FastJake

I'm setting up a new (old) mountain bike 1x11 and need a single ring for the front. I'd like to use a 1x-specific ring to avoid using a chain keeper. So, I need:
- 1x specific
- 34T
- For a 5 bolt, 110 B.C.D. crank

Wolf Tooth has this one but it's $80, which seem a bit steep to me...

***OR*** recommend me a new-fangled crank that meets the following criteria:
- Fits a 1x, 34T ring
- Is compatible with a standard, 68mm English threaded bottom bracket shell
- Has a chainline in the 44-47mm range (for a 135mm rear)
- Has a not-ridiculously-wide q-factor. My old Deore square taper comes in at 160mm
- There needs to be some reason for me to bother with a new crank. Lighter (maybe?), lower q-factor (doubt it), etc.

Finally, please don't try to critique my gearing choice or argue 1x versus 2x, etc.

HillRider

That $80 Wolf Tooth sounds pretty good to me considering the likely cost of any new crank+bottom bracket. For example, a Shimano GRX FC-RX600 1X crank is about $150 everywhere I see it listed and it would require an HTII bottom bracket. That's just an example since it only comes with a 40T chainring.

tFUnK

Haven't seen a 34t but there are some 36t rings on AliExpress
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Rolla

Can't imagine why a new crankset is a more viable option than the chainring that checks all of your boxes. Amortize that 80 bucks over a two-year lifespan, and it's ten cents a day.

veganbikes

Go Wolf Tooth, they make good quality parts right here in 'Murica and they are well worth it. The less drivetrain stuff you have the more sense it makes to spend a bit more on it. In the case of this it has a good tooth profile to hold onto the chain and are well made so they will last a good long time. If you are so concerned with cost Race Face makes a Narrow Wide chainring that works well, not sure what their 110bcd stuff looks like but I have a 130 bcd on a old Tiagra Hollowtech II crank and it works great as a 1x9. However I wouldn't hesitate to go Wolf Tooth if I didn't have specific budgetary rules for that particular bike as a challenge (and at the time I was simul-building two bikes so didn't want to kill the bank). I am willing to pay more for a quality product that will last a while and is hopefully made without terrible labor practices or business practices.

FastJake

Thanks everyone. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something obvious. Wolf Tooth it is. I forgot or didn't know they made their stuff in the US. That's a nice bonus, and somewhat helps justify the price.

TPL

110 pattern can go as low as 33 tooth