The steel cogs in my freewheels seemingly last forever.
I'm not sure how many chainrings this bike has had but they are getting harder and harder to find and the cost keeps going up. I'd be willing to take on the small weight differential of a steel chain ring to get nearly infinite life. I'd still have the aluminum crank.
Cheese and crackers!, I saw a Regina Oro Chain for $120, just for the chain! <-- I almost bought it, too.