Gravel chainrings

How to choose a gravel chainring

Choose a chainring by its mounting type before its tooth count. This is the trickiest part of the range, because gravel standards differ from road standards.

Mounting: BCD or Direct Mount

• Shimano GRX with a double chainring uses a bolt circle diameter of 110 mm for the large chainring and 80 mm for the small one — a GRX-specific combination that allows a small chainring of 30 or 31 teeth. A 110 mm compact road chainring cannot replace a small GRX chainring.
• Shimano CUES uses a range of bolt circle diameters (64, 80, 96, 110 mm), depending on the crankset model: check the exact model number of yours.
• SRAM Direct Mount (8 bolts) and Thread Mount : the chainring bolts directly to the crank arm, without a spider. The Thread Mount version also accepts power meter chainrings.
• Campagnolo Ekar and Super Record 13 have their own chainrings, which are not interchangeable with those of other brands.

Tooth count

In 1x, together with the cassette, it determines the bike’s entire gear range. Dropping 2 teeth makes climbs noticeably easier, at the expense of downhill speed. On a 2x, the difference in size between the large and small chainrings must stay within the range supported by the front derailleur.

Chainrings for 1x setups

• A chainring 1x has narrow-wide (narrow-wide) that hold the chain in place without a front derailleur. It cannot be used in a double-chainring setup.
• The Wolf Tooth Drop-Stop takes this further with a tooth profile that holds the chain more securely on rough terrain.
• Chainrings oval (Wolf Tooth, Rotor Q-Ring) smooth out the pedal stroke: they extend the effective power phase and ease the dead spots. Useful on climbs over loose ground, though it mainly comes down to personal feel.

When to replace it

Wave-shaped or hooked teeth, or a new chain that skips or catches: the chainring is worn. It generally lasts through two to three chains, longer if the chain is replaced in time.

To find out more: How to choose your chainrings

See also: Gravel cranksets and crank arms · Gravel chain guides · Gravel chains