How durable are aluminum chain-rings?

[fossyant]

out of interest (maybe educational - help us to increase life by changing riding style/maintenance) why do you think they wear faster on MTBs (I don't have an MTB as such but do have lots of MTB components.)

Dirt and grit wear them much quicker. Went through a big chain ring in the first 12 months of lock down - loads of off road riding.

 

[Ian H]

A smaller ring will wear quicker (I used a steel granny ring on the tandem as advised by Mr Thorn), and a worn chain will wear sprockets and chainrings more quickly.

 

[Blue Hills]

Dirt and grit wear them much quicker. Went through a big chain ring in the first 12 months of lock down - loads of off road riding.

did you clean it after mucky rides?

 

[Blue Hills]

A smaller ring will wear quicker (I used a steel granny ring on the tandem as advised by Mr Thorn),

yes, as per shimano above. Assuming they put steel on the small ring because it lasts better under its obvs more potential for wear (less teeth, more circuits) as a technical thicko I wonder why they don't use the same steel for the other two rings?

(I think they do use 3 steel rings on some of the really bottom end stuff but have the idea that that is maybe pretty poor steel, whereas the steel used as the small ring on higher end chainsets looks (i stress looks - I know not a lot) like rather better stuff to me.

 

[Milzy]

I had one on a MTB & it was light but still durable.

 

[sasquath]

did you clean it after mucky rides?

If a 20 miles ride is mucky from start to finish then chain will get fair amount of grit in all the 0places it should not be in. No matter your cleaning and oiling routine your chain is doomed compared to only dry road ridden roadie chain.
You would need single speed o-ring sealed chain like motorbikes use to last 1000s of miles on MTB.

 

[fossyant]

did you clean it after mucky rides?

Every ride.

 

[DCBassman]

My two bikes have alloy Chainset. The early 80s mixte has a Stronglight, and it's still in great condition. The Scott had an all-steel Ritchey triple set, 52-42-30, which I recently changed for 50-39-30 alloy rings, purely for the ratios. I don't ever expect to wear out either set.