Trail Tested: Renthal 1XR Narrow/Wide Chainring

Renthal is well known in the off-road motorcycle world for, among many other things, its hi-quality chainrings as well a collection of top-notch bicycle parts including bars, stems and grips mainly directed towards the downhill, all-mountain and enduro crowd. After 18 months of development and testing Renthal has just this week officially introduced its new narrow/wide 1x chainring to the public. It’s something cross-country as well as gravity riders can appreciate equally and Dirt Rag has had one of the first available in for testing for well over two months.

During those 18 months of creation Renthal did some experimenting. This is what Ian Collins, Renthal’s Cycling Product Marketing Manager said. “We saw problems with wide/narrow in terms of durability and use in muddy British conditions. After going through a number of different designs, including ultra tall teeth and a whacky chainring with three in-line teeth, we proved the best levels of chain retention were achieved with alternating wide and narrow teeth. So, we went back to the wide/narrow format and tackled the issues that it caused.”

Accordingly, in thick mud Renthal found that it would build up quickly on the shoulder groove at the wide teeth and against the front of them, this is what can make the chain “lift-up” and derail during extensive mud riding. It can also cause excess wear. To cure this Renthal lowered the shoulder between its 3.5 mm wide teeth, added mud grooves in the tooth bed and profiled the front section of the wide teeth to purge mud rather than collect it. This design gives the appearance of very tall teeth, easily sticking out through the chain.

Other design features include a 7075 T6 aluminum construction, stiff I-Beam cross-section and hard anodized finish. Weight for our 32t ring is 37 grams—the same as a 32t Race Face ring and about 10 grams less than a stock SRAM ring. It’s available in 104 mm BCD with 32, 34, 36 and 38t options. Retail price is $60.

Ride impression

I set my 1XR ring up on a SRAM 1x11drivetrain with a 104 mm BCD Shimano crank. During an excessively muddy and snowy winter on the East Coast my Renthal ring saw plenty of thick muck and it never failed. Not once. My rear derailleur could gunk up and the pulleys clog but the ring never seemed to notice it was muddy out. Obviously on dry trails as spring sprung the ring retained the chain perfectly. I’ll also add that the vain side of me loves the gold color and styling of the ring.

Renthal has created a winner with its 1XR ring: it’s been working flawlessly. If you’re running a 1x system with no chain retention device in any climate it’s a solid choice from a proven company. And, being that Renthal is located in Bredbury, England, which is muddy about 75-percent of the year, it’s no surprise they know how to make a product that works in all conditions.