I have a soft spot for Profile Products. There, I said it, but I have nothing to hide. I have been using Profile cranks for over 20 years and found them to be reliable, stiff, strong, easy to maintain, and I'm always a big fan of a lifetime warranty. Over those years very little has changed with the cranks and spindle. The cranks I used all those years ago are still running today, on a much newer bike. The frame has a different bottom bracket shell. That's what's great about Profile cranks, they are highly configurable. After adding new Profile hardware like an outboard bottom bracket and a spline drive spider the crankset runs better than ever. There aren't many businesses that can boast they created a product 35ish years ago that's still relevant today in an ever evolving industry. Not only that they remain the benchmark for which all others are measured by.
When the Profile Elite 104 BCD 4 bolt chainring was first revealed I must admit I fell in love with it but not simply because it was a new Profile product, it has a bunch of other alluring features
The Profile Elite Chainring has a slick/stripped back to bare bones design, it resembles the Supercross Cadence chainring we reviewed a few years back but looks a whole lot stronger. When compared to the standard Profile 4-bolt chainring, which weighs in at 85g, it's not exactly a light weight. The Elite chainring is also a little more expensive. One thing I noticed is that my large platform pedals won't fit through the inner diameter of the chainring like it does on Profile's standard 4 bolt BMX chainring. This just means I have to remove my pedal when changing my gears, so it takes that little bit longer, not a massive issue until you need to make a quick change, so it's still worth considering.
The Elite chainring is super thick, so thick in fact that you need to use 8-10 mm chainring bolts which can be tricky to source. I tried two wholesalers and two bike shops before I found something suitable. It's dead straight, strong and really stands out from all other 4 bolt chainrings on the market. Profile have taken advantage of the extra thickness and have been able to put a nice offset on the chainring to allow for better chain alignment. A perfect solution if your chain is too close to your chain stays (possibly rubbing on your frame). It's only a few millimeters but can still make a big difference.
The Profile Elite chainring will fit any 4 bolt 104 PCD crank set or spider. Naturally, it was easy to fit to my Profile Spline drive spider. In the past I have had some trouble with chains not being compatible with other branded chainrings, which can be quite a concern when you reach full revs and it sounds like your chain is trying to bail out on you, but no issues at all in this case.
When riding with the new chainring there were no problems or concerns which is expected when you pay good money for high end product.
If you can get over the additional few grams and the price the Profile Elite Chainring will be a great investment for anyone running a 4 bolt chainring.
Rating 20/20:
| Value for money: | 5/5 |
| Weight: | 5/5 |
| Functionality: | 5/5 |
| Looks/Finish: | 5/5 |
Comments:
Profile Racing products are distributed in Australia by Elite Cycle Imports (ECI) www.eciimports.com
Reviewed by Shane Jenkins/bmxultra.com August 5, 2012