$50 vs $10

 Battle of the chainrings $50 vs $10

Can you tell the difference between the $50 chainring and the $10 chainring in this photo? Our gravel bikes needed gearing a bit lower, but Shimano GRX was maxed-out with 40 up front and 42 out back. Nothing smaller up front or larger out back was available from Shimano, sadly.

So Zio Lorenzo went searching on the internet where he found a French Specialties T-A (remember them?) chainring claimed to be a perfect replacement though with 38 instead of 40 teeth. Zio figured this would be an easy swap, probably not requiring anything other than removing and replacing, so he ordered two of 'em. $50 seemed a bit steep but they were supposed to fit and if not, the reputable online merchant would surely take them back, right?

Meanwhile, some $10 Chinese chainrings popped up after he ordered. They looked the same but the description was a little vague as to specifically fitting GRX, but for $10 Zio figured he'd give 'em a try. Will they last as long as the 7075 T6 alloy French rings? Probably not, but Zio doubts the French ones will last 5 X as long. Time will tell.