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Problem: I have Shimano XT FC-M760 cranks 22/32/44t on my MTB. BCD=104/64, 4 bolt. Need to replace all rings; I'm open to any solution other than changing to 2x/1x (2x10 not enough gear range, 1x11 too expensive).

Everywhere I look the big ring is discontinued or out of stock. Small/middle are hard to find but I eventually found a source.Tried to find replacement triple crank, very few options available, no XT. Tried ebay, prices are high and parts are worn. I tried to buy compatible Shimano rings (hone/saint), no luck.
specific questions:

  1. Any links that show what rings (brand/model) fit those cranks? I know there may be a problem with the "tab length".
  2. Any sources that sell the big ring (42 or 44t)?

Update: Bought Truvativ Trushift rings. Middle ring did not fit, big ring fit but I had to file down the pin (see longer comment below).

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  • I only considered aluminum middle/big rings, may find more options if steel is okay for you. Sram doesn't seem to make any rings that fit this crank. Shimano XT big ring hard to find and seems to be discontinued. Origin8 rings that I saw don't have a pin to prevent chain from jamming between crankarm and ring.
    – TimCO
    Nov 12, 2020 at 20:40

2 Answers 2

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It's a very populous crank and generally speaking any aftermarket/replacement type chainrings will go on it. It tends to be true that the designated Shimano chainrings make the best replacements for their cranks in terms of performance, or at least avoid minor weirdness with spacing or spider fit, but it's rare for those issues to be insurmountable when fitting aftermarket replacement rings on to a mainstream crank like this.

There are some 104 rings where the rounded contour of the spider can be a mismatch. If memory serves you get into this from mounting Truvativ/SRAM rings on Shimano cranks, but I may have that in reverse. You knock the ring down slightly with a half round file and it's fine.

Some brands to look out for aftermarket replacements are Origin8, Dimension, Blackspire, Vuelta, and TA. The 2020 parts shortages have not hit generic replacement chainrings that hard and I see some of these are still readily available from distributors.

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  • Replacement rings are cheap. A quick net search reveals that they are in the range of $15 to 30. A further search may reveal replacements for the entire crank for less than the 3 separate rings, which is obscene in some ways.
    – Carel
    Sep 24, 2020 at 18:43
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    It’s putting Shimano rings on SRAM cranks that requires some judicious filing. Had to do that on my last changeout. Annoying but saves getting a new part delivered. Sep 24, 2020 at 20:44
  • "generally speaking any aftermarket/replacement type chainrings will go on it" -- I did not find that to be true. I ordered Truvativ Trushift rings, a very popular option, and had problems. The middle ring was correct BCD but the "tabs" were too short so ring didn't mate with crank, unusable. The big ring fit fine, but the pin that keeps chain from jamming between crankarm and ring was too long, had to file it down about 2 mm (at 20 degree angle). Ended up replacing middle ring with an OEM Shimano XT ring.
    – TimCO
    Nov 12, 2020 at 20:34
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I have a list of cranks here.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HdcNgmQKFA-lAqQJ3lXQ8SwA4tblAKiOXe9XYJJHYN8/edit

There are a few alternates of similar quality and vintage, such as Hone, XT, XTR, LX, SLX, and Saint.

Alternatively a cheap modern 9-speed HT2 crankset could be very cheap. E.g, FC-MT300-3.

You could remove the chainrings from that and fit them to your XT chainset.

They are solid steel rather than your alloy version, so your bike will go up in weight a bit.

(even lower-end cranksets might be cheaper still, but the chainrings are not removable)

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  • thanks for the link. I tried searching for every model of triple crank that has aluminum middle/outer rings, all are either discontinued or out of stock. For one XT model I called the seller, they have no idea when/if it will be back in stock. Guess these cranks are too old, no longer sold.
    – TimCO
    Sep 25, 2020 at 14:13

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