Sprocket Material

07/09/2017 10:39am

Steel or Aluminium?

Should you use a Steel or Aluminium rear sprocket? That really depends on what you want to do with it. Steel is stronger and slightly cheaper but aluminium is lighter and more attractive. For durability and longevity there is no doubt that a steel sprocket is best. Specifically, an induction hardened steel rear sprocket is strongest and will last the longest.

Aluminium is lighter and generally a more attractive finish, but its weaker right? Well yes, but don’t go thinking that it isn’t strong enough to do the job because it definitely is. Aluminium rear sprockets are used for racing right up to World Superbike level providing you fit a high quality component. First, they need to be made of a very strong and wear resistant specification of aluminium. Then they are either silver anodised, colour anodised or hard anodised. Silver and colour anodising are both a simple surface finish but hard anodising is much more resistant to wear and makes the sprocket tougher not weaker. So if you buy a top quality rear aluminium sprocket which is properly hard anodised it should last around 80% of the time a steel one does, providing of course that it is properly aligned, tensioned and lubricated.


So, if you do 20,000 miles a year on a commuter bike you should go with the steel option. If you do 3000 miles a year on a sports bike then hard anodised aluminium may well suit you better.


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