Middle Chainring Advice Needed

steelo
steelo Posts: 542
edited March 2008 in MTB buying advice
I have an '07 Rockhopper with a worn cassette, stretched chain and worn middle chainring.

I'm pretty set on a SRAM PC971 chain and XT cassette.

I need advice on selecting an appropriate 32t middle chainring that will fit a Shimano Octalink crank.

I know I can remove the middle ring by taking the outer completely off and undoing the inner from the spider. It's a bit fiddly but at least I don't need to remove the crank from the BB. So I will be doing the mod myself and saving a bit of cash on the labour from the LBS.

I've looked at Deore, LX, XT, race face and middleburn but I can't find any decent reviews/lifespan/wear etc. on each and how they compare.

My budget for the chainring is about £30 so anything under that is in for consideration.

What is the best chainring out there for the price?
Specialized Rockhopper '07
Trek Fuel EX8 '09

Comments

  • race face or middleburn are strong proven rings that last forever, I personally have used race face ones for ages and they are spot on.
  • dunker
    dunker Posts: 1,503
    raceface "race" are good, lots of chains out there like the look of the kmc x9-sl, pricy though.

    try to use the big ring more when in the 4 highest gears and the opposite for the granny ring, the middle will wear less. that's if you were'nt of course :)
  • steelo
    steelo Posts: 542
    I must admit, I usually leave the chain in the middle front and use the entire range of sprockets on the back!

    Is this not the wisest thing to do?

    I know about not using both big rings (front and back) and both small rings at the same time as it puts the chain into an 'S' bend.
    Specialized Rockhopper '07
    Trek Fuel EX8 '09