Press Release

AbsoluteBLACK Introduces the Super Steel E-bike Chainring 18

The CNC machined steel chainring was developed to last longer and better withstand the increased forces applied by an e-bike.

Jason_Schroeder

1/26/2023 5:00am

We are pleased to announce a solution for E-bike drivetrain problem that is well known toriders and bicycle shops alike. High power E-bike motors tend to wear out the drivetrain in a very short time. The accelerated wear always starts from the chainring. This is why we have developed "Super Steel" chainring that can potentially save the user 2-3 expensive cassette replacements, thanks to its incredible durability.

What we mean by "Super Steel" is premium steel, that has been CNC milled, not stamped, then heat treated and lastly, put through multiple highly specialized nitriding and carburizing surface treatments to achieve micro hardness of an impressive 1300HV. All this results in a chainring that is over 4 times harder than a standard, stamped steel OEM chainring. Our E-bike chainrings are not only more durable but in combination with our range of spiders, they are also markedly lighter than OEM equivalents. The Ultimate, most durable, E-bike specific Super Steel chainring are here ! Compatible with 12spd Shimano HG+ chains as well as 11/12spd regular chains.

WHY YOU NEED A SUPER STEEL CHAINRING FOR YOUR E-BIKE

The drivetrain of an e-bike is subject to increased stress and torque as compared to conventional bicycles, as a result of the electric motor. This increased stress causes accelerated wear on all drivetrain components and especially the chainring. Specialised E-bike retailers experience this issue first hand on daily basis. It is not unheard-of for an e-bike drivetrain to wear out in less than 3-4 months.

All OE (original equipment) chainrings, which are currently supplied with E-bikes, are made of mild steel, which is much softer than steel used in chains and can’t be hardened sufficiently. Because of the softness of this material, the teeth of the chainrings get worn by the chain and deform quickly, which in turn increases the wear rate of the chain and ultimately the cassette. In a way it is a ‘symbiotic system’ where each component has an impact on the rest of the components. As chainring specialists, we know that increasing the hardness of the chainring can significantly reduce the rate of wear of the entire drivetrain. This is why we have created our e-bike specific, extremely hard wearing Super Steel chainrings.

Details

Chainrings are only compatible with absoluteBLACK e-bike spiders. We offer a range of spiders to fit most popular E-bike motors: Shimano Steps (50 and 53mm), Bosch Gen 3 (50 and 53mm), Bosch Gen 4 (50 and 53mm), Specialized Brose and Specialized SL 1.1 MTB motors. Spiders are also offered in 4 colours: black, red, gold, titanium. Spiders also come with Titanium mounting hardware.

The Price

In order to create something extraordinarily durable, we have to start with super high-quality steel. For reference, just the plate for producing our chainring, costs on average more than the retail price of a stamped steel chainring, currently available on the market. The reason no-one is using such steel is obviously its price, but also the fact that it is incredibly hard and time consuming to CNC machine (read: very costly). Mild steel can be stamped, this production method is much cheaper, easier and faster, however it has major limitations and it only allows making fast wearing, ‘soft’, OE style chainrings