About Your New 44RN 144#47 Track Ring

A few notes about the 144#47 track chain rings by 44RN. These rings are designed to be extremely quiet, right out of the packaging but there are a few things you need to do:

-run a new chain
-run a new cog

Check out why below.

This shouldn’t be news but some people might overlook it. Any bike shop will tell you it’s the right thing to do, but it’s especially important to do it with these rings. Why? Because chains and rings wear in the same spots. And putting an old chain onto a new ring will wear it down faster.

“Prior to selecting a machine shop, I machined prototype blanks (chainrings with no aesthetic features) with the new tooth profile that I had been developing. I gave these hand-numbered blanks to friends and had them roadtest the fit, noise-level, and wear of the tooth profile. Noise-level might seem like a strange parameter on which to conduct performance tests, but I was trying to get the widest quiet-running tooth possible. Wide BMX-style teeth grind and grate until they are broken in and I wanted these chainrings to be smooth and quiet from day one. I also went through a dozen or so designs before settling on the the cut-out design and labeling scheme.”

“At no point in the process of making these chainrings did a file or manual deburring instrument touch the parts, every single edge on the chainring (front and back) has a precision machine-broken 45-degree 0.010-in deep chamfer. A custom 20-degree chamfer tool was used to precisely bevel each tooth during the machining process.”

The rings were fully CNC machined from certified 6061-T6 aircraft grade aluminum plate stock. Each ring was then lightly buffed and delivered to another local shop for black and clear hardcoat anodizing.

Basically, you’re getting a bicycle component that is designed and manufactured by someone who cares and actually knows what he’s talking about. I wouldn’t sell these rings if that wasn’t the case.

Follow 44RN on his site for more design-oriented geekery. Thanks again man!

15 Comments »
by prolly |
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  • Von S

    damn it i missed it again!

     

  • Doctor_Jones_

    Does he have a cog/chain that he thinks is the best to pair with his ring? I like the Sram PC-7x Chain myself.

    • iStone

      You can never go wrong with an EAI Superstar. That’s what I’m using.

  • Chris

    A new chain for sure but I wouldn’t worry about a new cog. It’s nice to do but I don’t think it’s a “need.” As long as the cog is not trashed you should be OK. The best preventative measure is change your chain frequently. Monitor chain wear and toss the chain when it starts showing. You will get a ton of mileage out of your cogs and chainrings if you run a fresh chain.

    From a track perspective (constantly changing cogs and chainrings with various amounts of mileage) this has worked best for me. I wouldn’t want a chainring that needs a new cog to be run with it or even a new chain for that matter. I’m assuming most will be using this for street and gearing changes won’t be that frequent so a new chain is a good idea. Keep wear to a minimum on all parts and your drivetrain will last much longer. 

    • Lee

      Depending on parts choice, use and maintenance, if you’re changing a chain (personally) I’d change the rear sprocket regardless. Whilst a steel rear sprocket is a lot stronger than and alloy chain ring  it still wears with the chain just as (or faster than the chain ring  as the tooth count is so much smaller.
       I’d be hesitant to change the sprocket if it was a 6 month old White Industries free-wheel or a DA Track sprocket, though, with something as nice as this, wouldn’t you want it to run as new as possible?

  • recur

    dude should make more…

  • Steve

    It would be cool to be able to buy one. 110 chainrings is not very many.

    • http://prollyisnotprobably.com John Watson

      It’s a lot of money to front. We’ll make more!

  • Alex

    I’m so bummed! I was away from my computer for the past few days and missed getting one of these rings. I’ve been waiting for months! Any chance of getting more? Have y’all considered crowd-funding like Kickstarter to help defray the upfront costs? I’d bet there are a number of people out there that would like to get their hands on one of these guys!

  • Quinn Aldrich

    Will 44RN ever be making a 130 BCD with 48t?

    • Mario Cipollini

      i imagine not. he’s one guy and the startup costs on something like this are pretty hefty.  if he makes 100 chainrings and it costs him $40 a chainring, that’s $4000 up front.  and machine shops have minimum orders, so that it’s worth their time to change out the fixtures, toolpaths, and everything else that’s required to make a new part.  so he can’t just get like 3 or 4 130bcd 48t rings – he has to get like 50.  honestly, just save up for a bit and get some nice 144bcd track cranks.  you won’t regret it.

  • Tyler

    what if we dont switch? i really like my shimano oval link chain…

  • crihs

    Make a 49t!

  • Ryan Combdon

    Quick Question for anyone that can answer. In preparation for the chain ring i’ve been cleaning up my present setup. I have a sugino 75 crankset and bought it used fully assembled. Are the Non-allen Key Chainring Bolts fixed to the cranks somehow. 
    I tried using a spanner to remove them but not luck. Thanks. 

    • http://prollyisnotprobably.com John Watson

      You need a spanner for chainring bolts. Or take them to a bike shop before they get stripped out.


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