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Endless Shows Off Prototype Single Chainrings, Industry Nine Fat Bike Hubs Spotted

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Endless Bike Co single chainring for singlespeed and geared mountain bikes

Known for her sturdy singlespeed cogs, Endless founder Shanna Powell was on hand at the Pisgah Brewing cyclocross race this weekend to tell us about her new single chainrings.

This one was spotted aboard a Trek fat bike (more on that coming soon) piloted by some of the Industry Nine folks. They’re being made In Asheville, NC, at Turnamics, which is I9’s sister machine shop.

They have a somewhat unique fat/skinny tooth profile, using tabs on every other ring rather than a completely thick ring. Detail pics and updated images and info on I9’s fat bike hubs below…

Endless Bike Co single chainring for singlespeed and geared mountain bikes

Powell says the launch helps expand her product line a bit beyond the Fibonacci Spacer Kit and single speed cogs (both of which we have on test). She’s starting with just a 32-tooth ring with a 104BCD, but it’ll be available in all her colors: Red, orange, gold, green, black, blue, purple, silver and pink.

Endless Bike Co single chainring for singlespeed and geared mountain bikes

The “wide” teeth have the same profile but add tabs on both sides to fill the space inside the chain link. This is in contrast to other wide/narrow rings where the thicker teeth carry their extra girth all the way down.

Endless Bike Co single chainring for singlespeed and geared mountain bikes

They’re machined from 7075 alloy, same as her cogs, and should weigh in at about 46g. Retail will be $120. Shooting to have them available by early November. The design is done, she’s just finalizing the finish procedure to ensure a good anodization.

EndlessBikes.com

INDUSTRY NINE FAT BIKE HUBS

Industry Nine fat bike hubs pricing and size spec details

We first saw the Industry Nine fat bike hubs at Interbike, but they wouldn’t let us photo the front hub because the design wasn’t final. At that time, they were still testing a few competing models. Now, the design’s done and they’re getting things ready to sell.

For the front, it’ll be offered in 9×135 QR, 15×135 thru axle and the new Salsa 15×142 that was introduced at Saddle Drive with their new carbon bike. No immediate plans to offer the 10×135 (15mm offset) front standard. Rear options are 10×170 QR and 12×177 TA.

Drillings are 32 hole only. Pricing is $590 for the set. They should be shipping in a couple weeks.

There’ll also be 10×190 QR and 12×197 thru axle options for the rear. Those will come in about 4-6 weeks.

IndustryNine.net

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Dave
Dave
10 years ago

Ms. Powell may be currently running the show at Endless, but Marshall Hance and Adam Winton were the founders. Sources: http://www.dirtragmag.com/printrag/builder-profile-endless-bike-co and Marshall was a friend of a friend back in the day when they were still producing the Lifetime frame.

james
james
10 years ago

I wonder if you will have to sped a TON of time filing down the chain rings to get them to fit like their cogs

Fattie
Fattie
10 years ago

BOO AND YAH. Endless cogs are awesome and wear wonderfully. I-9 hubs are the jam, 120 point engagement will be nice kicking around in the snow and bushwhacking.

pile-on
pile-on
10 years ago

Me happy I9 let Tyler photo front hub, me speak pretty one day.

Shanna
10 years ago

Dave is correct. Marshall and Adam are the founders of Endless. I have been running the company on my own since purchasing it from Marshall in June of 2008… guess now I am the show. Thank you for helping clarify Dave.

James, I hope you are able to appreciate that the cogs destroy your expensive freehub less by not having play in them… what can I say aside from not all freehub bodies are machined to the same sizes or even tolerances… you can take material away, but you can’t add.

Thanks Fattie!

Marshall Hance
Marshall Hance
10 years ago

Adam Winton and I founded Endless, and now Shanna carries the torch strongly. I consider her and Adam my two best friends, and I don’t think we are unsure about the lineage of the brand. I was involved with the design of both the cogs the chainring. There are more features worked into this chainring than just the fat teeth. The design has also been in the works for a very long time. The goal is the stiffest, strongest, smoothest rolling, and longest lasting chainring at a reasonable price and weight. We’ve beat the mess out of the prototypes deep in Pisgah, and know it can handle extended climbing hours in crooked 11spd chainlines, and take repeated direct hits on rock garden descents with death grip chain retention. Like the cogs, it is designed for a precise fit on well made parts. Unfortunately, we can’t vouch for fitment on off-spec mating components.

Shanna
10 years ago

p.s. Marshall is still involved with Endless as the product designer.

Bill
Bill
10 years ago

Shanna/Marshall: Thanks first off for speaking up in a public forum about your products, that’s always appreciated. I am curious, as someone who currently is using a Wolf-tooth chainring, how you consider your product to be better than theirs?

I’m by no means trolling here, just, your product’s MSRP is higher, looks to have slightly rougher teeth (the bonded tab edges vs. machined down smooth teeth) and their product is already on the market in a variety of BCD’s and seems to fit chains a little bit better from the photos. Why, aside from the anodization (which I admit to being a huge sucker for) should I spend more on one of these vs. their chainrings?

fatlip
fatlip
10 years ago

Awesome for Endless… love their SS cogs and have ZERO doubt on the quality… good stuff!

Dave
Dave
10 years ago

I should have been more clear that no disrespect was meant. My apologies. I’ve had a Lifetime for over 7yr and have only ever had stellar support and service regardless of ownership.

Also, very interested in the chainring. I imagine the height of the teeth also helps with chain retention, but they seem to be higher than the chain. Do they protrude far enough that I should be worried for my calf if I have a moment of poorly judged faith in my riding abilities?

Jeff
Jeff
10 years ago

I am with Bill…explain why I should buy your product for 2 or 3x the price of a Race Face narrow/wide chain ring?
It is not lighter, stronger, or better performing…both are made in North America.
Endless does not have the brand cache of a King…or even I9. Hell, I never even heard of them.

Marshall Hance
Marshall Hance
10 years ago

Until the product is actually available, this will be my follow up and final comment on this thread. Apologies for being less than 100% available.

The chainring is manufactured in Asheville North Carolina, machined from one piece of 7075-T6. From our start in 2001, Endless Bike Co. has kept 100% of production in the USA. The tooth design is an evolution of nearly ten years of study beginning with the first truly durable aluminum single speed cog. More technology is going into making this ring durable than I’ll discuss here, but the proof will be in the pudding. The chainring fits and holds onto all 1-11 speed chains, and will fit most if not all 104BCD cranks. Your local bike shop will be able to stock these chainrings, which is something you won’t see happening with some other options.

The key points that I believe set this ring apart:

1. Made in the USA
2. Best durability
3. Smoothest rolling
4. Available at your local bike shop

Of course, there are lots of fun colors as well as the most colorful Shanna Powell to buy them from.

Shanna
10 years ago

Thank you Fatlip!

Dave, I didn’t feel like your comment was disrespectful, and I didn’t mean to sound offended, just clear. I’m stoked to hear you are still very happy with your Lifetime and that you have been satisfied with our customer service… as far as the teeth sticking above the chain, I believe you will find no issue more than any other chainring.

Bill and Jeff, if you notice from the photo there is a nice smooth rib around the entire diameter of the chainring that is quite different from the other products on the market. This I-beam if you will adds lateral stiffness to the chainring thus making it quite a bit stronger as well as creating stability for the chain so it is less likely to derail without either a clutch type derailleur or chain guide. This I-beam is a feature that I feel is very important to the performance of the product but that unfortunately adds to the manufacturing costs.

Another reason Bill,that my chainrings are at a higher price point than Wolftooth, who makes a very good product, is that I had to consider distributor pricing and the resulting dealer pricing. Some dealers order direct from me but most use a distributor. As I understand it (please correct me if I am wrong) Wolftooth is offering retailers 15-20% off of retail and doesn’t deal with distributors. That offers their retailers very little margin for sale to the customer. Whether retailers order from me or from a distributor, they get a good margin on my product. I am looking out for the LBS as well as the customer.

Jeff, as far as Race Face goes, they are a huge company that I am sure manufactures hundreds of thousands of dollars more of product each year; that would bring their costs down on material alone. A one woman show purchasing from a local machine shop (supporting the local community) can’t compete with that. You cannot however from a photograph deduce that my product is not stronger or better performing than the Race Face, admittedly it is not lighter. I feel like you are trolling with your last statement alone.

… Jeff is correct on one thing, EndlessBikeCo does not have the “brand Cache” of King or I9. Endless has however been a staple of the single speed community for quite some time. I do not have the marketing dollars of either Race Face or or even i9 but I strive to have a positive presence in the single speed community as well as my local cycling community. I can promise you that I will always manufacture my product in the USA.

I have created this product to give my dedicated single speed customers what they have been asking me about for years, another product to help complete their kick ass single speed drive train. I appreciate all of their dedication beyond words. Thanks to these dedicated riders/customers/friends I have been able to grow my company though slowly, with intention. Thank you everyone for your time. Happy Riding!

bin judgin
bin judgin
10 years ago

fyi the only dropped chains i have dealt with with new chainguideless wonder-rings are the raceface rings. xx1 & wolftooth have not. deal with that how you may. varying sram&shimano rds.

good luck to this company!!!

Loves Endless
Loves Endless
10 years ago

Will these chainrings work with a SS running a 9 speed chain as long as the rear cog is even numbered?

Scott George
Scott George
10 years ago

Shana I am looking forward to ordering up some rings from ya! cant wait.

george the slug
george the slug
10 years ago

now i know why that guy was so fast running the barriers…

gary
gary
10 years ago

Bill and Jeff you don’t get it!

Stoker
Stoker
10 years ago

I love my kick ass cog! It took a while to file it down to fit my cassette. The customer service I got from Endless was stellar and super helpful.

Question (hopefully Shanna is still looking at this): Will the chainring holes be threaded so bolts can be mounted directly into the chainring?

Wolf Tooth
10 years ago

@Jeff – Race Face is NOT made it North America. Their chainrings are made in Taiwan, says so right on the packaging. U.S. made in small qty. like Wolf Tooth or Endless is more expensive.

@Shanna – if you want to know our dealer margin, you should ask one of your local shops that carries Wolf Tooth — we have a couple in the area 😉

Mike

drew and not u
drew and not u
10 years ago

We’ve been cranking out wolftooth rings at our shop as our premium chainring option vs the raceface when doing 1×10 setups. Getting the people to make the jump from a $45 ring to a $70 ring is tough. I don’t know how I’d upsell them to a $120 ring when the features/benefits are the same as the $70 model. Just my $.02.

Chip Batson
Chip Batson
10 years ago

KICK ASS!!!

absoluteBlack
10 years ago

I see that everyone reads that..

You don’t have to make chainrings in Taiwan to make it of excellent value to customer and still be able to offer it to distributors. We proudly make them in Poland (Europe) with best possible materials you can get on the market as a civilian. We source from best manufacturer on this side of the globe in Germany.

@Marshall/Shanna – i would be careful saying something is of best durability or smoothest rolling on the market when not having truly tested your competition beforehand. By todays standards 7075 T6 is very common material in bike industry and it is not the strongest available anymore from some time. Thus we use a very modified version of it to make our products incredibly light yet really strong (using FEA analysis).

have a great day out!
Marcin

Chip Deffe'
10 years ago

What a great dialog…, a few trollers and a couple of rib digs but the “industry” seems to be watching and listening. The end user wins here as well as local shops, communities and inventive entrepreneurs. It is a great time to be a bike rider – not to mention this time of year’s tacky dirt!

Get some!

Dr. Monkeypants
Dr. Monkeypants
10 years ago

If you want cheap parts, buy cheap parts. I’m pretty sure that if you have to skimp on parts in this price range, you have bigger issues in your life that need addressing.

Great rings, by the way. Not sure about the wisdom of the interrupted ridge around the outside, but they sure are pretty.

MB
MB
10 years ago

Can’t believe nobody has mentioned this high end ring being attached to a trek fatty via x5 cranks 😉

I’ve got a Race face on my new conversion because Wolf tooth and Absolute black don’t make a 38t in 120bcd (or spider less). Hope it works but doesn’t really matter as there aren’t any other options including Endless. 120 does seem high, even home brewed was cheaper when he was on his game… and I’m a huge fan of USA made local goods (fellow North Carolinian).

harlan
10 years ago

I say speak to what you know. I know that every Endless product I’ve used has been 100% excellent. I ordered four different sized cogs four years ago and each is still being used on one bike or another.
Besides the cogs the company is top notch and I’d say on par with King, i9, Paul, and Wolftooth (which I have been happily using for several months now.) A small company that makes two things really well is better than a large company that makes many things okay. I’m excited to see Endless tackling a new project.

Ben
Ben
10 years ago

@Shanna, @Marshall, @Wolf Tooth, @absoluteBlack – we welcome any of you on the air on Mountain Bike Radio anytime to discuss your products. It’ll give you a chance to discuss what you have going without having trolls putting everything down.

On the latest Just Riding Along, they were discussing this whole article: http://www.mountainbikeradio.com/just-riding-along/doll-arms-and-bike-price/

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