duane_pipe

Current Setup:

Chain: No idea!
Casstte: - 7 Speed Shimano Freewheel 14-28
Crank/Chainset: OFMEGA Vantage 52/42/30
Bottom Bracket: Unbranded
FDEL: Sora
RDEL: Sora

New Setup:

Chain: Shimano HG40 7/8 Speed Chain
Cassette: Shimano Tourney 7 Speed Screw on Freewheel
Crankset: Shimano Tiagra Triple
Bottom Bracket: Hollowtech II
FDEL: No upgrade.
RDEL: No upgrade.

Someone on another thread told me the FDEL wouldn't be compatible, as the older 52/42 FDEL system has a longer drop. I will replace if NEEDED but if I can get by I will. This upgrade will cost me less than £100 and I really don't want to be going any higher than that. No point upgrading to 8 speed cassette as that would involve new wheels/hubs and new shifters, then things get problematic. That's a "future" upgrade.

HillRider

Depending on which Tiagra crank you get it will be either 9-speed (FC-4503) or 10-speed (FC-4603) and will be geared 50/39/30 . The tooth difference between the larger chainrings is 11T instead of your current 10T which will not be a problem but you will have to lower the front derailleur to position it properly over the smaller 50T large ring.

What may be a problem is chainring spacing and your 7/8-speed chain may be a bit wide to fit between them well. Since you have to buy a new chain anyway, consider a 9 or 10-speed one. It will shift fine with your 7-speed freewheel.

Bill Kapaun

One should check the clearance on the existing 30T ring to make sure that one would still have clearance on the new 30T ring if the FDER is lowered 2T.

dave42

I run a 9 speed Campagnolo crank with a 7 speed freewheel and a KMC 7/8 speed chain...the Z51 model.

52/42/26 crank. 13-28 or 13-21 freewheel. It works fine for me.

In the past, i've run a tz20 14-28. They run well.

dave42

I also use a double front derailleur, sized for 52/42 on my mtb with a triple. If your front shifter is friction, there's a lot of leeway for sure. Worth a shot.

duane_pipe

Is the chainring spacing different? I was under the assumption the "speed" on the chainset/crankset was a marketing thing, apart from when it goes to 'compact' sets. I'll look into the spacing though definitely something I had missed. Solution - 9 speed chain.

HillRider

Yeah, "9-speed" cranks have their chainrings spaced a bit closer together than 7/8-speed cranks to keep the thinner chain from getting hung up between them. 10-speed cranks are very slightly closer spaced yet but the difference doesn't seem to cause many problems.

duane_pipe

Well, it worked. Everything shifts fine. All I changed was the BB (HT II), Crankset (Tiagra 4603) and Chain (KMC X9 93). Only issue was the new chain skipped a bit but I have loosened the bad link and it seems to be running smoothly. Everything much more in line now, the old crankset really was wobbling. I convinced myself it was the bottom bracket, but fancied a bit of an "upgrade" anyway.

ThermionicScott 

Nicely done! A new chain shouldn't have a tight link, though -- did you rejoin it using the snap-together link, or by pushing a pin back in?

duane_pipe

Had to push a pin back in. There was no connecting/missing link provided.

Wilfred Laurier

Shimano chains often come with a pin half installed for assembly. If that is the pin you pushed back in, then OK. But if you pushed a pin out (like to shorten the chain) and then back in, then that will create a weak link that will probably break sooner than later. If the pin is pushed out of a shimano chain, it must be replaced with a new SHimano connector pin, specific for the size of chain.

ThermionicScott 

Then you got robbed. KMC X9.93's are supposed to come with a missing link. With modern 8-speed+ chains, it's not very smart to push a pin back in, because the connection is weak.

duane_pipe

I had no other option. No missing link and every pin was pushed all the way through. Pushed a link out to where it needed to be, reconnected by pushing back in.

duane_pipe

No half installed pins, no connector pin/missing link.

Wilfred Laurier

You should find the pin you pushed back in, remove it, and get a quick-link from the LBS.
If you can't find the pin you used to install, don't worry - it will likely identify itself before too long.

duane_pipe

That's fine, I will see how it runs. Pretty sure I pushed pins out and back in on my old chain which didn't cause me any problems for >10 years.

Bill Kapaun

That works fine on 7 & 8 speed chain.
9 and above it DOESN'T!
I twisted a RDER into a pretzel when I broke a chain after adding a link set and forgetting this.
It was a new chain and I decided I wanted a slightly bigger large cog after sizing the chain.
I had a brain fart and added a linkset back in.
No need to guess where it broke.

LesterOfPuppets

I don't even do it with 8-speed chains, well at least not ones made since 1996 or so...

duane_pipe

So much for upgrades.

cale

Well, yes and no. The link will be weaker but only to lateral forces. Otherwise, it should carry on just fine. (Assuming no binding, the pin is properly centered and was installed in a way that suggests it is firmly in place, the wind should be out of the West, and the cow jumps over the moon.)

Maybe the connector pin isn't such a bad idea. Hey hey

duane_pipe

I emailed the company I bought the chain from, and explained that no kmc missing link was sent, and that I'd removed the pins and installed the chain myself with no link (ignorantly) and was worried it would cause a weak chain. They credited me the full amount, so I can get another chain.

Wilfred Laurier

In a pinch - like to get home following a mechanical breakdown, then a re-installed pin is fine. But lateral forces are common on derailleur chains, and thus using a chain with a re-installed pin on a derailleur bike will almost always result in a broken chain at some point in the future. Notice how the company immediately offered to replace the chain when they learned it didn't come with the proper connector?

ThermionicScott 

Good on them!

duane_pipe

All sorted now, got the new chain (connector pin included this time) - installed and ready to ride.

Homebrew01

Your previous chain is still pretty new, so you could buy a connector pin for a few $$ and keep them on hand for when you need it, assuming you can identify the pin you pushed back in.