Chainring Replacement?

muzz <[email hidden]> wrote:

Campag have just announced a Centuar/Velcoe (can't remember which)
compact.

Other options are TA and Stronglight.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt
The struggle of people against power is the struggle
of memory against forgetting - Milan Kundera

muzz said:

I have a road bike witha a Campagnolo groupset. I bought it a few
years ago and after a few hilly rides I realised that I should have
got the triple instead of the double. I didn't do anything about it
then and now that I have cut right down on my riding due to other
committments, it's becoming really difficult on my local 50 miler.
I bought a magazine last week and saw that you can get compact
chainsets, I think this would solve my problem. I think the chainset
is a Mirage, where can I find a replacement compact set ?

Campag don't do any cheap (Mirage level) compact chainsets yet, but you
could fit one from another make, eg. Stronglight Impact, from Settle
Cycles or Spa Cycles. Budget for a new bottom bracket too as BB will need
changing for a non-Campag chainset.

Triple chainsets usually provide lower bottom gears still. For this, most
likely only your derailleurs would need changing in addition. All Campag
shifters/gear levers are triple-compatible. Standard 111mm bottom bracket
usually is OK (and best) for triple as well as double Campag cranksets in
practice. Triple Mirage chainset costs £46 from Parker International.
Xenon derailleurs work fine if you want to keep the cost down.

In any case, you might be better off with larger sprockets at the back as
well. Which do you have: 8 or 9-speed cassette? 13-28 and 14-28 9-speed
cassettes are available.

~PB

in message <[email hidden]>, muzz

(') said:

I have a road bike witha a Campagnolo groupset. I bought it a few
years ago and after a few hilly rides I realised that I should have
got the triple instead of the double. I didn't do anything about it
then and now that I have cut right down on my riding due to other
committments, it's becoming really difficult on my local 50 miler.
I bought a magazine last week and saw that you can get compact
chainsets, I think this would solve my problem. I think the chainset
is a Mirage, where can I find a replacement compact set ?

Firstly, there's nothing magic about a triple. You can replace your
current double with a triple, and everything will still work (but you
may need to replace the bottom bracket at the same time to get the
chain line right, and will almost certainly need a longer cage rear
mech).

Specialites TA do very nice compact road double chainsets, buy from your
a good LBS or from Wiggle. Again, you /may/ need to replace your
bottom, but probably not.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Semper in faecibus sumus, sole profundum variat.

in message <[email hidden]>, Simon

Brooke (') said:

Specialites TA do very nice compact road double chainsets, buy from
your a good LBS or from Wiggle. Again, you may need to replace your
bottom, but probably not.

Errrmmmm... insert 'bracket' after 'bottom'...

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; 'I think we should trust our president in every decision
;; that he makes and we should just support that'
;; Britney Spears of George W Bush, CNN 04:09:03

Simon Brooke wrote:
[Campag]

Quoted message said:

Firstly, there's nothing magic about a triple. You can replace your
current double with a triple, and everything will still work (but you
may need to replace the bottom bracket at the same time to get the
chain line right, and will almost certainly need a longer cage rear
mech)

On bikes with seat tubes of less than 32mm in diameter, Campagnolo triple
chainsets up to Centaur are designed to work with the same BB that the
doubles use (111mm). I've also used a triple Veloce with a 32mm seat
tube. Chainline is in fact better on most bikes with a 111 but front mech
sometimes needs more clearance, hence the 115.5mm option.

Quoted message said:

Specialites TA do very nice compact road double chainsets, buy from
your a good LBS or from Wiggle. Again, you /may/ need to replace your
bottom [bracket], but probably not.

Different BB would be required for TA chainset (different length &
different taper standard).

~PB

just testing as my last post didn't appear.
trying out google groups instead of outlook :-)

muzz said:

just testing as my last post didn't appear.
trying out google groups instead of outlook :-)

Anyway. Looked at the bike and I have an 8 speed cassette on the back and
52/42 chainrings on the front. I am sure I saw a chainset in C+ which said
it was for 9 speed only. Will I have problems getting a compatible one for
my 8 speed ?

--
Muzz
send mail to [email hidden]

Muzz said:

Anyway. Looked at the bike and I have an 8 speed cassette on the back
and 52/42 chainrings on the front. I am sure I saw a chainset in C+
which said it was for 9 speed only. Will I have problems getting a
compatible one for my 8 speed ?

9-speed chainsets tend to work fine with 8-speed systems.

By the way, you could fit a 39T inner chainring to your existing chainset
if just slightly lower gears would do.

~PB

Whilst considering my options
Impact Compact + BB
Triple + Front Mech ( + Rear Mech ? )
39T Inner Ring + Mechs.

I wanted to try to recreate the lower gearing available using my
mountainbike. Can I get a rough idea by working out the ratios and then
finding a similar ratio on my lower geared mountain bike ?

muzz said:

Whilst considering my options
Impact Compact + BB
Triple + Front Mech ( + Rear Mech ? )

A new rear mech would help. For best results with 8-speed, try and find a
second-hand 8sp long cage mech, or a new-old-stock pre-2001 9-speed mech.
9sp geometry changed in 2001 so one might not work quite so well. 8sp
jockey wheels could be fitted if necessary.

Existing short cage rear mech might just work with a triple if using
nothing smaller than a 30T inner ring and only using the largest ~three
sprockets with it, and having the chain as short as reasonably possible.

Quoted message said:

39T Inner Ring + Mechs.

I wanted to try to recreate the lower gearing available using my
mountainbike.

Your mountain bike is likely to have much, much lower bottom gears than
your 42/52 road bike. To replicate anything like such low gears, you'd
have to either get a triple chainset, or a "touring" double chainset that
takes a 74mm (or similar) inner ring, and you might even want to change
the standard inner ring that it comes with as well (from 30T to 28 or
26T). I would go for a Campag triple.

But it won't be necessary to go /quite/ as low as the bike will be more
effecicient in other ways. Plenty of UK road bike triple users are happy
with a 30x26 bottom gear (that's 30 teeth at the front, 26 rear).

Quoted message said:

Can I get a rough idea by working out the ratios and
then finding a similar ratio on my lower geared mountain bike ?

Yes, turn each gear into a single "gear inch" number: Chainring divided
by rear sprocket, times wheel diameter in inches. Or use this handy
calculator: www.sheldonbrown.com/gears

~PB

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, muzz

(') said:

I have a road bike witha a Campagnolo groupset. I bought it a few
years ago and after a few hilly rides I realised that I should have
got the triple instead of the double. I didn't do anything about it
then and now that I have cut right down on my riding due to other
committments, it's becoming really difficult on my local 50 miler.
I bought a magazine last week and saw that you can get compact
chainsets, I think this would solve my problem. I think the chainset
is a Mirage, where can I find a replacement compact set ?

Firstly, there's nothing magic about a triple. You can replace your
current double with a triple, and everything will still work (but you
may need to replace the bottom bracket at the same time to get the
chain line right, and will almost certainly need a longer cage rear
mech).

Specialites TA do very nice compact road double chainsets, buy from your
a good LBS or from Wiggle. Again, you /may/ need to replace your
bottom, but probably not.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Semper in faecibus sumus, sole profundum variat.

If you want to buy mail order Spa Cycles is the place - phone and they will
give you all the helpful advice you need (well they did for me!). Their
website is not brilliant - it doesn't show the full range of what's
available.

HTH
Julia

JBB said:

Quoted message said:

;; Semper in faecibus sumus, sole
profundum variat.

If you want to buy mail order Spa Cycles is the place -
phone and they will give you all the helpful advice you
need (well they did for me!). Their website is not
brilliant - it doesn't show the full range of what's
available.
HTH
Julia

Yes, I have already emailed them and they actually replied on the same day.
Their website didn't show the 107mm BB I needed for the chainset but he told
me they were in stock. I will phone them tomorrow and place an order.

--
Muzz
send mail to [email hidden]

JBB said:

If you want to buy mail order Spa Cycles is the place - phone and
they will give you all the helpful advice you need (well they did for
me!). Their website is not brilliant - it doesn't show the full range
of what's available.

Settle Cycles is much cheaper for Stronglight Impact chainsets, and some
other items too.

~PB

in message <[email hidden]>, Pete Biggs

('p@honeydewbiggs{remove_melon}.tc') said:

JBB said:

If you want to buy mail order Spa Cycles is the place - phone and
they will give you all the helpful advice you need (well they did for
me!). Their website is not brilliant - it doesn't show the full range
of what's available.

Settle Cycles is much cheaper for Stronglight Impact chainsets, and
some other items too.

I was in my LBS a couple of days when a rep came in with (inter alia) an
utterly gorgeous Stronglight carbon crankset (Pulsion CT2) with slotted
cranks, allegedly the same as the ones Thomas Voeckler was riding on
last year. _Serious_ lust...

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

I'm fed up with Life 1.0. I never liked it much and now it's getting
me down. I think I'll upgrade to MSLife 97 -- you know, the one that
comes in a flash new box and within weeks you're crawling with bugs.

"Pete Biggs" <p@honeydewbiggs{remove_melon}.tc> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

JBB said:

If you want to buy mail order Spa Cycles is the place - phone and
they will give you all the helpful advice you need (well they did for
me!). Their website is not brilliant - it doesn't show the full range
of what's available.

Settle Cycles is much cheaper for Stronglight Impact chainsets, and some
other items too.

~PB

Yep, your'e right if muzz wants a double. However they don't seem to be
offering the compact so your'e faced with buying a 34 tooth inner ring - if
that of course is what you want. I do tend to look at Spa cycles first as I
got an Impact triple from them last autumn when they were selling them for
£38.

Julia

Hold on, just had another look at settle and seen this

Stronglight Impact chainset 170x36.46
# was £49.95
# 110mm PCD

Would this be suitable for my current set up or would I need another BB
etc...

muzz said:

Hold on, just had another look at settle and seen this

Stronglight Impact chainset 170x36.46
# was £49.95
# 110mm PCD

Would this be suitable for my current set up or would I
need another BB etc...

oops looks like it's a MTB one,

--
Muzz
send mail to [email hidden]

Muzz said:

muzz said:

Hold on, just had another look at settle and seen this

Stronglight Impact chainset 170x36.46
# was £49.95
# 110mm PCD

Would this be suitable for my current set up or would I
need another BB etc...

oops looks like it's a MTB one,

What makes it "MTB"? You could use it on an road bike if you like.
Campag BB won't be suitable, though.

Note: Settle's pic is wrong, pictures a triple chainset.

~PB