Sprocket question

[mnnthbx]

I'm changing my rear sprocket. What kind should I use? I don't need the best thing made, I don't want a poor made part either. I see Rocky Mountain has:

Primary Drive (steel) $15

Renthal (aluminum) $50

Titax (aluminum) $30

I will be installing a new R1 chain with it. I'm leaning toward the Titax unless some of you know that they suck. Thanks for your input.

 

[Twiztid One]

i like the sunstars , the hold up good . you can get them at FRP or Dennis Kirk real cheap .

 

[Knobbyjake]

Basically all aluminum sprockets are the same. They are hard anodized 7075 aluminum, so for the same thing you might as well pay the lesser price. If you're going to keep the bike it may pay to invest in stainless steel, that's what I will do next.

 

[Jaybird]

Stainless is a mistake in my opinion. A search will yield why I say this.
It's not so much that the sprocket has a problem, but what the use of them leads to.

All aluminum sprockets are NOT alike! Some are stamped and some are precision machined.
A stamped sprocket can have weak spots and can also be non-concentric.

Always choose a machined sprocket.

 

[Knobbyjake]

I agree with what you say as far as machined and stamped but I was talking hardness and wear. An aluminum sprocket can only be made so hard whether it's stamped or machined. I will have to do a search on the stainless ones,though.

 

[Jaybird]

Jake,
An aluminum sprocket is plenty hard enough to use.
Only when a chain has lengthened in pitch past 1.5% of new, will it start to deform the teeth. I don't care what some psuedo experts will tell you...brute force of the bike will NOT deform the teeth.

What happens when you run a steel sprocket is that youu get real comfortable with your drive set-up because you see nothing happening to the teeth. They are "too" hard to be deformed by the growth of pitch of the chain.
Consequently, when the chain does grow, the hard sprocket that fights the deforming of the tooth actually starts to accelerate the wear and pitch growth of the chain. So the chain gets ALL of the wear. This allows you to run the set-up until the chain is wayyy past where it should have been changed out, even to a point of endangering the rider.
Anytime you hear a guy say his chains are all crap but his sprockets are holding up just fine, prolly is going through this.

Keep an eye on your chain and replace it once it gets to about 1-1.5% growth and you will see good long service from an aluminum sprocket.

Running an aluminum sprocket gives you a quick visual of where your drive set-up is. Especially if you aren't one to measure and know where your chain is.

 

[KnoxKDX]

Hi mnnthbx. I was faced with a similar situation in Feb and went with the el-cheapo Primary Drive carbon steel for $15. I have about 600 miles on it and it is showing no noticeable wear on it at this point. I bought 2 new sprockets and an RK X-ring chain and they are all holding up well. I just use a brush with soap and water to knock the mud off, then dry them and apply some Bel Ray Super-Clean.

 

[KnoxKDX]

Hi mnnthbx. I was faced with a similar situation in Feb and went with the el-cheapo Primary Drive carbon steel for $15. I have about 600 miles on it and it is showing no noticeable wear on it at this point. I bought 2 new sprockets and an RK X-ring chain and they are all holding up well. I just use a brush with soap and water to knock the mud off, then dry them and apply some Bel Ray Super-Clean. The only thing I'd change is the RK chain...it seems to kink a bit more than some of the other brands.

 

[mnnthbx]

Titax aluminum it is. I am gonna try the 48 tooth for just a hint more pop with no fit issues. Thanks for your help.

Knox, what ratio did you end up on and how do you like it?

 

[KnoxKDX]

I too am running a 48 tooth for now, but will go back to the 47 tooth. I felt very little gain in the low end department, but did notice that my ability to wheelie over mud holes in 3rd gear went down after the switch. One tooth on the rear doesn't seem to do anything as far as making the gears more useable...I wish I had ordered a 12 for the front while I was at it just to try...for $6 that's a cheap test.