Narrow wide chainring on a 2x setup?

[300hp]

Yo, people who know stuff:

Has anyone tried running a narrow/wide ring with a front derailleur? I rarely shift to my granny, but for full-day rides and saving energy in transit stages, I do like having it on the bike. Right now I have a stinger on the bike, and the goal is to get rid of it. I don't like how easy it is to whack.

So, has anyone tried to shift a narrow/wide ring? Shifting doesn't have to be great....just work. I'm conscious of when I shift, and it's not in a race situation, so I can pause and unload the drivetrain before shifting.

I run a 9sp setup and don't have the $ to get a full 10sp rig right now. I can spend $35 on a chainring though.

Thanks!
Hunter

[BushwackerinPA]

I think it would only work if you got off the bike and put the chain into gear manually the chainring would not let the chain go at all IMO.

[D(C)]

You'd need a way to make sure the chain meshes with the correct alternating tooth. If the narrow link goes onto the wide tooth, it's probably not going to work.

One thing you could do is get rid of your front derailleur but leave the granny ring on and manually shift the chain as needed. But honestly that sounds like a pretty big pain, and I'd personally rather run a front derailleur and guide.

If you're running SRAM 9 Speed, you can use a Shimano 10 speed rear derailleur with your current components (as far as I've read). You could pick up a Deore or SLX Shadow+ RD for just a bit more than you'd spend on the N/W ring and could most likely get away without a guide.

[300hp]

Yeah, getting the chain to "mesh" was my worry. Part of me thinks it'll fall into place, but popping a chain just isn't worth it.

the whole ditch-the-guide thing came about when I did the shadow plus SLX mech with the 1/4" square nut mod. So far, it's working well with my sram 9sp shifters and 11-34 XT cassette. I run a raceface DH 34T ring and a 24t ring in front.

My only gripe with the setup right now is how much resistance the clutch mech adds in the 32 and 34 rear cog. It's noticeable for sure. I was hoping to clean the bike up, and get rid of some drag by ditching the stinger. If I could run a narrow/wide and still have some shift-ability, that would be the ultimate.

[rideit]

You are basically wanting for it to do EXACTLY what it was designed not to do....

[jamal]

I don't see how that would work. Chain will really not want to shift, and I'd think you would have to manually put it back on the narrow-wide ring.

Set up the FD properly and it won't drop chains. My new to me "freshly tuned up" bike that I got from my shop was dropping the chain all over the place and the front shifting was not what I was expecting out of 2x10 mtb compared to my road bike. So I took a closer look at it and the front derailleur was just a touch higher than it needed to be. Dropped it down and now it shifts perfectly and hasn't dropped a chain since.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Bent teeth can cause the chain to drop as well.

[rideit]

And birds fart. Or do they?

[stuckathuntermtn]

And if they do, what do bird farts smell like?

[rideit]

The inside of a bird, duh

[Eluder]

You are basically wanting for it to do EXACTLY what it was designed not to do....

This.....

[300hp]

right on. Again, I assumed as much, but didn't feel like spending the $ to experiment.

The drivetrain is pretty dialed, but if it would work added insurance is never a bad thing.

I didn't know if these things offered a little more retention than a non ramped, non pinned DH chainring, or if they had a *lot* more.

[xyz]

This

You are basically wanting for it to do EXACTLY what it was designed not to do....

and this

I think it would only work if you got off the bike and put the chain into gear manually the chainring would not let the chain go at all IMO.

[earthling]

Has anybody tried a narrow wide chain ring on a 1x8 drivetrain? Most of the chain rings specify 9/10/11 speed, but I'm hoping an 8 speed chain can work.

Anybody have any thoughts about why this will/won't work?

[Eluder]

Has anybody tried a narrow wide chain ring on a 1x8 drivetrain? Most of the chain rings specify 9/10/11 speed, but I'm hoping an 8 speed chain can work.

Anybody have any thoughts about why this will/won't work?

Should be fine as they have the same inner width.

[earthling]

Should be fine as they have the same inner width.

Thanks rludes025.

Anybody else have any experience with this set up?

[Damian Sanders]

Thanks rludes025.

Anybody else have any experience with this set up?

I ran a 10-speed dura-ace chain with 8-speed for about a year, and it actually shifts great and has a huge range of adjustment before it goes out of whack. Have never dropped a chain using a race face narrow wide with a non-clutch mid-cage M951 GS derailleur, but I don't do much fast and rough downhilling.

[earthling]

I ran a 10-speed dura-ace chain with 8-speed for about a year, and it actually shifts great and has a huge range of adjustment before it goes out of whack. Have never dropped a chain using a race face narrow wide with a non-clutch mid-cage M951 GS derailleur, but I don't do much fast and rough downhilling.

Awesome, thanks for the info guys, exactly what I was looking for.

[Damian Sanders]

Yo, people who know stuff:

Has anyone tried running a narrow/wide ring with a front derailleur? I rarely shift to my granny, but for full-day rides and saving energy in transit stages, I do like having it on the bike. Right now I have a stinger on the bike, and the goal is to get rid of it. I don't like how easy it is to whack.

So, has anyone tried to shift a narrow/wide ring? Shifting doesn't have to be great....just work. I'm conscious of when I shift, and it's not in a race situation, so I can pause and unload the drivetrain before shifting.

I run a 9sp setup and don't have the $ to get a full 10sp rig right now. I can spend $35 on a chainring though.

Thanks!
Hunter

I don't think you'll be able shift off a narrow wide without possibly messing up the chain. I'd keep the granny and manually shift it as needed, it's not hard to take a stick or rock (to not get grease on your gloves) and lift the chain at the bottom of the chainring, then back pedal. Might even be able to do it with your foot.

I was running 9-speed 11-34t with a 30t RF NW and was going to add a granny just like this, but I ended up figuring out how to fit a new 40t E13 cog and 14t cog I had on hand, plus a new 11t cog, about $60 total, see here:

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...67#post4698867

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...37#post4717237

Not sure what the best cheap solution is for you though. As an alternative to the narrow wide ring, you could rotate and modify the Stinger to be a top chainguide, and go 10-speed 11-42t with a Sunrace cassette and Zee/SLX shifter and derailleur. That's going run about $130 though with a new chain.

For no cost you could just remove the front derailleur, rotate the stinger to the top position, and adjust it so it's loose enough to allow the chain to be moved off the big ring manually when backpedaled, but still retain the chain under normal riding......!

[Damian Sanders]

Awesome, thanks for the info guys, exactly what I was looking for.

You bet. AFAIK, a 10 speed chain has a narrower inner width than 8 speed. I went to the 10 speed chain when
I went narrow wide, to fit the chainring better (since I wasn't running a clutch RD) and to save a bit of weight with the DA hollow pin chain. It fits the cassette cogs fine. I also put a shim washer in the upper floating pulley of my derailleur, reducing play, to make things more precise in catching the next cog in a shift, but I'm not sure how much that helps. Its also important to reduce your chain length to a reasonable minimum, for max tension, if you don't have a clutch derailleur.