# xtr m960 chainring alternatives?



## Chilito (Jan 13, 2004)

i'm looking to replace the chainrings on a pair of my xtr cranks and would like to skip the XTR chainring route. are there any alternatives, other then boone? do race face or xt chainrings fit?


Thanks.


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## markh (Nov 26, 2004)

Chilito said:


> i'm looking to replace the chainrings on a pair of my xtr cranks and would like to skip the XTR chainring route. are there any alternatives, other then boone? do race face or xt chainrings fit?
> 
> Thanks.


have the same problem and just bought myself a set of ta chainrings, which are lighter than xtr and look better. Also i think middleburn also do chainrings to fit the new xtr crank but not sure about weight.


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## nino (Jan 13, 2004)

*Specialite TA*



markh said:


> have the same problem and just bought myself a set of ta chainrings, which are lighter than xtr and look better. Also i think middleburn also do chainrings to fit the new xtr crank but not sure about weight.


french manufacturer Specialite TA has XTR replacement rings called C116:
Starbike lists them:
http://starbike.com/php/product_lis...ites+TA&Kategorie=64/102/146&filter_submit=GO


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## carlos (Jan 12, 2004)

*what about moonhead?*

U$190 for the set, and they look hot!










moonhead machine


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## nino (Jan 13, 2004)

*they look worn...*



carlos said:


> U$190 for the set, and they look hot!


not hot at all besides the colour. the teeth look like they already have 10'000 miles on them
from what i remember they are also heavier than the stock XTR rings.


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## peabody (Apr 15, 2005)

*couldnt*

agree more. the color is terrible and they look like they have a ton of
miles on them. don't see them working very well


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## bike_freak (Dec 24, 2003)

Ye... thats the very first thing that came to my mind, out of place colour and they look hell worn.


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## redrock_z71 (Oct 18, 2004)

I got my Boone rings installed today. They are titanium nitride coated...


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## Mads Kock (May 26, 2005)

I have Middleburn Slickshift chainrings and they work as good as shimano's. Price in europe is about half the price of shimano xtr chainrings.


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## mpap89 (Mar 10, 2005)

redrock how much more is it to get the tini coating?


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## redrock_z71 (Oct 18, 2004)

mpap89 said:


> redrock how much more is it to get the tini coating?


Brett is trying to track down a company to do it for him but these were sent to another company for the coating. If you do a Google search for "TiN coating" you will find a few that can do it; however, its better to find another person to go in with you because most have a ~$250 minimum order.


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## barrows (Jul 6, 2004)

*Moonhead*

hey guys do not diss what you do not know. I have a good number of rides on my set of Moonhead Rings and so far they are performing flawlessly. They look "worn" because of the special tooth profile which allows the side of the tooth that carries the chain to be wider than normal; it is only the backside of the tooth which is profiled differently than on other rings. They weigh less than XTR (I saved about 28 gm vs my worn stock rings). There are color choices including silver and the hardcoat (grey) which I have. So far they are holding up better than the OE XTR Rings, and the shifting is on par with the stock rings (which means perfect)


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## Fisherfan (Jun 9, 2005)

TA chainrings look beautiful, they are light but I found that they wore fairly quickly even though I changed the chain when I changed the chainring. The wear was on the lift ramps mostly and I don't shift a huge amount on the chainring. The TA rings also cost a fair bit. I'm running Raceface cranks so I'm not too sure about converting from XTR, but you could try Blackspire or Vuelta. The Blackspire worked for me, they look nice but weigh a little more than the TA rings. 

By my understanding, you need to be armed with three things to find replacement chainrings from any manufacturer.
- the number of teeth you want on the chainring
- the number of bolts on your crank
- the Bolt Center Diameter (BCD)

The last on is the hardest but its not hard. If you have a five bolt pattern, measure the distance from the center of one bolt to the center of an adjacent bolt (in mm) then multiply by 1.7. That is your BCD. There is a different multiplier for four bolt patterns that I don't know but you could probably look it up or go into your LBS to find out.

BTW, I think the Moonhead cranks look hot. Thanks. I didn't know about them.

Oh, and I would recommend changing all chainrings at the same time - if you dare to mix and match your life will get yucky.


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## jtc1 (Apr 13, 2004)

*46 teeth on M960 XTR*

Does anyone know if going to 46 teeth (like the old XTR) would be an issue with the 960 frnt derail.??? I still prefer the larger ring in front and say a 29 middle ring (no granny ring as I dont have monster hills in my area). I may go with Boone.

Let me know if this setup is working for anyone.


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## kingwildthing (Aug 3, 2008)

I am looking to replace my chainrings for my xtr crank as well. I am not looking to spend a great deal of cash on them either. any ideas?


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## mezzanine (Sep 6, 2004)

*moonhead*

http://gallery.mtbr.com/showphoto.php/photo/20000/size/big/cat/500/ppuser/249883


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## Circlip (Mar 29, 2004)

mezzanine said:


> http://gallery.mtbr.com/showphoto.php/photo/20000/size/big/cat/500/ppuser/249883


My set of Moonhead rings a few years ago worked fine, but they're out of business (at least for making chainrings) as far as I know.


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## yumseyo (Sep 9, 2008)

How about Blackspire Super Pro rings?


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## amillmtb (Jun 24, 2005)

yumseyo said:


> How about Blackspire Super Pro rings?


I am gonna order a full set this week. They are apparently the best replacements for shifting quality and price. I would like to know the weights though, I don't want to have a weight penalty from the stock rings.


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## yumseyo (Sep 9, 2008)

I have them off my crankset now. I will weigh them tomorrow and let you know what the weights are.


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## yumseyo (Sep 9, 2008)

22=27.2 g 32 = 45.2g 44=81.5g I may be replacing my set, interested in a used? 22/32 are ok. 44 a little worn.


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## amillmtb (Jun 24, 2005)

yumseyo said:


> 22=27.2 g 32 = 45.2g 44=81.5g I may be replacing my set, interested in a used? 22/32 are ok. 44 a little worn.


Sweet thanks!

Those are 22.1g (.048 lbs) heavier than stock XTR...

Hows the shifting quality compared to stock? I've heard its a ton better.


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## Flystagg (Nov 14, 2006)

Wow old thread. Rotor makes q rings for the 960 cranks, a good way to add performance when you change your rings.


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## GFisher2001 (Mar 16, 2006)

*Replacing chainrings*

Stupid question here but I'm wondering if there is any special trick to replacing the middle chainring? I just got my blackspire middle ring non ramped to run it SS. However when trying to loosen the bolts that hold the chainring the bolt and the nut(on the inside of the chainring) just spins. It looks like if the bolt spun a few more threads i could get a wide flat head screwdriver on there but for now the bolt is to deep into the nut. I'm unable to get the chainring bolt to unscrew any further out of the nut because they both just end up spinning together when i try to loosen it.

Thoughts? Would pictures help?


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## rockyuphill (Nov 28, 2004)

Chainring nut wrench

http://www.parktool.com/products/detail.asp?cat=26&item=CNW-2


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## crazy8 (Apr 21, 2009)

*XTR Rings*

Shawnee Trail Bike and Performance Coatings has XTR 960 ring sets that are ceramic coated in a choice of colors. 7075T6 CNC instead of forged and 15g lighter than oem XTR.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/SHAWNEE-TRAIL-BIKE-AND-PERFORMANCE-COATINGS/187061700373


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## protocol_droid (Jul 7, 2004)

I just use a super fat width screwdriver and that works fine.


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## crazy8 (Apr 21, 2009)

If the bolt still has some resistance turning you can take a straight hex and put it in a cordless drill and it will most ususally spin out of the nut. 
i've done this for stuborn nuts and it's never failed.


GFisher2001 said:


> Stupid question here but I'm wondering if there is any special trick to replacing the middle chainring? I just got my blackspire middle ring non ramped to run it SS. However when trying to loosen the bolts that hold the chainring the bolt and the nut(on the inside of the chainring) just spins. It looks like if the bolt spun a few more threads i could get a wide flat head screwdriver on there but for now the bolt is to deep into the nut. I'm unable to get the chainring bolt to unscrew any further out of the nut because they both just end up spinning together when i try to loosen it.
> 
> Thoughts? Would pictures help?


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## ISuckAtRiding (Jul 7, 2006)

I baught a blackspire about 3 years ago and it still looks brand new.
Well, that might be because i broke my geared bike's frame before i could mount it and have just been riding my single speed ever since, so it is litterally still brand new. But it looks good!


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## steeneriam (Aug 4, 2009)

crazy8 said:


> Shawnee Trail Bike and Performance Coatings has XTR 960 ring sets that are ceramic coated in a choice of colors. 7075T6 CNC instead of forged and 15g lighter than oem XTR.
> 
> http://www.facebook.com/pages/SHAWNEE-TRAIL-BIKE-AND-PERFORMANCE-COATINGS/187061700373


Anyone tried these that cares to comment. In need of a set of rings, and these look like they would be worth trying.


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## ISuckAtRiding (Jul 7, 2006)

steeneriam said:


> Anyone tried these that cares to comment. In need of a set of rings, and these look like they would be worth trying.


RD at Shawnee does great work, you really cant go wrong. Ceramic coating will just make it last that much longer. I *think* he uses Blackspire rings for geared bike applications and he uses my rings for singlespeed and 1x9 applications. Sounds like you have a geared bike, so it'd probably be the Blackspire which is good stuff.


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## steeneriam (Aug 4, 2009)

That's what I was hoping to hear. Good price and they look promising. I'm in. I'll report back in a bit.


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## steeneriam (Aug 4, 2009)

Received my chainrings yesterday. Installed them on the bike and hit the trails for a bit. I was in a rush to get out with some daylight so I need to do some minor adjustments yet. They seem to shift fine and were just as light as the Blackspire, but they are definatly not the same as the Blackspire Pros that they replaced.


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## steeneriam (Aug 4, 2009)

Rogers v Blackspire


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## crazy8 (Apr 21, 2009)

*STB XTR960 Rings*

The Shawnee Trail XTR 960 rings are cnc machined using 7075T6 to our specs, then we apply a ceramic material for performance and durability. The total weight of a STB ring set is 125g. A set of Blackspire Super Pro's 153g.


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## Flanderflop (Mar 21, 2006)

I have had great luck with the Blackspires. They and solid rings and much less expensive. Check them out HERE


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