SoSmellyAir

That is a good deal! Mine was $16.

That is why I keep a new one as a spare and for a basis for comparison.

t2p

50T chainring for Ultegra CS-6800 crankset will set you back around $150

(Colorado Cyclist - $165, Jenson USA $165)
.

t2p

dry chain can wear chainrings and cassette prematurely

as will frequent rides on some crushed limestone and similar surfaces (rails-to-trails)

wheel bearings can also die an early / premature death when bike logs a fair amount of miles on the crushed limestone and similar surfaces

saw a trashed set of wheels after just one summer of rail-to-trails riding that consisted of a large crushed limestone etc

Steve B.

Curious if you are thinking the dust gets past the seals ?. Never had issues with any mt. bike I've owned.

t2p

possible - the wheelset was trashed

drivetrain components trashed

the surface really took a toll on the bike

SoSmellyAir

I use 10 speed chain rings on my otherwise 11 speed drive train so I am limited to 105 for the big ring but have the choice of Ultegra or 105 for the small ring.

I would not keep a spare ring around if it was $150!

t2p

at one time (long ago) we rode off road 1-3 times per week from fall thru spring - including winter evenings (no snow or ice - but often a lot of mud ; when ground was snow covered some guys then rode in multi-level parking garages)


this was back in the day when Night Sun and Night Rider were basically the only legit choices for quality lights


a number of guys went through rims - but can't recall trashed wheel bearings or hubs (?) - other than required maintenance after bike washing after extreme mud rides etc

t2p

btw - night off road riding is one neatest / exhilarating bike experiences

Bike Gremlin

A good example.

I recently bought some cranks for myself (double, compact - Shimano Sora class) that cost less than sourcing 2 new chainrings locally, for the old square taper cranks.

ChimeraKC - this is my long-winded drivel thinking out loud about bicycle shops in general, if it's of any help:

SurferRosa

Well, yeah. That's what they do.

It's 2022. You've got a world of information at the tip of your fingers. And it's free! Figure it out and do it yourself.

CliffordK

Upload some photos of the bike to your album:

https://www.bikeforums.net/g/user/505475

Include some closeups of the cranks and chainrings, and the rear cassette (with the wheel removed?) List of brands/models of the major components?

If a bike needs a new chain, cassette, chainrings, and rear bearings, then that could be a sign of lots of miles and a fair amount of abuse.

A good shop should be able to replace rear bearings, unless the cones are pitted, in which case it would require bearings and cones. But it will require a little labor too (which is a reason to learn to do the repairs yourself).

Personally I purchase a lot of supplies online. Some UK retailers have traditionally had good prices, but Shimano and SRAM have been messing with their ability to sell to the USA. Still, there are other retailers, as well as E-Bay.

Rolla

Show us on the doll where the bike shop hurt you.

SurferRosa

Need receipts, Mr Auditor?

Sorry. I tossed them. I learned my lesson a long time ago.

Rolla

You poor, traumatized thing.

SurferRosa

Oh, don't worry about me. Thanks to bad experience and learned lessons, I can do everything myself. Worry about the op. Sounds like he's getting ripped off by a bike shop.

La Brea Bike

I have seen a few of these similar conclusions here, and from my shop perspective... If someone runs a chain beyond 100% wear for an EXTENDED time, it's not uncommon at all to see significant wear on the chain ring (usually not RINGs). This wear will not jive with a new chain (customer gets to decide if they want to replace Chain/Cassette/Crank or have us try to tune it as best as possible with NO replacement parts and limp along as good as possible until there is no other choice). Secondly, yeah, there are numerous Shimano cranksets that are made as a unit. The individual chainrings are not replaceable. The option here is to get any other crankset with the same gear ratios. Upgraded ones will have the ability to change the chainrings. There is no shortage that I have encountered recently with getting any chain rings. Shimano welded cranksets are hit or miss. On an Allez though?

Rolla

Yes, we know. You remind us every couple of weeks.

ClydeClydeson

Maybe the shop is trying to rip you off, but unlikely. Lots of parts are hard to source right now, and it is possible the suppliers they deal with don't have the exact parts you need. But if all they are doing is 'trying to sell you stuff' then that isn't ripping you off. If they promise a certain product or service at a certain price, then deliver a different (inferior) product or service for the same price, or try to charge you more than they initially quoted for the product or service, THAT is likely to be trying to rip you off.
Saying they can't get the part you are looking for? Not a rip off. Trying to sell you something more expensive - also not a rip off. You need to grow your skin thicker if you plan to keep existing on this planet.

Also, if you can get the parts you need for cheaper than they can sell them, then go ahead and buy them - chainrings aren't that difficult to install, nor are cassettes, nor are chains. Do the work yourself and you can be sure nobody is trying to rip you off.

Hondo6

Don't think that was the case here, provided the original crankset hasn't been replaced before. This review ( https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bi...z-2019-review/ ) says that even the lowest-priced 2019 Allez came with the Shimano FC-RC200. Unless I'm misreading it, Shimano documentation indicates that crankset has replaceable chainrings with 110mm BCD.

https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/produ.../FC-RS200.html

Unless it's still being ridden on the original chain and has been ridden serious mileage (and thus has a highly worn chain), I'd be surprised if told that either chainring needs replacement - though as you observed, it's indeed possible. I have to admit when I was a less experienced and naive cyclist I ruined a crankset that way once (it was an entry-level riveted crankset, so replacing the chainwheels wasn't an option).

I also am skeptical about that "can only get a chainring with the cranks attached" claim if the crank is the FC-RS200. However, the FC-RS200 is pretty inexpensive (around $48-60 US plus S/H, available from multiple sources). So depending on the shop's labor rate and the cost of the individual chainrings, it might actually be less expensive to replace the entire crankset than both chainrings. Can't see that being the case if only one chainring is bad, though.

icemilkcoffee 

That steel chainring should last till Kingdom come.

Hondo6

Steel chainrings should indeed last a long time - provided you change chains when necessary. But their demise can be accelerated.

The crankset I ruined years ago when still ignorant of proper bike maintenance had steel chainwheels.

La Brea Bike

For sure, especially people that ride that stretched chain in their favorite chainwheel and Cassette sprocket all the time. We have seen some humorous results...

N2deep

I experienced the same debacle this summer at our local Trek Store when trying to buy replacement bottom bracket bearings. The parts I needed were not in stock and they would-could not order from a business outside of their model-chain. Five minutes on line and they were in the mail, within 2 days, sad that they are handcuffed by their own processes. Any independent shop would buy them on line and made the cash from the install rather than trying to get the customer to wait 6 months for parts delivery..

SoSmellyAir

Not every Trek store is the same. I suspect yours may be a corporate flagship type store. My local Trek store (from which I had bought a hybrid bike and miscellaneous accessories before it became a Trek store) had absolutely no issue with charging me a very reasonable price to modify and install a headset I ordered online onto a vintage Cannondale CAAD4.