Customer Review: Race Face Narrow Wide DM Chainring

In this review, one of our customers talks about his new Race Face narrow wide chainring mounted to a set of Race Face Next SL G4 cranks. This is one of our favorite drivetrain combos here at the shop that we recommend to all of our customers! Let's see what this particular customer thinks. 

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I began riding and racing mountain bikes back in 1987 with my initial purchase of Fat City Cycle’s, Fat Chance Wicked, steel constructed frame, which was welded by the legendary builder, Chris Chance. It was equipped with Shimano’s Deore XT gruppo; the iconic XTR gruppo was not released until 1992. The M730, 6-speed drive system utilized a triple crankset with Biopace II elliptical chainrings: 48/38/28 respectively; they were a far cry from today’s 1x chainring systems that are mechanically simple and require only a rear derailleur and shifter. I used those oval-shaped chainrings for a year or two, then chucked them for concentric chainrings. Weight of those Biopace II chainrings with Deore XT 175mm crankarms was around 760 grams. Compare that against 2017 Race Face Next SL G4 cranks coupled to a Race Face 36T Cinch Direct Mount Narrow-Wide Chainring at 462 grams. Are we talking light??

My drivetrain utilizes Shimano’s XTR RD-9000 medium cage, Race Face Next SL G4 crankset, Race Face Cinch Chainring 36T, and SRAM X01 X-Glide XG 1195 rear cassette. Shifting is precise and trouble-free whether I’m hammering undulating desert trails or nimbly ascending and descending rocks that are found around the Scottsdale area. I’ve yet to throw a chain despite shifting under heavy loads, as in the case of climbing. At 79.6 grams, Race Face’s chainrings are reasonably light, stiff, and durable. In an era where everything black is commonplace, Race Face offers their Cinch Chainrings in myriad anodized colors that include: black, red, green, blue, orange, and purple. They are compatible with 9-12 speed drivetrains and offer tooth count ranges from 24-36. Machined from 7075 T-6 aluminum, its T-6 temper is achieved by heating at 250°F for 24 hours. Its high strength-to-weight ratio and thermal conductivity makes it ideal for use in aerospace and automotive industries, which means it rocks for bicycle components.

I discovered the folks at WorldWideCyclery last year and highly recommend them. They are knowledgeable, respond quickly to queries, possess huge selections of quality bicycles and components, offer extremely competitive pricing, ship quickly, offer a liberal return policy, and outright ROCK BIG TIME. View their feedback from hundreds of satisfied customers on Facebook, Twitter, and Ebay. Shop with confidence. These guys and gals are the Real Deal.