Wickwerks Ultrawide 53T/34T Chainring Review 6 Nov 2020
Wickwerks Ultrawide 53T to 34T Chainring Review
6 Nov 2020
Background- I average 2500 miles/year. Average speed is 18 -20 mph. Location Parker, CO. Bicycle is a Cannondale Carbon Fiber Synapse 4. Original chain ring – Powerglide 110mm 50T/34Treplaced with Wickwerks Ultrawide 53T/34T; front derailleur -SRAM Rival; cranks – SRAM Force; cassette – Campagnolo Centaur 12T/30T 10 speed; chain – Campagnolo Record (new chain as recommended with new chainring installation).
My inspiration for getting the 53T/34T combination is the advantage to have both the small and larger chainrings for mountain rides. I was a bit skeptical that gear changes would be hard and others have said this gearing is too wide and impossible to achieve. But with the assurance of the Wickwerks patented technology I was willing to see if this could be done.
I first viewed the video from Wickwerks on how to change the chainring without removing cranks on Youtube. It was very helpful. The next step was to adjust the front derailleur. I set the top of the derailleur as close to the top of the big ring as I could and then set the derailleur. Then tightened attached and cable, and set the limits. I understand Wickwerks has a good video to show you how to do this as well. II also adjusted the rear derailleur to make sure it was able to smoothly reach all the gears. I tested the bike out and then took it for a longer ride. I had to adjusted the limits again just a bit during that ride. The mix of the Wickwerks chainring, Campagnolo chain and cassette, and the SRAM Rival derailleurs worked better than I thought with gearing being very smooth.
The change from the 34T to the 53T worked like a charm. I was amazed. I previously had had some issues with changing with my old chainring going from 34T to 50T. Previously I did most of my riding on the 50T and hesitated using the 34T because of the concern to get the chain back to the 50T as it would normally take at least 2 or 3 attempts. The new larger chainring worked 100% better than the old smaller combination. With a swift and deliberate gear change it worked every time, the first time. No hesitating, no grinding. It continues to work smoothly without fail. Even now I am amazed how easily it works. Also to note, the change from 53T to 34T is no issue at all either, just one click and it is immediately there.
The benefits of the 53T/34T combination became very evident as I rode my first ride. 27 miles with 600ft elevation change. The pedaling was very solid and there was no flex in the front chainrings even as I deliberately cranked hard. I was surprised to find my best setting for spinning at 20 mph with the 53T put me in the very center of the rear cassette. This gave me maximum flexibility to adjust up or down with the mildly sloping terrain. It felt like it was in the “sweet spot” of gearing and it wasn’t close to a cross chain situation. The flexibility was very apparent on slightly downhill grades as I performed personal bests and a 9th place overall on 3 downhill sections of my ride without me being aware of any increased effort. I was astonished at the improved performance.
The next test was 40 miles of mountain riding with 4,600 feet of climbing. I rode Dear Creek Canyon just outside of Denver. The ride started with a straight 3000 ft climb. I exercised all options with the 34T chainring. It was solid, no flex, and no slipping. I was able to do some good spinning up the slope. The next section was up and down for the next 10 miles. It was a great exercise in switching from the 34T to the 53T and back again. The change worked every time. It built confidence in my ability to quickly change the front gears and noticed that I would pedal past others that were standing and straining to get up short, steep hills on their large chainring. I had to prepare for the front gear changes as there is a large difference in pedaling cadence with the change. I learned to anticipate this by changing the rear up or down 3 or 4 gears immediately to allow for matching my cadence on the change. The last section of large downhill showed the ability of the 53T front and 12T rear to maximize my downhill speed. It was amazing.
Conclusion: I would highly recommend this Ultrawide chainring. I was not expecting the added benefit the chainring gives me on flat gentle slope riding. For mountain riding the gear change from 34T to 53T worked without hesitation every time. I have nearly 200 miles with this chainring set now. I couldn’t imagine cycling without it. I just finished 30 miles this morning and put down 3 more PRs on STRAVA without realizing the effort. Well done Wickwerks!
