max chainwheel size on FS frame?
 

Santa Cruz Heckler to be exact– Anybody know where I could find specs on max tooth on large chainwheel? I'm not very familiar with FS bikes, but I assume with all them pivot points and such they've got to be limited to a smaller tooth count than a hard tail frame. word?
BTW– the Santa Cruz Heckler spec page on their site was not informative.

how many teeth are you looking for?

with correct chainline, 44 teeth will be no problem.

is this going on a tripple chainset ? or are you going to run it as a single ring ?

Looking to put at least a 48T, on a triple, perhaps dumping the granny gear. Is it bad to make it a single up front, but keep the rear 7,8 or 9 speed?

Unless you've switched out the crankset already, you've almost certainly got a crankset with a 104/64 Bolt Circle Diameter (BCD); the largest ring the 104 BCD will accept is 44t. To go to something as large as a 48t ring, you'll need to change the cranks to a 110/74 BCD, and I'm not sure what the frame clearances would accept without seeing the bike-

48 should be Fine, the heckler has a high swingarm.

my question to you would be, why do you need a 48 tooth ring on a trail bike ? even the downhill greats that can ride at speeds we mear mortals can only dream of use 36-40 t front rings...

theirs no point dumping the granny, even if you dont use it, unless your desperate to save 30g...

such a large ring can only be mounted in the outer position, so you wont be able to fit a bash guard.

going single up front is no trouble, although you would need to get a chain retention device, and wouldnt really be able to go bigger then 42T because the ring has to be mounted to the centre, with the bashguard/retainer on the outside.

I'm trying to figure out why you want a ring that large on a FS MTB. You can get a cassette that goes down to 11 or 12 that will meet your needs. Also you are talking about ditching the granny, that basically tells me that this bike is not what you need. Sounds like it's time for a road bike or at least a second bike. I could be wrong and I don't mean to come across as judgmental.

I'm just thinking out loud actually. Not intent to implement any of these ideas. I got the bike cheap. I am not riding off road these days, riding partners are gone & family takes my riding time away. Most (and I mean all) of my riding these days is city riding (San Francisco commute). I LOVE to ride bikes of all kinds, well not so much road bikes, and as I ride I like to picture the obstacles of the city as if they were natural obtacles. I especially like blasting down the hills in this city.
With this Heckler, since it was cheap, I was looking to make an Urban Assault Vehicle. I am not a racer of any kind. I just like bikes. The idea of a FS city bike is stuck in my head.