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Damaged mah Widgit :(
Bought a 32t Widgit a month or 2 back, and after examining it closely after things were running a little rough on Friday's ride, its all munted 
Its obviously seen some light damage to the guard, but not only are both sides of the guard 'tweaked' a little, but the chainring is too! Even my stock 42t shimano chainring with no protection has survived the same riding wonderfully for far longer.
Maybe it's my massive power that breaks frames and bends chainrings, but it just seems really odd that chainring is bent MORE than the guards?
Is it worth contacting Widgit?
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-a...
A little hard to see, but look at the LHS...
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I learnt my lesson after a 10kay walk,not to run a wigit without a bash guard.I replaced it with a hope chainring and bash guard.
http://www.hopetech.com/page.aspx?itemID=SPG346
Sorry to hear about the damage.
That is odd that the teeth of the ring are bent and not the guards. However, the guards are there to protect the chainring so you'd assume they would be stronger (albeit, not that great at protecting the chainring).
Always, always, always give the manufacturer a try. It could be something that they really want to know about, you never know until you try
Side note though, in my opinion, a chainguide does the job of the Widget and it does it 10 times better too. If you bash into a log/ rock with the chainring using a chainguide instead of a widget, you replace the chainring at a normal chainring price instead of the widget price.
If you're worried about weight of a chainguide, they can weigh less than widgets, 49g in some cases!
http://www.e13components.com/product_xcx_st_etyp...
I've just fitted my widget on Saturday night. The Dungog 3hr was great. Widget worked perfectly. A stick ruined my perfectly good rear derailleur.
Let us know what Paul says when you contact him.
Thanks a lot. Where were you guys when I was asking advice earlier???
Can't quite figure out the damage... as said, Id expect the actual guard to bend more, and before the actual chainring. But then again, the guard is riveted TO the chainring. Is this an inherent design flaw, that a big enough hit will transfer all the force from the guard to the chainring mounting points?
Anyway, Ive emailed Paul but have not heard back yet. In the meanwhile, I gotta ride, so I ordered a 30t, which will sit on the granny ring. The smaller size and in particular the smaller BCD size should make the whole thing a lot stronger.
Apart from that, the widgit was working well. Even with a long cage RD, and no chain tensioner, I never dropped a chain or had any other problems.
Is 30t enough that is the question? i started with a 30t and im up to a 36t now.I found riding 1x10 or 9 you push harder no more sliping back into granny gear and grinding it out.
Try Paul's mobile. My emails kept bouncing...
Yeah, the 30 x 11-36 will be perfect.
From my junior road days you learn to spin or die.
The trails I ride won't hit much over 40km/hr, and thats usually a short stretch of fire trail, and im happy to have a rest regardless.
Riding with the 32 id never use the top 2 gears or so, and on the short end, its just short enough for any trail and anything under 4 hours, before my legs completely DIAF.
Assuming that you get no joy from the manufacturer, any chance that you can bend it back into shape? From memory, the rings are steel so they may be able to take a bit of a 'trail repair'. Seems a shame to chuck an expensive ring.
I used to have a 30T widgit on my Yeti. Worked a treat but wouldn't fit when I tried to pop it onto my Remedy. Was rubbing on the swingarm. Because it sits inboard on the granny ring bolts, you may want to double check that you have enough clearance before putting an order through.
FWIW, I ended up swapping over to a chain guide and dedicated single ring. When the ring wears out, the replacement shouldn't cost much more than about 40bux. A lot cheaper than a widgit. Both options have been equally effective in a 1x10 situation.
Heard from Paul. Basically said: it happens, I'll give you a deal on a new one.
Pity since i've already bought another one. He did suggest adding one of their $80 bash guards, which makes it $220 all up. Pretty expensive.
Still a bit suss of the widgit since i did run a much larger unprotected 42t XT ring for 6 months with no dramas.
I think when (if) i get my dream bike I'll get a purpose built 1x chainring and separate guard & guide specifically built for the bike.
I can try straighten it. Will need to drill out the rivets, straighten it out and rivet it up again.
Looked online and it seems is a common issue.
Consensus seems to be you need to run a bash guard to protect it as the Widget is for keeping the chain on not protecting anything.
I reckon the teeth are getting bent when a small stone gets wedged in against the chain and pushes the tooth over. Happens sometimes but rarely on a bash guard as the stone normally just falls out the other side which is open. On the widget the stone can get caught both ways.
Heaps of guys just run a chain device and no bash guards on 9 speeds anyway as the chain does a good job of protecting the chain ring. In the old days before bash guards we used to put the chain on the big chain ring to protect it in rocky areas.
Others online have replaced it with a bash guard and an inner plate which appears to do the same as a Widget and also has a bash guard for half the price of a Widget.
Yeah, seems that way. More of a chain guide than bash guard. Probably my mistake thinking it was a genuine guard.
Also, its not the teeth that are bent. The actual chainring is bent. Including the mounts.
Anyway, after installing the 30t on the granny ring which arrived yesterday, I need to say I won't be buying another widgit. The problem (as with the first 32t), is that on your top and bottom 2 sprockets, the chain rubs and grinds against the guides. Like they are too narrow and need to be spaced further away from the chain. And i know its perfectly centred as is rubs on bottom and top gears equally.
The widgit side plates are definitely not bash rings!
They are thin and purely there for retaining the chain.
If you've had a big enough impact that it's bent the ring, your chain took the brunt of it. The chainring is not designed for large impacts either, it's stainless steel, that would in my opinion give much better wear, but it has had the guts cut out of it for weight. The big rings on a triple ring crankset are much stronger and stiffer, when it comes to rock strikes and impacts.
I run a 34 on mine and the chain actually protrudes slightly from the side plates (34 runs 32 sized side plates), bashed the chain a couple of times, but only graze/bump, never had big impacts. After 1500kms, the side plates have seen better days, the chain chatter and flying rock grazes have scratched the hell out of it, but it still performs perfectly in the roughest terrain and there is no visual wear. I'll def be getting another when this one eventually wears out.
If you want a nice and lightweight bashy that looks great, look at the new raceface guards. A lot cheaper than the $80 widgit units.