Teeth-Side Technology
Modern bicycle drivetrains must operate reliably under a wide range of real-world conditions, including chain misalignment, large chain angles, contamination, and fluctuating loads. In these situations, the manner in which the chain first engages the sprocket tooth plays a critical role in overall drivetrain behaviour.
In conventional sprocket designs, the initial contact between chain roller and tooth often occurs near the tooth tip. If this entry geometry forms an abrupt transition or excessive step, the chain roller may momentarily pause or “hang” before dropping into the engagement position. This behaviour can produce the familiar audible “click” and introduce localized impact loads during engagement.
Teeth-Side Technology addresses this interaction through precise control of the tooth entry geometry.
By carefully engineering the tooth-tip entry angle and transition profile, the chain roller is guided progressively into the load-bearing region of the tooth. This reduces abrupt impact events and encourages a smoother engagement sequence.
The design objectives include:
• Guiding the chain roller smoothly into the engagement path
• Preventing chain lift or top-out at the tooth tip
• Converting sudden impact contact into progressive entry
Importantly, Teeth-Side Technology is developed as a system-level geometry, rather than as an isolated tooth modification. The design considers the dimensional and dynamic characteristics of modern bicycle chains, including:
• Roller diameter and articulation behaviour
• Plate side clearance
• Lateral chain flexibility
• Manufacturing tolerances across chain standards
By accounting for these parameters, the tooth geometry maintains reliable engagement across modern 11- and 12-speed chain systems, even under significant chain angles commonly encountered in MTB, gravel, and wide-range drivetrain configurations.
The result is a drivetrain interface that promotes quieter operation, smoother engagement behaviour, and consistent performance in real riding conditions.
Teeth-Side Technology works in conjunction with Round-Teeth™ Technology, where the engagement entry behaviour and the rolling contact geometry are optimised together as part of the overall drivetrain interaction.
This combined approach is particularly suited to:
MTB · Gravel · Road · Wide-range 1× drivetrains · High-torque riding conditions