Praxis Works have quickly built a solid reputation for aftermarket crank and bottom bracket solutions that really make a difference. The Standard Road Chainring Set is one of these products. It brings the benefits of cold forging to a beautifully made chainring upgrade.
Where most brands (except Shimano) machine rings, Praxis Works are proud that their rings are cold forged. Praxis claim that cold forging allows them to create tooth profile and shift ramp shapes that would be too costly or impossible with traditional machining. This is done with more than 1,000 tons of pressure and hardens the material for greater durability at the same time.
We tested the Clover set, which features a filled-in big ring shape. These rings are designed to fit standard aftermarket road cranks (110 or 130BCD available) and the 53/39 rings were a perfect match for our older generation SRAM Red cranks.
There’s no doubt that Shimano Dura-Ace chainrings set the benchmark for shift quality and rarely do others compare – except Praxis and their Leva Time shifting system. We found the Praxis rings shifted exceptionally well, with immediate pick-up of the chain without hesitation. Never did we experience any sign of a miss-shift and were able to shift under greater power than we could achieve before.
Great shifting is not just the result of shift ramp and tooth profile shapes – it's also a result of stiffness. A stiff chainring won’t deflect under a heavy shift and will increase drive efficiency to the crank. Here the Praxis rings are definitely stiff, as proven by the direct and snappy shifts while providing a more direct feel under heavy sprinting.
After months of testing, there is still no sign of wear and so we can't yet comment on long-term durability. However we don’t doubt they will outlast most aluminium rings from current signs.
Weight-wise, the Praxis rings are competitive but not super light. Light enough for THM Carbones to spec the Praxis rings on their weight weenie dream Clavicular cranksets. Our 53/39 clover set weighed 108/32g respectively.
Latest generation SRAM and Shimano rings shift extremely well and the Praxis rings will offer little improvement from these. However, if you’re running aftermarket cranks (FSA, Rotor, Specialized) or older generation SRAM/Shimano, the Praxis rings are seriously worth the upgrade on your next replacement.