The simplicity of a one-by chain ring setup has always appealed to me. Less cockpit clutter, no chain suck and, for the weight-weenie in me, some grams lost. When the Kitted Wonder Ring arrived for testing I decided to take the plunge and convert my own steed to 1×10.
Kitted’s component range is South African made and focusses on the drivetrain with various narrow wide chainrings and a range extender available. On test is the Kitted Wonder Ring 32T 104BCD which is suitable for 1 x 9,10 or 11. The Wonder Ring features a narrow wide tooth profile which, if you’re not familiar with it, helps eliminate the need for a chain guide to keep the chain from falling off the ring.
Specifications
- ModelKitted Wonder Ring Narrow Wide
- Variant32T 104 BCD
- Material7075-T6 Aluminium
- ColourBlack or Red
- PriceR 500
The Test Rig
Originally running Shimano XT 2×10, the Wonder Ring was dropped in up front in place of the standard Shimano XT chainrings and a wider range Praxis 11-40 cassette popped on the rear to help with the climbs. A clutch equipped rear derailleur is usually recommended when running one-by and luckily my XT rear derailleur was already of the Shadow Plus variety.
On the trail
Over a few months of riding I’ve had no issues with the Kitted Wonder Ring. Although at first I was consciously observing the performance, it has become a bit of a ‘set and forget’ exercise. During the test period I’ve had zero chain related issues riding over all types of terrain, from bumpy, technical rocky trails to the variety of three days at Wines2Whales. Other than the adjustment in riding style due to the one-by range I’ve hardly noticed the Wonder Ring. Which for me is a great thing as it means it’s quietly doing it’s job without issue.
Noise wise I had initially encountered a bit of a grinding sound from the chain ring when in upper and lower gears with the clutch enabled (quite common on many narrow wide rings), but with the clutch disabled this dissapeared. More importantly since then I’ve been riding mostly with the clutch off with zero chain drops. While initially a very quiet setup when clean and lubed I did find things got noisy after a few hours of dirty riding, but much like any setup would and in this case it didn’t hamper performance.
Verdict
If you’re looking to go one by or simply looking for a very well priced replacement for your current narrow wide ring the Kitted Wonder Ring gives great value without compromising quality or performance.
Do all narrow wide rings make the grinding noise?