Wolf Tooth Stainless Steel Chainring | Tougher than nails

Our friends over at Wolf Tooth have been making chainrings for quite some time now.  Their traditional go to material for their components has been the tried and true 7075 aluminum, however in recent months they have added another material . . . stainless steel.

There are other stainless chainrings on the market, but what makes Wolftooths different is that they use 416 grade vs 300 grade stainless which is tougher and more durable.  After extensive machining their stainless rings are further heat treated for hardness and electro polished for durability, corrosion resistance and the ultimate in shininess.

Wolf Tooth sent along a 30T 104 BCD for review on my 1x9 Bigfoot.

Be sure to check out the video review for additional information and test footage.

WHY STAINLESS

Primarily for durability as aluminum chainrings don't last forever.  Extended use, harsh environment and mashing on the crank can all reduce its lifespan. 

Aluminum Chainring Wear

A stainless chainring will last 5 to 10 times longer than an aluminum, but there is one tiny offset . . . weight.  The stainless chainring weighs about 2x that of a comparable aluminum. 

Weight reduction grooves

For example a 104 BCD 30T stainless weighs 72g while the same one in aluminum is only 36g. To put it in perspective, a tiny RAP6 multi-tool over at Lezyne weighs in at 74g. 

Unless you are very weight conscious these extra grams should not make that much of a difference.

FIELD TEST & IMPRESSION

I took the stainless out on the trails going through some pretty nasty stuff. Mud and water is pretty much the norm, but I made it point of aiming my fatbike into some bog.  And as some of you may know, bog is acidic.

I also rode my Bigfoot down the highway so as expose the drivetrain to some road salt . . . yup . . . road salt.  My chain is really not happy with me right now especially since I have neglected washing the Bigfoot since the testing began.

The drop stop technology used in Wolf Tooth's chainrings worked as promised.  No dropped chains . . . even with my 1x9 non-clutched drivechain.  The same result when I tested their Elliptical and the standard aluminum circular chainring. I was not disappointed.

There is no indication of any wear on the stainless chainring.  The only blemishes being rust from the chain rubbing off on the teeth.  If I treated my chain with a little respect the tarnishing would not be present.  Other than that, a quick rinse and the chainring was sparkling.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you are the type of person who mashes their cranks, rides in harsh conditions, are not gentle on chainrings or just likes things shiny . . . be sure to take a look at Wolf Tooth's new line of stainless steel chainrings.