Price Paid:
$100.00
at Online Favorite Ride:
Mountains Bike Setup:
Drivetrain: DA-10spd with FSA SL-K cranks (now with Shimano rings!) Summary:
This is for the New Shimano Compact Rings (not really DA or Ultegra - just the best place to put this review. Installed rings on a FSA SL-K compact crank - immediate improvement in shifting - solved the sloppy big ring to small ring down shift and occassional dropped chain that seems to be standard with FSA. I hate to say it, but Shimano engineering, design, manufacturing, and end-products are of very high quality - consistently the best in the industry. The Shimano 50-T ring has all sorts of special machining, appropriately positioned shift pins, and specially formed teeth to specifically address the 16-T ring size differential without any need for special derailleurs. Down shifts are now crisp and efficient and with no fears of chain drop during critical moments. Up shifts - perfect. Installation - easy (off-set slightly different than the FSA rings - I would suspect that to obtain desired performance, both the front rings should be swapped out at the same time). If you have FSA rings and complain about less than desireable shifting (like everyone I know that runs them), switch to the Shimano compact rings for better performance. Strengths:
Super high quality. Superior engineering, design, and manufacturing resulting in a excellent product. And of course, precision shifting. Weaknesses:
In my opinion, the rings are rather 'ugly' - a strange titanium color that is rather vogue at the moment. Many people find them fashionable and sporty - personal preferance . . . I went for function over form . . . Similar Products Used:
Was using the standard FSA compact rings supplied with FSA SL-K crankset (at the time of bike build-up, really the only manufacturer with availability of compact drive - non-Campy). Shifting was always less than desireable (note: this was even with the supposedly new and improved FSA 10-spd compatiable rings). In conversations with FSA Techs and various LBS mechanics, they stated that is simply the way it is with a 16-T chainring jump (not true!). After about 4000-miles, a tooth broke on the 50-T ring (what crap - never had this happen on a road bike - ever!). 
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