In very wet muddy gravel, my 12s Force chain would not engage with a brand new Garbaruk 46t chain ring. Chain was measured just fine before professional install and all specs were compatible. Chain length and wear was within spec. Covered in mud and silt, the chain would not engage into the teeth of the ring. My chainring was essentially sliding underneath the chain. Eventually the chain fell to the inside, but I've never had a chain drop on this bike. Important note: Only rode 200km total on this new ring since install.
Had to take the DNF because the only way to get it engaged was to pound the chain back onto the ring to get it onto the right teeth (wide/narrow), but only for it to look like the pic again after just 1 pedal stroke.
Never had this issue riding in mud/ rain with any other chainring (all have been sram prior). Note: I also put Super Secret lube on 12 hours prior (not long enough, should be 24hr). Chain has only ever been waxed otherwise. Important note: Only rode 200km on this new ring before this fail.
Mechs told me it’s because the ring is too new. Needed more miles and just a fraction more wear on the teeth/anodized paint to afford room for grit.
Cleaned back at home and rode another 200k over the weekend no problem no issues whatsoever (no mud either though). Question: Should i get a new chain ring and never ride this brand again in mud? Or do you think the anodized paint has worn off just enough now to give it another try in harsh conditions and trust this ring is actually as great as they say it is? I’m leaning towards the latter, but want to hear others opinions. Thanks for the feedback.
by TwoFastTooFuriousTo
14 Comments
i would have changed the chain
I’ve no experience with Super Secret as I’ve only used melt wax, but is it possible that it solidified on the inner sides of the plates and prevented the chain from meshing?
Is that garbaruk chainring even made for sram t-type chains?
Maybe carry an extra bottle of water and lube to clean and lube during the ride?
chain is not compatible with ring?
Classic chain wear indicators are inaccurate for the flat top chains. Your chain might have been too worn for the new chainring.
OK better question: Has anyone ridden a brand new chainring (<200km) in horrible conditions and what was the result? And if so, what was the chain condition as well?
I’d love to hear from the true gearheads who geek out on chain ring/chain line optimization and have used Garbaruk with SRAM drivetrains
I’ve seen chains go from decent to worn the fuck out in one very muddy race. Maybe that’s what happened here? Chain wear is considerably accelerated f you have enough mud.
To me it looks like textbook worn chain
Given how needy modern 12speed drivetrains are, I’m always dubious of chainrings that suggest they’re compatible with 9/10/11 and 12 speed drivetrains, something will be suboptimal to allow for that. And particularly if they’re compatible with 9/10/11/12 and then also compatible with flattop road and t type. And it will most likely run fine in perfect conditions, but as soon as something isn’t perfect, whether that be the weather, the ground conditions, or a marginally worn chain, these issues will crop up.
12s anything is so finicky for tolerance. Did you see them measure it in front of you? Normally, 8,9,10 & sometimes 11 speed can last much longer but when it comes to wearing out I wouldn’t generally take any chances in the future with 12s components. Due to how much thinner everything is, they leave you far less room for a margin of error.
Also, when racing on with what looks to be a pretty muddy course it is entirely possible that you bent a link or even a few and that now your brand new chain ring isn’t budging and causing this.
I’m surprised that the mechanics you dropped it off with didn’t mention that and offer up replacing the chain as a possibility. Good on them for not just immediately replacing without the possibility of trying it at least but I wouldn’t replace the chainring unless of course it wasn’t compatible with any 12s flat-top chains.
wow seems like you did the impossible there 😅😅😅
How tight do you normally have your setup out of 10(10=vtight) also is your setup 100% force or is it a half breed; force but with eagle parts…. if its 100% force be warned that the gen 1 AXS clutch isn’t the best when it comes to hardcore gravel and sometimes ( super rare) the derailuer’s safety mode can kick in which can really suck
I’m either blind, or the chain is not on correct teeth – it’s narrow wide and the chain seems to be shifted one half link to one side
I am convinced the Graffiti gravel grinder was a psyop to get everyone into their LBS’ for some year end sales.