SG-X chainring compatibility issues

Question

Must I swap my SG-X chainrings with SG-X replacements or can I use anything with the same BCD?

My current Deore LX FC-M560 has 26-36-46 rings and I was thinking of replacing them with TA rings. However, I've read I must use SG-X and rings that come as a matched set due to the pickup being matched to the rings. Is this correct?

Anyone used non SG-X rings and had issues?

Answer 1

TA chainrings have their own system of ramps and pins, which in my experience works quite well.

It is possible that Shimano has found a way make chainrings that work only at the combination they are designed for. They certainly market parts as if it was so. In my experience, TA works fine even in non-standard combinations (28-38-50 on 4-bolt MTB crank in my case).