Added sources and updated by the Pedalwise team
Chainring · Nov 9, 2026, 12:20 AM by Pedalwise team · reviewed Nov 9, 2026, 12:20 AM by Pedalwise team
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This version
The chainring is the toothed ring on the crank that drives the chain. A replacement must match your crank's mount, your drivetrain's speed count and, on a mid-drive, the motor.
The chainring is the toothed ring bolted to the crank that pulls the chain. It wears along with the chain, so a worn ring can make a new chain skip, and on a mid-drive e-bike it carries the motor's power as well as yours.
What it's used for
Replace a chainring with bent, broken or hooked teeth, or one that keeps dropping or skipping the chain. Check the chain first with Check and replace chain, since a stretched chain is the more common cause. A clicking or grinding crank is covered in E-bike noises.
What to look for
- How it mounts. A bolt-on ring must match the spider's bolt circle diameter (BCD) and bolt count. A direct mount ring fits only its own crank family or needs an adapter (Competitive Cyclist, crankset and chainring compatibility).
- Speed count. Rings are made for a given number of speeds, and a mismatched ring can hurt shifting (Competitive Cyclist).
- Tooth count. Changing size changes your gearing, and the BCD limits how small a ring you can fit (Competitive Cyclist). A bigger ring also uses up rear derailleur capacity.
- Narrow-wide on single-ring bikes. On a 1x drivetrain, check for a narrow-wide tooth profile, since a worn one is a listed cause of dropped chains (Competitive Cyclist drivetrain FAQ).
- Mid-drive motors. On a mid-drive the ring fits the motor's own mount. QuietKat, for example, sells a 39 tooth ring for the Bafang BBSHD on its 2023 Apex Pro, Apex Sport, Apex and Warrior, and a 40 tooth ring for its Ultra motor bikes (QuietKat). See Bafang troubleshooting.
- Ring and arms as one part. Some e-bike cranksets come as a unit. Ebike Supershop sells one with a 52 tooth steel ring and 170 mm arms for 6, 7 and 8 speed e-bikes (Ebike Supershop). Removing the arms needs a crank puller.
- Bolt torque. Competitive Cyclist gives chainring bolts as typically 8 to 12 Nm and says to follow the crank maker's spec (Competitive Cyclist). Use a torque wrench.
Typical price
- QuietKat lists its mid-drive chainring replacement at $50.00, with the BBSHD version shown in transit and the Ultra version sold out (read Nov 9, 2026) (QuietKat).
- Ebike Supershop lists an e-bike crankset with a 52 tooth chainring at $99.00, shown as available to order (read Nov 9, 2026) (Ebike Supershop).
Where to buy
- Your bike maker's parts store or support team, such as QuietKat for its own bikes.
- For mid-drive kits, the motor maker or a service center for that motor.
- Independent specialists in Where to buy e-bike repair parts, such as Ebike Supershop.
- A local shop, through find a shop.
Videos
Guides that use it
Sources
- Competitive Cyclist, crankset and chainring compatibility, competitivecyclist.com
- Competitive Cyclist drivetrain FAQ, competitivecyclist.com
- QuietKat, quietkat.com
- Ebike Supershop, ebikesupershop.com
- How To Change Your Chainrings and Cranks, GCN's Bike Maintenance Series, youtube.com
Stuck after these checks? Find a shop near you, or if you're in Austin, book a Pedalwise tech.