Praxis Works' Adam Haverstock showing off the new rings

Praxis Works of Santa Cruz County is gearing up for its North American aftermarket debut this week. Fresh off their Taipei International Show unveiling last month, where they showed off their final production rings to industry buyers and media. This week, anyone will be able to stop by the Praxis Works booth at the Sea Otter Classic Festival to check out their first real opportunity to purchase aftermarket forged chain rings.

Praxis Works was founded back in 2007 when David Earle, a well known bicycle industry veteran engineer whose resume includes the design of Santa Cruz's Nomad, Blur, and VPP suspension, joined up with Dragen Tech's Ardy Chen. With Earle's design and engineering know how and Chen's Dragon Tech manufacturing ability, the duo set out to focus in on very technical parts that most brands don't or can't develop on their own. Until recently these parts were only available in large quantities to manufacturers.





Starting later this week, Praxis Works will be offering new forged chain rings to the aftermarket. A welcome alternative to the traditionally CNC'd offerings currently available to consumers today. The chain rings will feature what Praxis Works is calling it's LevaTime shifting technology. A product of years of relentless testing and tweaking, LevaTime is a combination of intricate features and timing points built into the chainrings to allow for fast and consistent shifting. They are able to do this using what they call their "One Shot Forge" process. That's where Dragon Tech comes in, with their advanced facilities and forging abilities, they can take Earle's designs, packed with tons of features, and forge a chainring in a matter of seconds. Something that would take a traditional CNC process hours per ring to do, making it nearly impossible to economically sell. After forging, the rings do go through a CNC process, but it's merely for weight relief and aesthetic purposes. We weighed a set of the Praxis Works road rings in 53/39, and they came in at a very weight weenie 126 grams.


A sample of Liquid Ano Compact Rings

In addition to LevaTime shifting, Praxis Works has also come up with an anodizing process it is calling Liquid Ano®. Exclusive to Praxis, they're able to give each ring a deep paint like luster with a durable and super slippery finish. The result to the end user is a chainring that looks great on the bike, but will also reduce shifting friction, possibly resulting in better shifting and longer wear. It is unlikely they'll come to market with the full rainbow of colors possible, but the technology will still be available on the more universally accepted colors they will offer.

Praxis will be offering chainrings in several configurations. Road standard in the classic 53/39 or 53/42 as well as Compact 50/34, 50/36, and Cyclocross 48/36. Praxis does not believe in throwing any random two rings together, since they've developed each combination of rings to optimize shifting precision. The timing, shift ramps, and teeth profile are matched perfectly for each inner and outer ring. Therefore, we're guessing the rings will be sold in pairs.

Though pricing was not available at the time of this writing, pricing sounds like it's going to be super competitive as Praxis is excited to bring this forging technology to consumers at an affordable range.

***UPDATE*** Pricing has just been announced -
Road Compact Rings 50/34 or 50/36 - $165
Road Classic Rings 53/39 or 53/42 - $170
Cyclocross Rings 48/36 - $165

Given what we've seen so far of the forged manufacturing process and the finished Liquid Ano feel, we're expecting some great results from these rings. Check back in a few months for a full review of these rings after we've given it the full Pepsi Taste Challenge.

Specs: All Praxis Works rings are compatible with SRAM, Shimano, and Campagnolo drivetrain systems.

Standard Road Double Rings:
Sizes: 53/39t or 53/42t
Material: 7075 T6 aluminum
Bolt Pattern: 130 BCD
Process: Proprietary Forged/CNC
Finish: Std. Ano, Hrd Ano, Liquid Ano®
Speeds: 9, 10, and 11-speed compatible
Thickness: 53T (4mm), 39T (3mm) or 42T (3mm)

Compact Road Double Rings:
Sizes: 50/34t or 50/36t
Material: 7075 T6 aluminum
Bolt Pattern: 110 BCD
Process: Proprietary CNC/Forging
Finish: Std. Ano, Hrd Ano, Liquid Ano®
Speeds: 9, 10, and 11-speed compatible
Thickness: 50T (4mm), 34T (3mm) or 36T (3mm)

Cyclocross Rings:
Sizes: 48/36t
Material: 7075 T6 aluminum
Bolt Pattern: 110 BCD
Process: Proprietary Forged/CNC
Finish: Std. Ano, Hrd Ano, Liquid Ano®
Speeds: 9, 10, and 11-speed compatible
Thickness: 48T (4mm), 36T (3mm)

Video: Praxis Works' Adam Haverstock welcomes us to their design studio located in Santa Cruz County and gives us a brief introduction to what Praxis Works is all about.

[youtube width="640" height="385"]httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQHnL3Onn4s