that’s not the first surly with a full sram drivetrain, my straggler has full apex.

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