Chainrings for Shimano HTII cranks?

[Entrenador]

Hi.

I've been using my shimano LX and XT cranks for a while now, and the rings are starting to look pretty tired. I've tried a few random rings on the Shimano cranks before and have had mixed results. For example, the Blackspire 24t plays better with the stock 32t ring than the Vuelta 24t, because the centerline of the teeth on the Blackspire is flush with the mounting flange, where as the vuelta's teeth sit a hair further inboard. In other cases, I've had aftermarket rings that were too tight to mount on the shimano arms; specifically, the shoulders on the crank arm flanges were interfering, so I had use a file on the new rings to get them to mount up properly. This slight difference (in this case, between TruShift rings and Shimano rings) seems like perhaps a way for Shimano to keep their customers stuck with their proprietary stuff

At any rate, I'm curious about which aftermarket rings, when used in combination, work well on the HT II crank arms. Who's using what non-shimano rings on their arms successfully?

Thanks much.

[crazy8]

Check out WickWerks RR rings. They are 104/64mm, 44/32/22t. You can check them out at www.wickwerks.com.

[eric1115]

Race Face does rings for Shimano spacing. Note that Race Face, Shimano, and TruVativ all do different spacing/clocking for their 104/64 cranks.

[jeffscott]

I have played with middleburn and raceface...

middleburn lasts longer raceface shifts better...both are fine.

[PissedOffCil]

BlackSpire here and they work great on SLX (and probably LX and XT)

[Entrenador]

Thanks for the input. So, are you guys running these non-Shimano rings together, meaning changing out all three worn Shimanos for a set of new Blackspires for example? Or did you just change one of the rings? Just seeking a bit of clarity.

Thanks again.

[LyNx]

Seriously, ditch all the Shimano rings and go all BlackSpire Super Pro. When I got my first set I got Larry@Mtn High to order me a complete set of them - Granny, Middle and Big. Since I've also added a 38t to the mix and I now have my 2 bikes setup like this 34/46t on the rigid/commuter/roadie and 24/38t on the FS 29er, original 3 rings were 24/34/46t. If I'm ordering rings for myself I won't use anything else, they're just the best.

[PissedOffCil]

I use small/medium on a 2 ring setup since my Truvativ wore out. They've been flawless and not a mark of wear after 2 seasons...