Double vs Single Chainrings?

Triathlon Forum
1

There are chainrings for a double setup and chainrings for a single setup. What’s the difference? Can they be used interchangeably?

2

I know that a chainring for a single won’t have the pick-up pins on the inside to shift up from a small ring.

Will it work, yes but not as well. I changed the large chainring on my 29er last summer to something smaller but could not find one with the pick-up pins in it. It worked OK enough for me to race on and I shift a lot.

jaretj

3

I know that a chainring for a single won’t have the pick-up pins on the inside to shift up from a small ring.

That’s right, and many big rings will also have smaller teeth near the pin to facilitate shifting.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_p.html#pins

4

True single rings not only dont have the ramps and pins to help shifting, the teeth are longer and pointier to help keep the chain on. Also a lot of single chain rings are designed to mate with single speed chains, which are wide, so be careful when you purchase.

5

Two important features to look at …

  1. Ramps and pins
  2. BCD
6

Thanks for the posts!

7

before say 1993, all rings were single rings, even when they were mounted in a double/triple format.

8

before say 1993, all rings were single rings, even when they were mounted in a double/triple format.

I was going to say "back in the day, we called “single chainrings” by the term “chainrings”.

9

Not at all. Track chainrings always had longer teeth, probably back to the early 60s. Pins and ramps came about when you said, though.

10

Not at all. Track chainrings always had longer teeth, probably back to the early 60s. Pins and ramps came about when you said, though.

But aren’t you also talking a difference between 3/32" and 1/8" chains?