Price/availability of 11spd Shimano chain rings?

TheShadow
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Price/availability of 11spd Shimano chain rings?

Postby TheShadow » Thu Oct 06, 2016 5:10 pm

I'll get right to it...they seem very expensive. Specifically, it seems like your only option for the Big Chain Ring from the big, discount online retailers is an Ultegra 6800 unit - for $160 Granted, it seems the small one is available for as little as $20.

Net replacement cost for a pair would still be $110 more than for my 5700 10 spd chain rings. This is not insignificant to me, or to many other people I can only assume.

I note that 105 level, 5800 series Crank Sets are SOLD OUT (on Wiggle I think) and I think the reason for this is that people with 11spd have realised it's cheaper to buy an entire 105 crank set for $115, put the chain rings on their 6800 cranks and come out $65 ahead.

What is going on here??

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Red Rider
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Re: Price/availability of 11spd Shimano chain rings?

Postby Red Rider » Thu Oct 06, 2016 5:58 pm

I get the feeling that 105 stuff is being phased out, it's hard to find.

I'm happy enough to use Tiagra componentry given the choice.

TheShadow
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Re: Price/availability of 11spd Shimano chain rings?

Postby TheShadow » Thu Oct 06, 2016 6:15 pm

I just found a TA 110pcd, 4 bolt, Big Chain ring option on Wiggle in numerous teeth sizes, for $105. That's less horendous. That was not there the last time I looked with the assistance of one of their online staff. Still seems hard to understand why Shimano has not been able to make 5800 rings available, but if TA can do it for that price, I guess it doesn't matter so much, even if it should turn out TA is really a subsidiary of the big S. :lol:

hamishm
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Re: Price/availability of 11spd Shimano chain rings?

Postby hamishm » Thu Oct 06, 2016 6:29 pm

Same thing with 6700 a while back. Either couldn't get them or they were horrendously expensive, so it was easier to buy a new crank set. Eventually they became affordable. tbsm.com.au has 5800 chain rings if you need them quicker although not exactly a bargain still.

Uncle Just
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Re: Price/availability of 11spd Shimano chain rings?

Postby Uncle Just » Thu Oct 06, 2016 6:31 pm

BBB make replacement outer 4 bolt chain rings available locally for $110... can't vouch for quality.
http://www.bbbparts.com.au/products/category/DIBDUATK

I saw that TA outer on Wiggle. Comes in black so won't colour match the Shimano original if that's a consideration.

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Duck!
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Re: Price/availability of 11spd Shimano chain rings?

Postby Duck! » Fri Oct 07, 2016 2:08 am

The big chainring on 9000, 7900, 6800, 6700 & 5800 cranks is hollow, therefore quite complex to manufacture. That's why those rings are so much more expensive than the relatively simple flat(ish) inner and older & lower-spec big rings.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

TheShadow
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Re: Price/availability of 11spd Shimano chain rings?

Postby TheShadow » Fri Oct 07, 2016 3:43 pm

I figured that was the reason. I also can't help but suspect the alloy in the Ultegra ring is harder than the 5800 rings. It's hard to know since the price difference between the two cranksets would seem significantly to do with 6800 being lighter and more sleek looking?

I see the TA, 4 bolt ring specs "7075 T6 aluminium". I wonder how that compares to the 6800 ring?

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Duck!
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Re: Price/availability of 11spd Shimano chain rings?

Postby Duck! » Fri Oct 07, 2016 9:04 pm

7075 is quite common for parts such as chainrings, because it's a relatively hard-wearing alloy. It's probably used in both ring sets.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

danny the boy
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Re: Price/availability of 11spd Shimano chain rings?

Postby danny the boy » Mon Oct 10, 2016 3:01 pm

Price of replacement rings went up stupidly when they changed from 5 arm crank spiders to 4 arm. Guess they figured they could no longer force people to buy two seperate cranksets to change from standard to compact so they made up the losses on the cost of the rings. Im not sure there is much difference in the teeth, I run an 11 speed crank with 10 speed cassette no problem.

TheShadow
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Re: Price/availability of 11spd Shimano chain rings?

Postby TheShadow » Mon Oct 10, 2016 6:26 pm

Do you think you could run 10spd cranks with 11spd chain/cassette/derailleur?

I'm not saying the 4 bolt arm crank is a bad design concept, but it does seem completely unecessary if you don't ever plan to use a ring smaller than a 39 tooth.

It would seem the new, 4 bolt, big ring has to have so much extra lateral rigidity and strength because it must have less support than an old 5 bolt, 130 bcd Big Chain Ring, which has the crank arms extending further out towards the chain to support it? It seems to me that's where the extra cost comes from. The 4 bolt design is possibly lighter, but at the cost of a more expensive part that constantly wears out, as all chain rings do.

I have to wonder how many people want to constantly changing their chain rings anyway. Frankly it is so absurdly fast and easy to remove and replace the entire Hollowtech style crankset, that even accounting for removing/installing pedals, it's almost faster than replacing the chain rings themselves.

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Re: Price/availability of 11spd Shimano chain rings?

Postby Duck! » Mon Oct 10, 2016 11:30 pm

danny the boy wrote:Price of replacement rings went up stupidly when they changed from 5 arm crank spiders to 4 arm.
At 105 level yes, because the 5700 rings were not hollow. 6700 Ultegra & 7900 Dura-Ace big rings are similarly priced to their four-arm successors because they too were hollow construction.
TheShadow wrote:Do you think you could run 10spd cranks with 11spd chain/cassette/derailleur?
2nd-generation 10-sp (5700/6700/7900) yes, the chainring spacing is pretty well the same. You can at a pinch run 1st-gen 10-sp. (7800/6600/5600) or 9-sp, but the chainrings are closer together than later cranks so need careful front derailleur tuning.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

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rangersac
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Re: Price/availability of 11spd Shimano chain rings?

Postby rangersac » Tue Oct 11, 2016 11:01 am

danny the boy wrote:Price of replacement rings went up stupidly when they changed from 5 arm crank spiders to 4 arm. Guess they figured they could no longer force people to buy two seperate cranksets to change from standard to compact so they made up the losses on the cost of the rings. Im not sure there is much difference in the teeth, I run an 11 speed crank with 10 speed cassette no problem.
In my experience chainrings are the least fussy part of the system. I have two 11 speed Shimano CX chainrings on a Sugino XD500 triple crank (the granny ring is still the original, they never wear out), running a 9 speed chain and cassette with no issues. When I was trying to replace the 46/36 rings, finding 5 arm 110BCD rings in Australia was tough, so the LBS ordered me the Shimano 48/36 combo.
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Comedian
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Re: Price/availability of 11spd Shimano chain rings?

Postby Comedian » Tue Oct 11, 2016 5:21 pm

hamishm wrote:Same thing with 6700 a while back. Either couldn't get them or they were horrendously expensive, so it was easier to buy a new crank set. Eventually they became affordable. tbsm.com.au has 5800 chain rings if you need them quicker although not exactly a bargain still.
I couldn't get spare ultegra chain rings when the stuff was less than 12 months old. Shimano don't do parts ...

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