With SRAM bringing to market the T-Type Transmission, aftermarket sprocket makers have been busy updating their offsets, tooth profiles and mounting patterns to suit the new standard. Absolute Black was quick off the mark, bringing a new chainring to market with match T-Type in is typical flashy machined form.
If you don’t have a T-Type Transmission yet, but you like the look of these Absolute Black chainrings, we’ve also taken a look at the standard oval and round chainrings.
Once again we see the machined and anodized finish on the chainring that gives it a particularly premium look, however that’s not what’s most interesting about these chainrings. Absolute Black hasn’t retained the X-Sync II tooth profile employed by the standard Eagle Transmission chainring, using what it calls Special 3D Teeth Machining.
Absolute Black says its profile can better handle mud, and improve the chainrings ability to shed contaminants.
We were a little suspect of the retention abilities of the Absolute Black chainring without the standard X-Sync II tooth profile, but with about 100km of rough, rocky riding on the new chainring, we’re yet to drop a chain.
Absolute Black also claims that its oval rings, specifically the clocking, improve pedalling efficiency and smoothness. This claim is a bit more difficult to verify, and a comparison with a round chainring is not entirely fair.
While the latticed profile is definitely a conversation starter, you do lose the removable bash guards that come with the standard chainring. Whether or not this will be a deal breaker will depend largely on how many chainrings you’ve bent in the last couple of years.
The chainring is compatible with all SRAM Eagle Transmissions and features a neat poka-yoke bolt pattern to ensure you install it in the correct position. Having the oval chainring in the correct position is crucial as it maximises the benefits of the oval shape on your power delivery throughout your pedal stroke.
We’ll continue to put kms on the Absolute Black T-Type oval chainring and enjoy the aesthetic it adds to the drivetrain….I mean Transmission, I’m sure that name will stick one day!
