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Gemini calls their new Rigel carbon ring the “most technologically superior chainring” to ever be made. And says it’s “really the lightest chainring on this planet.” Crafted from steady fiber ‘solid’ carbon over an aluminum skeleton, the narrow-wide 1x Gemini Rigel carbon chainrings are stiff, long-wearing, even aero, plus in fact extremely light-weight.
Gemini Rigel carbon 1x MTB chainrings
We’ve seen a quantity of carbon and composite chainrings through the years. I even made a full carbon chainring for my singlespeed mountain bike greater than 2 many years in the past that severely outlasted alloy rings. Carbon lightness and stiffness have been promising within the chainring division. However none have actually solved the problems of making sharp & advanced tooth from carbon that may deal with various chain angles, help chain retention, and survive common put on and tear. Probably the most profitable till now have resorted to creating the outer ring of tooth out of assorted metals. And limiting the carbon to structural reinforcement or a lighter spider design.
Till now…
Gemini crafts the Rigel direct mount chainrings largely from carbon, however with alloy on the chain’s contact floor with the chainring’s tooth.
Who’s Gemini once more?
We largely know Gemini Composites for his or her premium carbon mountain bike bars and 1-piece cockpits. Began in 2015 to develop superior carbon MTB parts by Roland Baides, a motorcycle design engineer out of the Cero design studio. Baides turned the chief design engineer for Unno for the primary 2 years of the brand new mountain bike model, earlier than returning full-time to Gemini.
Now, located in a small industrial zone a 1/2 hour up the coast from Barcelona – on prime of auto restore & paint outlets – Gemini combines their design and carbon manufacturing in a single mixed studio and workshop. The whole lot from thought to parts, made in-house.
How is Solid Carbon made?
Gemini’s secret sauce is multi-part development, dubbed ‘Solid Carbon’, aka compression molding. First, a steady aluminum ring of hollowed-out 7075-T6 alloy is minimize. Then, they sandwich the toothed ring between precision-cut prepreg carbon discs, pressed inside a mould, and heated, below greater than 100 tons of power to reach on the ultimate shaping.
The actual secret will not be solely revealed – however is patented. The element of how Gemini orients the fibers within the tooth. Based mostly on our understanding of the patent, the stress of molding squeezes the unaligned fibers (Discontinuous Fiber Composites much like what we all know as UD) within the precut carbon discs. This aligns the fibers concentrically (3 in Fig. 8-B), as they squeeze into the slender channels of the tooth within the mould.
Gemini says the result’s “a company of steady fiber construction within the tooth that’s unattainable with conventional carbon fiber manufacturing processes“.
Out of the compression mould, there’s nonetheless loads of hand ending to scrub up extra resin flash squeezed out. And to shine the completed Rigel ring.
Tech particulars
In line with Gemini, the ensuing Rigel is the lightest Direct Mount chainring obtainable. They declare a weight of simply 39g for a 30T SRAM 3-bolt ring. “That is primarily because of using carbon fiber for each the construction and the tooth, regardless of having an inner steel core devoted solely to extending its lifespan.”
The Rigel rings finally expose the perimeters of the inside alloy ring. That gives direct chain curler to aluminum contact, to switch pedaling masses by way of the carbon physique.
This implies long-term sturdiness towards put on. On the identical time, the carbon sandwich reduces friction, quiets the chain, and improves the general aerodynamics of the system.
Gemini doesn’t explicitly state what number of miles or kilometers you’ll be able to anticipate to get out of their new carbon Rigel chainrings. However does advise cleansing & sustaining it like a daily ring – ideally utilizing a dry chain lube. Additionally they declare that actual circumstances sturdiness is successfully much like standard aluminum chainrings.
All are manufactured in Barcelona, Spain proper the place they have been designed and engineered.
Gemini Rigel carbon chainrings – Pricing, Choices & Compatibility
The brand new carbon Gemini Rigel chainrings appear surprisingly inexpensive really. OK, at 125€ a bit, they aren’t low-cost.
However loads of machined alloy direct mount chainrings already promote for 70-90€. That is formally cheaper than a inventory SRAM XX SL alternative chainring. Even a heavier, non-DM Carbon-Ti 1x chainring made out of an identical materials combine will set you again 181€.
Gemini limits choices to only three tooth sizes in the intervening time, every with Increase customary 3mm offset: 32, 34, or 36T. For those who suppose you’re sooner than that, you’ll have to attend till Gemini develops greater rings…
Gemini has been coy with the small print, however recommended gravel-ready 38, 40, 42 & 44T rings will come “Quickly“, as will a 52/36T pair. And they’re additionally pondering of oval rings, and a model for SRAM’s newest thread-on ring-around-a-powermeter.
Compatibility is broad, although. Gemini makes the carbon Rigel chainrings in 5 direct mount interface requirements – SRAM 3-bolt, SRAM 8-bolt, Shimano, RaceFace/Easton & Cannondale Hollowgram. That covers the overwhelming majority of direct-mount MTB crank arms on the market in the present day. They’re mentioned to work with 11 & 12-speed drivetrains from Shimano & SRAM, together with T-Kind Flattop chains.
Get them now, direct from Gemini.
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