I took the MRP Chain Guide off shortly after my last post (Part 3) and have ridden DH trails at Exit 27, Enduro race course shuttle runs at Chuckanut Mt., made several trips to Duthie Hill MTB Park, completed the Trials of Tribulation course 6 times, the Tapeworm Time Trial, put in a few hundred miles of technical single track riding, and suffered a big time crash that broke my rear rotor and bent the stout Santa Cruz derailleur hanger. But through all of that (even the major crash) I never suffered a single dropped chain!
I am thoroughly impressed so far with my 1x11 drive train performance and feel I have it all dialed in for the start of the Northwest enduro racing season.
I recently added a 30t 104 Drop Stop Chain Ring to my 2010 Stumpjumper Carbon Pro Single Speed Cross Country bike. That's right, a 23lb 140mm full suspension single speed single track trail ripper made possible with a YESS chain tensioner http://www.yesspro.com/product/84/ . This has done 2 things: 1) the 30t chainring gave me a low enough gear ratio to finally climb technical single track in my local riding area, and 2) the red anodizing matches the red Crank Bros Cobalt wheelset for some extra bling factor. So far the performance has been flawless and I will begin racing XC Single Speed races in 2 1/2 weeks. Wish me luck.
I also put a 32t 104 Drop Stop Chain Ring on my 2012 Santa Cruz Nomad and will enter my first DH race at Dry Hill in mid April. So far the performance on this bike has been nothing short of stellar as well.
So in summary the Drop Stop Chainrings from Wolf Tooth Components are top notch performers, look great, and I am proud that my race team and I can support this fantastic "Made in America" company!
Sincerely,
Marc Garoutte
Epic Racing Cycling Team Manager.
