Home > Other Fun Stuff > Uncategorized

FB17: Wolf Tooth Components adds 46t GCX for SRAM cassettes, braze-on GnarWolf chainguide, prototype high direct mount

16 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

SRAM Eagle might be the hot new group, but there are a lot more riders out there who are still running 11 speed SRAM groups. That also means there are likely to be a lot of riders looking for a lower “bail out” gear to get up that punchy climb when your legs just don’t have it. If you fall into that category, Wolf Tooth Components has yet another product that may be worth a look. It might not be quite as big as the blue 49t GC for Shimano cassettes above, but the red GCX 46t needs less to make it work and makes for a massive 10-46t spread…

 

 

Similar in design to the GC cassette adapters, the SRAM specific GCX cogs can be identified by the lack of the inner ring on the GCs. By removing the last aluminum 42t cog on XX1, X01, XG1195, or XG1199 cassettes, you can add the 46t GCX for a little help up those climbs. If 46 seems too extreme, WTC still offers the same adapter in 44t, as well as a standard 42t replacement. The GCX 46 is said to weigh 95g, and is machined from 7075-T6 aluminum in Minneapolis. WTC claims that no additional modifications to the drivetrain are needed to make the adapter work with the exception of some B-tension adjustment. And since you’re not removing any of the cogs in the middle of the cassette, the rest of the shifting and spread remains the same. Sold for $89.95, GCX 46 adapters are available now in 8 colors.

Over in the GnarWolf  department, WTC now has an option for road, gravel, and cross bikes who could use a little extra chain retention. Their new Braze-On GnarWolf will mount to any standard braze-on mount including braze-on clamp adapters.

With three mounting positions built in, plus the possibility of raising and lowering the clamp adapters, WTC says the guide should cover 34-52t chainrings in both round and oval in most circumstances. The guide also keeps their slick adjustment system which allows you to adjust the chainline with one bolt as well as one bolt to flip the guide up to remove the chainring – and it’s all done with a single 4mm hex key. Coming in at 44g, the guide sells for $69.95 and is available now.

WTC was also showing a prototype high direct mount GnarWolf guide which uses the same guide piece, but is adapted for mountain bikes with the HDM standard. We’re told it should be ready in a few weeks – just in time for this coming season!

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

16 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
iperov
iperov
7 years ago

so high chain bendings not good.
and btw 3×1 enough for trail, less weight on wheel, less maintenance

Airone Bianco
Airone Bianco
7 years ago

Horrible, no sense a cassette with a final jump of 10 teeth

Jason
Jason
7 years ago

$90 for one cog…yikes.

Jason
Jason
7 years ago
Reply to  Jason

Afterthought…the need for an aftermarket 46T cog and GnarWolf imply that your 1x setup is perhaps not optimal. At a combined cost of $160 and 139g, seems like it might be worth considering whether it’s better to just run a 2x or 3x setup. No snark intended, just an observation.

the biz
the biz
7 years ago
Reply to  Jason

“need”

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
7 years ago
Reply to  Jason

Its 139 grams but its not replacing a cog that weighs 0 grams.

Seraph
Seraph
7 years ago

Since when is a 42t cog not a “bailout gear”?

Ian Greene
7 years ago
Reply to  Seraph

It would be nice option to have a 46 or higher to be able to run a bigger chainring to provide more gearing.

the biz
the biz
7 years ago

GnarBroSickWolf

Graz
Graz
7 years ago

Not to pile on the ‘1x’s suck’ bandwagon that seems to be rattling along here – I personally really like my XX1 setup – I take issue with the idea that “the rest of the shifting and spread remains the same”.
I’ve recently had a go with several of the (Shimano 10 & 11spd) ‘extra-range-cog’ options on the market and frankly have been pretty disappointed. I can’t speak for all the designs but in my experience b-tension is actually really important to shifting, and allowing room for a larger 1st cog means a bigger gap between guide pulley and cassette further down.
The best experience (as a mechanic) I had was with a modified *derailleur cage* to suit the modified cassette, but even that was merely ‘good’ (ie. not quite what I was expecting from M8000).

Dockboy
Dockboy
7 years ago
Reply to  Graz

It is a compromise for sure. Sometimes it gives you the frame you want, or the dropper post, or a half step taste. I think the major derailleur adaptation parts, be it cages, pulleys, b links or hangers, are all trying to manage these big cassettes and their mods, but nobody touches the parallelogram, which is critical in how the pulleys follow the cassette and react to cable action. It’s a notable imbalance.

Dockboy
Dockboy
7 years ago
Reply to  Dockboy

And imagine this: 10 gears, 11-36, with a 46 bailout on a 1x road or cross bike. Climb anything on a 42-46t ring and still keep decent speed and cadence.

ginsu
ginsu
7 years ago
Reply to  Dockboy

Having the high bailout gear is what skews the slope that the derailleur travels. You would have to redesign the entire parallel linkage, and make it into a ‘short-long arm’ type of linkage in order to get the right slope for the derailleur. Actually, it will be a curve, but without a picture it’s hard to describe.

Basically, the derailleur cage would have to be redesigned specifically for these huge bailout gears. Otherwise, it will be compromised shifting.

duder
duder
7 years ago

I’d be willing to try this if it gets good reviews. Currently running the 44t, and could use some extra torque.

Unravelled
Unravelled
7 years ago
Reply to  duder

Maybe you should think about a smaller chainring….

Spreadpraisenotcriticism
Spreadpraisenotcriticism
7 years ago

I’m a huge fan of Wolftooth’s take on improving drivetrain systems. Especially after I wore out just the 42t cog on my XX1 cassetteand I was able to keep it in service at a fraction of the cost with just the cog replacement vs a whole cassette replacement. Still saving pennies to get a Salsa Cutthroat or Fargo with the idea of running their Tanpan so I can run some 11spd STIs with an XTR Dynasis spread. Everything is amazing in the bike world these days yet no one seems happy?

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.