Introduction

While many manufacturers opt for A6061 or A7050 for their chainrings, SAVVY uses A7075-T6. The reason is straightforward — this material makes the most sense for a billet-machined chainring.

That said, A7075-T6 is a great material, but not an easy one to work with. Here's an honest look at why we choose it anyway, straight from the machine shop floor.

What Is A7075-T6?

A7075 is an aluminum alloy with zinc as its primary alloying element, sometimes called "super duralumin." The T6 designation refers to its heat treatment — solution heat-treated and artificially aged for maximum strength.

The numbers tell the story:

Tensile strength: ~570 MPa (vs. ~310 MPa for A6061-T6)

Yield strength: ~505 MPa (vs. ~275 MPa for A6061-T6)

Hardness: ~HB150 (vs. ~HB95 for A6061-T6)

In simple terms, A7075-T6 is roughly 1.8 times stronger than A6061-T6. For a chainring — a part that endures repeated loads with every pedal stroke — that difference matters. Tooth wear and resistance to deformation are on a completely different level.

Why Not A6061?

To be clear, A6061-T6 is an excellent material. It machines well, has good corrosion resistance, and takes anodizing beautifully. There are solid reasons why so many chainring manufacturers use it.

But what SAVVY aims to build isn't a product with "adequate strength." We want something unnecessarily tough. When you're riding fixed gear through city streets — skidding, backpedaling, accelerating hard — the stress on those teeth isn't constant or gentle. For that kind of riding, the strength of A7075 isn't a luxury. It's a necessity.

Why Billet Machining Brings Out the Best in This Material

Every SAVVY chainring is CNC-machined from a solid billet of A7075-T6. Not cast. Not forged. Carved one at a time from a solid block.

This process pairs well with A7075-T6 for a reason. Billet stock has a uniform internal grain structure, free from the porosity and segregation that can occur in castings. That means the full mechanical properties of A7075-T6 are realized consistently throughout the part. Billet machining is what lets us use 100% of what this material has to offer.

Material Quirks Between Lots — A Reality of the Shop Floor

On paper, the specs are always the same. In practice, anyone who machines A7075-T6 regularly knows that every lot has its own personality.

The feel of the cut, the way chips form, subtle differences in surface finish — these things shift from lot to lot. Even with the same alloy designation and the same heat treatment, the material behaves a little differently depending on the supplier or the batch. Some lots run slightly harder. Others have a bit more toughness to them.

None of this shows up on a data sheet. That's why we never skip re-tuning our cutting parameters when a new lot comes in. Same program, same tooling — but a different batch of material can change the outcome. CNC machining might look like a fully automated process, but the conversation with the material never stops.

Anodizing Color — The Depth That's Unique to A7075

When you anodize A7075-T6, the color comes out noticeably darker and deeper compared to A6061. Apply the same gold anodize to both, and A6061 gives you a bright, clean gold. A7075 gives you something richer — more subdued, with a sense of weight to it.

This happens because the zinc and copper content in A7075 affects how the oxide layer forms during anodizing. Some might see the darker tone as a drawback. We see it as character.

Different material, different appearance. Rather than trying to hide that, we let the material show through. The distinctive presence of SAVVY's gold anodized chainrings comes directly from the nature of A7075-T6 itself.

Final Thoughts

A7075-T6 is harder to machine, more expensive, and less predictable when it comes to anodizing. If production efficiency were the priority, A6061 would be the rational choice.

But SAVVY sticks with A7075-T6 because a chainring made from this material is a product we'd actually want to ride ourselves.

No compromise on materials. That's where SAVVY's manufacturing philosophy starts.