Wolf Tooth Components is a small start-up based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that is among a growing number of companies producing narrow-wide chainrings similar to SRAM’s X-Sync design, but in a much wider variety of tooth counts and bolt circle diameters.
For those new to the concept, narrow-wide chainrings mate up with the alternating width of the inner plates of your bicycle's chain in order to minimize the side-to-side movement of the chain on the chainring. This lateral movement is a frequent culprit of unintended chain derailment in 1x drivetrains.
Single ring drivetrains are a surefire way to shed weight while simplifiying your bike. As their popularity increases, so too do the number of companies producing aftermarket narrow-wide chainrings. In addition to Wolf Tooth, Race Face, e*thirteen, and AbsoluteBLACK all produce similar chainrings in a variety of tooth counts (all even numbers, of course) and bolt circle diameters.
We requested a trio of chainrings from Wolf Tooth Components to test. These are just a sampling of the narrow-wide chainring options Wolf Tooth Components produces. Visit their website to learn more.
First up is the 104mm BCD chainring. The 104mm drilling is still the most common four-bolt pattern for modern mountain bike cranksets.
According to Wolf Tooth Component’s Brendan Moore, the 30T, 104mm BCD option is the company’s biggest seller. (Presumably because many customers are pairing this ring with a 10-speed 11-36T cassette, which lacks the range of SRAM’s 11-speed XX1 cassette.)
Wolf Tooth makes 104mm BCD chainrings in 30-38T sizes. Pricing starts at US$68
Next, we have a SRAM GXP alternative.
Wolf Tooth offers its direct mount chainrings for SRAM GXP cranksets in 26-36T versions. Pricing starts at US$78
Last but certainly not least, we have a 42T chainring in a 110mm BCD for cyclocross racing.
Wolf Tooth makes 110mm BCD chainrings in 36-44T tooth counts. Pricing starts at US$79
We’ll be putting all three chainrings through the ringer this winter. Be sure to check back for complete reviews of all three chainrings early next year.
