Classic & Vintage - Sakae SA Crank set

I've been lurking on these boards for about half a year and finally have a question to ask. I have a Shogun from the 80s and want to make it a bike for friends to ride with me. I live in VA around the Blue Ridge mountains so it is quite hilly in the area. Being that the currently installed crank is a 52/42 SAKAE SA it will be hard for my friends to keep up with me on my bike. So my question is what modern chainrings will fit on my current crank. I noticed that the Tiagra chainrings have the same measurements (I think) but do not want to buy if it will not work. I was looking for around a 34 chainring to replace the 42. Thank you for your help.

If your Sakae SA crank is sized for 130 bcd chainrings (sized the same as non-compact shimanos), then the lowest ring you can go to is a 39.

I'll have to recheck the measurements, but I believe it was closer to 110mm bcd. I could be wrong though. So if it is 130 then a modern shimano would work fine?

Modern Shimano comes in both 130 and 110 BCD as well as many others. Just measure the BCD you have and then any ring with that BCD should fit. A 110 BCD will measure 64.7mm between holes and can take down to a 33 tooth ring. SheldonBrown.com (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_bo-z.html). I don't have one in front of me but I think the Sakae SA used a 110 BCD.

Not positive how long Sakae kept making their 118bcd cranksets but if yours is 118bcd you will have a heck of a time finding replacement rings. I happen to have a 40T ring if that's of any interest.

I bet finding a used crankset in an LBS parts bin or on craigslist would be cheaper than finding replacement rings.

See: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cribsheet-bcd.html. If you measure from the center of one bolt to the center of the next, you can figure out the Bolt Circle Diameter using Mr. Brown's crib sheet. I have a Sakae SA on one of my bikes, it is most definitely 130mm BCD (which is 76.4 mm from the center of one bolt to the center of the next), but I would double check yours to be sure. I have found chainrings for this BCD on ebay, they are pretty common and I picked up a decent used one for around $5, for brand new you're going to have to cough up a little more. The good news is that if you want to change out the crankset completely and go with something totally different (such as a triple ring, or something like that) you can just get virtually any Sakae or Shimano square taper crankset and it will fit on the square taper bottom bracket. If you want something like a 34, I would consider purchasing a complete triple crankset that has a low gear that you like (the bonus is that if the BCD of the outer two chainrings is the same as the BCD of the chainrings that you currently have, you can always keep your old ones as spares). You'll probably need to get a new derailleur that is triple-ring compatible as well, if you get a triple ring.

Another option is that if you can find another bike from this era of similar make that has gearing that you like, you can probably just switch out the cranksets and FD between them. I own several bikes from the late 80's timeframe and have switched out the cranksets between bikes without any problems.

Thanks for all of the replies. I got out my ruler and found out that it is indeed a 130mm BCD crankset. If I can find one cheap I think I am going to go for the triple idea that Jose Stated.

Why is this a concern for you? There's no need to replace the chainrings with smaller ones in order to go slower, unless you are concerned about the ability to climb hills, or you want to be able to maintain a fast cadence at lower speeds. Are we talking about parade-like speeds? Perhaps describe what you expect your rides to be like, and we can help you figure out the appropriate gearing for your bike (flat? hilly? short rides? long rides?). Another option for lowering the gearing is to swap out the rear freewheel for a touring freewheel with a larger maximum cog.

Which model Shogun do you have?

I have a shogun 400. The only reason I am changing around the gears is because none of my friends are cyclists and I want them to be able to have no problems riding on the blue ridge Parkway with me. I am also considering just turning this thing into a touring/commuting bike in the long run. I was considering taking off the 52 chain ring, moving the 42 as the larger chainring, and putting in like a 36-39 as the lower chainring.

I was considering taking off the 52 chain ring, moving the 42 as the larger chainring, and putting in like a 36-39 as the lower chainring.

I wouldn't do that. Perhaps a 48/39 combo would be nice, though. I have a nice Suntour 130BCD 48t ring if you decide to go that route. Email if interested.

I have a shogun 400. The only reason I am changing around the gears is because none of my friends are cyclists and I want them to be able to have no problems riding on the blue ridge Parkway with me. I am also considering just turning this thing into a touring/commuting bike in the long run. I was considering taking off the 52 chain ring, moving the 42 as the larger chainring, and putting in like a 36-39 as the lower chainring.
I had a chro-mo 400. good bike.

You can fit a 38 tooth ring on a 130mm BCD crankset as well. 48/38 with a wide range freewheel in back would be the easy way out.

I have a mid 80's Sakae/SR 48/44/30 (half step plus granny) triple that can easily be converted to a 48/30 double- like an Alpine compact- because all of the rings have the same BCD and the inner is on spacers. All that's needed is shorter ring bolts.
You might want to look around for one of those.

So I ended up using a 50/34 setup much like a traditional compact. My crank size was actually 110 after bringing my Shogun to the LBS to size up chainrings. Now it just needs to warm up so that I can cruise on the parkway. Thanks for all the help.