I was actually thinking more of swapping the large chanring from a 46 (or was it a 48?) to a 50 or 52...
It's a 48. And I wouldn't bother...it has a 12-25 cassette, so your high gear is 108 inches with 700x32 tires. You're only going to spin that out on a big downhill, when you're already doing 35mph. It comes with a FD customized for a 48T big ring, so going bigger will require a new FD and a new, longer chain as well. If you need a taller gear, get a cassette with an 11T cog instead. It will be much cheaper than replacing a big ring/FD/chain combo. An 11/48 is a 117" gear, enough to get you up to 40mph on a downhill. About $55, vs well over $100 for making the change up front.
I was actually thinking more of swapping the large chanring from a 46 (or was it a 48?) to a 50 or 52...
It's a 48. And I wouldn't bother...it has a 12-25 cassette, so your high gear is 108 inches with 700x32 tires. You're only going to spin that out on a big downhill, when you're already doing 35mph.
Heh. *you* may be doing 35 MPH but my legs may hit redline before yours 🙂
Quoted message said:
It comes with a FD customized for a 48T big ring, so going bigger will require a new FD and a new, longer chain as well. If you need a taller gear, get a cassette with an 11T cog instead. It will be much cheaper than replacing a big ring/FD/chain combo. An 11/48 is a 117" gear, enough to get you up to 40mph on a downhill. About $55, vs well over $100 for making the change up front.
ISTR back in the day I was running a 50/11 or 52/11, I forget which, on my frankenbike (Schwinn road frame with hand-me-downs from when my friend upgraded his Cannondale - hey, it kinda looked like a Bianchi from a distance <G>😉 and actually was able to effectively use the highest gear on downhills.
Of course, I was in much better shape and about 20 lbs. lighter then... 🙁
