Halfast

I am running a Truvativ Rouleur GPX GigaXPipe triple with chrome chainrings. It has 14000 miles on it and I rarely get out of the 39 ring. It is starting to chainsuck in the 39 ring when I shift to the 53 ring.
From all I read, this 39 ring is probably worn out causing the suck and it does look so to me.

So, the problem is trying to find a new one. I have searched every bike parts seller I can think of with no luck. The only one I found at all was on the SRAM site and it has one listed that is not chrome and they only sell to dealers?

So does anybody have a clue as to where I might find a new ring, and must I replace it with a Truvativ or will another brand work with the same BCD?

Thanks for any assistance.

roberth33tiger

have you tried adjusting the hi stop on your fd? how old is the chain? what exactly do you mean by 'chainsuck'?

Barrettscv 

I should be able to use any 130 BCD chainring that is designed as a middle ring for a triple. See: https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/chainrings.asp

You would select the TA Alize Middle Position 130mm (silver finish) Specialites TA 39 tooth pinned for STI 9 or 10 speed compatibility, scross down to find it listed.

It might actually be economical to buy a new crank. I've seen the NOS Truvativ Rouleur triples for less than $140 on eBay. https://cgi.ebay.com/Truvativ-Rouleur...3286.m20.l1116

I picked up a new-bike-take-off Shimano 105 triple for $48 plus shipping last week.

Michael

joejack951

Just replace it with a Shimano ring. This 39T Ultegra ring for $30 should shift even better than the Truvativ ring:

https://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...0&category=645

Halfast

Thanks or the responses guys. I have found a new 6603 crankset for $159 as one option. I was not sure if you could mix chainring brands on the current crankset but apparently you can. As I said, the 53and 30 rings rarely get used and are in great shape. The 39 ring has been used for 98% of all riding for 14k miles. Is that normal lifespan for a chainring? Since the crank itself is running great I may just go for the new ring option for $30 bucks.

The chain is in good shape and I have looked at the front der adjustements, look ok.

joejack951

14k miles isn't terrible considering you only used one ring. You might have extended it's life further by changing your chain more often but you'd probably have spent more than $30 on chains to do that.

Chris_W

I have a couple of the Truvativ Rouleur triple cranksets on different bikes. The crankset is decent, but the chainrings never looked too good to me (in particular, the big ring looks very flexy). I use custom gearing anyway, so I immediately switched them for TA chainrings in sizes I preferred. The Truvativ rings have since found homes on friends' bikes. Anyway, my advice would be to stick with this crankset and buy a good quality middle chainring. When doing so, consider buying a 42 tooth ring instead of a 39 - personally, I far prefer the slightly larger middle ring. Shimano Ultegra or a TA ring should do the job very nicely for you.

If you have the black version of this crankset, then I can attest to the fact that the black TA chainrings look very nice on it.

interested

You can just use "cheap" but good Shimano chain rings on your Truvativ (Sram) crank. Just get eg. a Tiagra 39T if you use 9 speed or a 105 if you use 10 speed. But please notice you need chain rings made for a triple.

Truvativ (Sram) crank set are know for their rather below standard chain rings. I destroyed my 30T and later my 42T on my Truvativ triple crank set at an alarming speed, and all the chrome on the 52T quickly began to flake off so it looked like something coming out off an acid bath.
But I just replaced them with Shimano Sora chain rings, and if anything it just improved the shifting. Both TA and Shimano makes good stuff, so you won't go wrong with either of them.

The cheapest and most sensible option is off course just to replace the chaining. But when I retired my Truvativ crank set recently because of its short lived but expensive ISIS bottom bracket, I replaced it with an old Shimano Ultegra Octalink I had bought at bargain price. I was really surprised how much better the Shimano crank set felt on the bike., even though ISIS and Octalink are very similar systems. I presume it is the increased lateral stiffness that gives a much better feeling of "oneness" with the bike, so that 6603 crank set is perhaps a worthwhile upgrade too. Just remember to include the price of a new bottom bracket, the tools to remove at install the bottom brackets, and perhaps a new chain or even a new cassette too, when looking at the two options.

--
Regards

Halfast

I decided to get a new chainring first. Chose to get an Ultegra 39 ring for all of $27.95 from Ebikestop. If I do get a new crankset it will be 6603 (Ultegra), so I thought why not have a spare 39 as that gets 95% of all use. I also have another Truivativ crankset I took of my other bike to replace it with a R700 compact, so I have a spare bottom bracket if I need it for this bike.
Found it interesting that Ebikestop had the Ultegra ring cheaper than the 105 by a couple of bucks.

Halfast

UPDATE: Got my Ultegra 39 tooth chain ring and installed it today. Now it shifts great! So the chainring was the problem as many items suggested. I even managed to change it WITHOUT pulling the crank by taking off the 53 ring, and unbolting the 30 ring so I had more room to work the 39 ring over the spider. Took less than an hour, and $37 total delivered.