The Quick Fix:
Replace Chainrings Without Removing The Crank

How To Replace Chainrings Without Removing The Crank

Changing rings is not that difficult, and in some cases, it’s possible to replace chainrings without removing the crank.  That possibility is limited by what ring sizes you’re using, but hey, it’s always nice when you can work smarter not harder.  This trick works for most road cranks and some mountain cranks.

Some Additional Information:

• If your specific bicycle setup is one of the situations this trick doesn’t work for, you can refer to our video about installing rings on a new crank or doing a 3x to 2x conversion.  Whether you’ve got a new crank, an old crank, a road crank, or MTN crank, the process for installing rings is basically the same:  —  undo the chainring bolts, remove the old rings, and install the new rings.  But, if you’re unsure exactly what to do, these videos will walk you through it.  You’ll be able to easily adapt the skills to your specific bike.
   
• If you’re changing the size of your chainrings, you’ll need to do some derailleur adjustment.  Sometimes this is as easy as adjusting the height a bit and sometimes it’s just a finicky and frustrating process.  Either way, if you’d like to make a go at it, you can learn the basics to front derailleur adjustment here, then adapt the skills you learn to your specific needs.  If you’d rather not mess with it, I’m sure your local shop would love to see you again.
   
• If you’re changing to WickWerks chainrings, you’ll want to refer to our Installation Instructions.  No, we don’t make it more complicated, but the best shifting possible may require just a little different adjustment technique.
   

As always:  If you’ve got more questions or would like to see us cover something we haven’t done yet, please visit our Contact US page.  We’d love to hear your feedback.