garbaruk.com
Awesome stuff, @Stefan Mikes - thank you very much for the details! I ran across the Deckas in my cursory search, wasn't aware of Garbaruk. And I wouldn't have ordered the nuts/bolts to hold them, so I appreciate this very much. (And I always use Blue Loctite after removing & cleaning my existing chainring, so all good there)Joe, you could try looking up such a chainring from Garbaruk:
Garbaruk is a world famous manufacturer of top-end drivetrain components (I use a 42T Garbaruk chainring on my Vado, and can highly recommend the brand).104 BCD Round
Compatible with all 9,10,11-speed chains, 12-speed SRAM MTB (Eagle&T-Type), KMC, Shimano HG+ chains
If you are looking for a cheaper alternative, Deckas is another relevant brand.
In any case, you will not be able to reuse your chainguard. Also, the Praxis ring is conveniently mounted with the bolts screwed from the outside (no nut) as the Praxis ring comes with threaded bolt sockets. Any other chainring requires using "1x MTB chainring bolts, 8x8 mm". These come from Woolftooth, Truvativ, Rocride, Origin8... These bolts are sold in packs of five (I think one of them is a spare). The bolts are equipped with a nut.
Now, installing the chainring with the bolt & nut is a little bit tricky on a Vado as there is a very tight clearance between the chainring and the frame/motor cover. I was replacing the Vado chainring twice (to 38T and then to 42T) and the thing is doable. Even if a dedicated wrench is required to keep the nut stationary, it has turned out it is enough to hold the nut with a finger for the initial phase of tightening, and the nut wrench was not necessary. Especially, as the tightening torque is just 5 Nm! (I recommend using a threadlocker such as Loctite Blue to make the bolt & nut vibration resistant!)
Stefan,Joe, you could try looking up such a chainring from Garbaruk:
Garbaruk is a world famous manufacturer of top-end drivetrain components (I use a 42T Garbaruk chainring on my Vado, and can highly recommend the brand).104 BCD Round
Compatible with all 9,10,11-speed chains, 12-speed SRAM MTB (Eagle&T-Type), KMC, Shimano HG+ chains
If you are looking for a cheaper alternative, Deckas is another relevant brand.
In any case, you will not be able to reuse your chainguard. Also, the Praxis ring is conveniently mounted with the bolts screwed from the outside (no nut) as the Praxis ring comes with threaded bolt sockets. Any other chainring requires using "1x MTB chainring bolts, 8x8 mm". These come from Woolftooth, Truvativ, Rocride, Origin8... These bolts are sold in packs of five (I think one of them is a spare). The bolts are equipped with a nut.
Now, installing the chainring with the bolt & nut is a little bit tricky on a Vado as there is a very tight clearance between the chainring and the frame/motor cover. I was replacing the Vado chainring twice (to 38T and then to 42T) and the thing is doable. Even if a dedicated wrench is required to keep the nut stationary, it has turned out it is enough to hold the nut with a finger for the initial phase of tightening, and the nut wrench was not necessary. Especially, as the tightening torque is just 5 Nm! (I recommend using a threadlocker such as Loctite Blue to make the bolt & nut vibration resistant!)
Guru (can I address you by your first name?),
I had a look at how Garbaruk designed his chainring: it has exceptionally long teeth, preventing the chain drop. I'm a fan of Garbaruk products now!
Sure, you may.Guru (can I address you by your first name?),
Thank you for the question!
The 48T chainring is the proper choice for riding fast on the flat or downhill at pretty high assistance. It also encourages the rider to use middle gears, and the cassette cogs last longer that way. The Praxis ring is easy to install and it allows the use of the chainguard.
The choice of the 38T steel chainring is the choice for riding the Vado in true mountains (with many steep hills). In case you can have a 11-46T cassette combined with the long cage derailleur, you are getting close to the MTB gearing of 20 gear-inches. Combined with the TURBO mode, it allows easy climbing of 19% grade inclines (I haven't tried even more steep climbs). It is even possible to get the 11-51T cassette for the 11-speed drivetrain (it requires a dedicated derailleur), and that puts the Vado in the MTB league (I did not need to do that!) When you are riding in the mountains, it is either a climb or a descent. You simply do not pedal your e-bike downhill, as getting at speed of, say, 40+ mph is dangerously easy there without any pedalling!
The 42T chainring feels the sweet point for me. It gives me a good climbing capability in the area I live, and I can also ride easier in the rough terrain such as the forests we have here. The top speed is somewhat limited (the cadence limits you at some 25 mph) but I could ride at 29.2 mph by mad spinning the cranks just yesterday. The drawback is the 4 smallest cogs are the ones mostly used, which leads to their premature wear. Fortunately, these cogs can be bought and replaced by a mechanic, making it possible to make an inexpensive repair instead of replacing the entire cassette. Note: I feel a 44T chainring could be even better for me here!
The Garbaruk company is a fascinating phenomenon. Mr. Garbaruk, a Ukrainian, has got an extremely good know-how in metallurgy. He has also understood the drivetrain mechanics to the expert level. He set up his factory in Nowa Huta, Poland (a steelworks city) to benefit of manufacturing inside the European Union country. Garbaruk drivetrain components are of top quality, are lightweight, and expensive
View attachment 154666
A display of Garbaruk cassettes at the biggest bike store in Poland. Very expensive products! The prices start from US$240 there.
I didn't look at it in greater detail, Bob. Certainly, the chainring is at least Narrow-Wide. As the Garbaruk chainring handles fantastically for me, I have just put my trust it is the perfect chainring.
Not. I chose the 38T steel Shimano ring as it was simply easy to buy.
Exactly the thing, @Rider777! However, it is not as easy as it sounds.
This is a bit frustrating. It seems the stock Praxis ring is a proprietary part made for Specialized as it does not appear on the Praxis website. As others have noted, compatible aluminum rings are available, but who really wants a ring that will probably last only a fraction as long as the stock one?
How have you come to that conclusion? There is nothing special about the Praxis ring. It is made of alloy like the most other. (I would say Garbaruk is using premium alloys for his rings). The teeth pattern is Wave but hey, there is nothing wrong with the Narrow-Wide pattern used on optional chainrings. The only difference with the Praxis chainring is the easy way of installing the part on your e-bike, and the possibility to re-use the chainguard.
It is because you are looking for it in the wrong website. It is the Specialized, not the Praxis spare part. Can be found in online bike stores.
link?
) the possibility of crashing always hangs out, it's bikes and if you ride them enough you are unfortunately going to eat it at some point. 20mph sucks, but 30mph is fairly likely trip to the hospital. I'm not sure about the physics of it but from experience it seems to me that once you get to 30 mph crashes are geometrically more violent. Like a 30 mph crash seems more than twice as bad than 20.
eBay. Just search for 48T 104bcd chainring, it should be among the 1st to come up.
