Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Touring
Reload this Page >

crankset for touring?

Notices
Touring Have a dream to ride a bike across your state, across the country, or around the world? Self-contained or fully supported? Trade ideas, adventures, and more in our bicycle touring forum.

crankset for touring?

Old 10-11-10, 09:18 PM
  #1  
commuter
Thread Starter
 
TimeTravel_0's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 536
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
crankset for touring?

What would be a recommended crankset for touring? Any suggestions?
TimeTravel_0 is offline  
Old 10-11-10, 09:48 PM
  #2  
In the right lane
 
gerv's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Des Moines
Posts: 9,565

Bikes: 1974 Huffy 3 speed

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 44 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 7 Times in 6 Posts
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/cranks/11074.html Sugino XD500 triple.
gerv is offline  
Old 10-11-10, 10:19 PM
  #3  
Life is a fun ride
 
safariofthemind's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 643
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Maybe you want to start with your end goal and work backwards. You want a low gear under 25 gear inches and a high gear that is around 90+ gear inches, though that is less critical. And you want your shift transitions to be reasonable, around 15% is a good goal. A classic combo is the XD above and an 11-32 or 11-34 cassette but many other combos work, some cheap, some expensive. Try working some combos here and don't forget to enter your wheel size and your desired crank length. For most people 172.5 is the preferred choice but you can go 170 if your are shorter than average and 175 if you are taller or do a lot of climbing. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/

Keep in mind that it is recommended to avoid spending long periods on the extreme chain line angles = biggest chain ring and smallest cog and vice versa because of wear on the chain and system is greatly increased.

It depends on what you are looking for price wise and what you already have on the bike. Also remember you can change the chain rings on some crank models. Consult with your LBS or friendly local mechanic for that.
safariofthemind is offline  
Old 10-11-10, 11:23 PM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
skilsaw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Victoria, Canada
Posts: 1,541

Bikes: Cannondale t1, Koga-Miyata World Traveller

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
My Cannondale t1 came with a 30/39/50 triple crank and an 11/32 cassette.
I changed it to a 26/36/48 triple crank and an 11/34 cassette.
I've done 1000 kilometres of touring on the new gears. It was on gently rolling topography with hills less than 200 metres vertical at slopes less than or equal to 6%

I've found the new gears are sufficient for the type of touring I was doing.

It would have been cheaper to negotiate a swap at the time of purchase, or select a bike that came with lower gears. But I was learning as I went along and am happy with the outcome.
skilsaw is offline  
Old 10-11-10, 11:31 PM
  #5  
Bicycle Lifestyle
 
AsanaCycles's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Pacific Grove, Ca
Posts: 1,737

Bikes: Neil Pryde Diablo, VeloVie Vitesse400, Hunter29er, Surly Big Dummy

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
it really depends on what frame you are using.
then there are drivetrain considerations.

lately I'm on a new kick with a buddy who is producing FULL CERAMIC BOTTOM BRACKETS.
SRAM, Dura Ace, and Campy Ultra Torque

my typical setup is a Truvativ MTB crankset with an outboard BB. at the moment its a ceramic hybrid from Enduro
AsanaCycles is offline  
Old 10-11-10, 11:48 PM
  #6  
Life is a fun ride
 
safariofthemind's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 643
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Funny you mention ceramic BB's. We recently had a poster ask about ceramic bearings and carbon parts. Most of us older tourers don't trust this stuff yet because we think those parts may leave us stranded somewhere nasty. Plus, it doesn't help that the costs can cut into our travel budget and little things like food on tour. The crankier ones amongst us just dismiss it as a kind of "frill". Me, I'm curious. Innovations for its own sake seems pointless and I'd rather spend my money on airfare to Timbuktu. On the other hand, is there something unusual to be gained from those exotic materials?

To the OP, what kind of budget are you looking at?
safariofthemind is offline  
Old 10-11-10, 11:56 PM
  #7  
Bicycle Lifestyle
 
AsanaCycles's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Pacific Grove, Ca
Posts: 1,737

Bikes: Neil Pryde Diablo, VeloVie Vitesse400, Hunter29er, Surly Big Dummy

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I've been amazed with these full ceramic BB's. my buddy is the techno-gee-whiz guy on the subject. From what I know, the ceramic balls + the ceramic races, are at least 5 times harder than the best steel bearings. Plus there is something going on with the retainers and seals, that have little to zero drag. the bearings are so crazy hard, that they grind up dirt. something like riding on diamonds.
AsanaCycles is offline  
Old 10-12-10, 01:48 AM
  #8  
Banned
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,115
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 1 Post
Since the ceramic bearings discussion on that other thread I was looking at some hubs where ceramic was an option, and the upcharge was 70 bucks which isn't all that bad where expensive hubs are concerned. It may not be all that useful, but then there are lots of expensive parts that don't even come with ceramic bearings, in similar price ranges. At one time people were buying Phil level stuff in order to get cartridge bearings, which was a lot worse deal.

What does a ceramic BB cost?
NoReg is offline  
Old 10-12-10, 03:37 AM
  #9  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 5,737
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 147 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times in 8 Posts
MTB crankset 22-32-42 paired with Shimano's new 11-36 cogset. It should give you all the inches you need to climb all but the steepest of hills with the granny gear.
NormanF is offline  
Old 10-12-10, 04:22 AM
  #10  
Senior Member
 
KDC1956's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 671

Bikes: Surly LHT 52cm Nice Bicycle I think.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I have a 26t,36t,46t cranks set and use a 11-32 on the rear.And I also have a 22t,32t,44t with a 11-34 cassette on my Surly LHT both are great.
KDC1956 is offline  
Old 10-12-10, 04:58 AM
  #11  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: San Diego
Posts: 1,435

Bikes: IF steel deluxe 29er tourer

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Avoid a potential frankenbike and get a standard MTB drivetrain. There's a reason that only Sugino markets a "touring" crankset: there is little practical difference between 44-32-22 and a 46-36-26 when (with an MTB long cage derailleur) you can pair them with a wide variety of 9 speed cassettes ranging from 11-21 to 12-36. Use the former when riding unloaded on asphalt and the latter when loaded on dirt.
Cyclesafe is offline  
Old 10-12-10, 07:41 AM
  #12  
imi
aka Timi
 
imi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Posts: 3,227

Bikes: Bianchi Lupo (touring) Bianchi Volpe (commuter), Miyata On Off Road Runner

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 151 Post(s)
Liked 123 Times in 93 Posts
Many have Shimano LX or XT 44-32-22 MTB cranksets with 9-speed 11-32 or 11-34 cassettes.

My personal preference is 11-28 to have lesser gaps in the gearing, ymmv.
edit: I have 170mm crankarms, but that's just because that's what I've always had :/

One of my concerns is ease of finding replacements on tour so new fangled brands, designs and materials are not for me

Last edited by imi; 10-12-10 at 08:32 AM.
imi is offline  
Old 10-12-10, 07:52 AM
  #13  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Right where I'm supposed to be
Posts: 1,629

Bikes: Franklin Frames Custom, Rivendell Bombadil

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 115 Post(s)
Liked 206 Times in 125 Posts
Originally Posted by TimeTravel_0
What would be a recommended crankset for touring? Any suggestions?
A Sugino XD triple and a UN54 Shimano BB. Inexpensive, durable. Forget the fancy BB's.

110/74 cranks offer the widest available ring selection. You have many brands to choose from. I wouldn't get a Shimnao, who play games with their ring dimensions.
Garthr is offline  
Old 10-12-10, 08:29 AM
  #14  
Mad bike riding scientist
 
cyccommute's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,274

Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones

Mentioned: 150 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6147 Post(s)
Liked 4,093 Times in 2,325 Posts
Originally Posted by gerv
Too old school. The Sugino only allows for a 24 tooth inner. And, after buying a bottom bracket, it'll cost about as much as this one from Shimano. You can even go down to a 22 inner on the Shimano.

The Shimano is super easy to install and maintain. No crank bolts to work loose. If you don't want the 48 tooth outer ring, you can also go with the same crank in a 44/32/22 mountain bike crank.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!



cyccommute is offline  
Old 10-12-10, 08:58 AM
  #15  
totally louche
 
Bekologist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: A land that time forgot
Posts: 18,023

Bikes: the ever shifting stable loaded with comfortable road bikes and city and winter bikes

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 9 Times in 8 Posts
Shimano makes 'trekking-touring' cranksets with 48-36-26. Deore, SLX, XT have 48-36-26 tooth cranksets, you can sub the 26 with a 24 and get a great touring crankset.

There's a reason that only Sugino markets a "touring" crankset
not correct, see above. The XT 48-36-26 looks like it is specc'd with a chainguard!

the 48-36-26 was quite common on mountain and city bikes in the 80's. still readily available from Shimano and suitable for touring bikes and trekking bikes, etc...

Last edited by Bekologist; 10-12-10 at 09:01 AM.
Bekologist is offline  
Old 10-12-10, 09:05 AM
  #16  
Life is a fun ride
 
safariofthemind's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 643
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Equipment discussions are like religious discussions IMO. We end up liking what we already do/have/believe.

To the OP, it helps if you tell us what you already have and where you'll be riding/the mission.
safariofthemind is offline  
Old 10-12-10, 09:09 AM
  #17  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: San Diego
Posts: 1,435

Bikes: IF steel deluxe 29er tourer

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Bekologist
Shimano makes 'trekking-touring' cranksets with 48-36-26. Deore, SLX, XT have 48-36-26 tooth cranksets, you can sub the 26 with a 24 and get a great touring crankset.



not correct, see above. The XT 48-36-26 looks like it is specc'd with a chainguard!

the 48-36-26 was quite common on mountain and city bikes in the 80's. still readily available from Shimano and suitable for touring bikes and trekking bikes, etc...
My bad...
Cyclesafe is offline  
Old 10-12-10, 09:16 AM
  #18  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Right where I'm supposed to be
Posts: 1,629

Bikes: Franklin Frames Custom, Rivendell Bombadil

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 115 Post(s)
Liked 206 Times in 125 Posts
Originally Posted by cyccommute
Too old school. The Sugino only allows for a 24 tooth inner. And, after buying a bottom bracket, it'll cost about as much as this one from Shimano. You can even go down to a 22 inner on the Shimano.

The Shimano is super easy to install and maintain. No crank bolts to work loose. If you don't want the 48 tooth outer ring, you can also go with the same crank in a 44/32/22 mountain bike crank.

Too old? C'mon Anybody with a lick of sense can maintain a tapered crank. You can get a better 45mm chainline with the Sugino too, 50mm kinda sucks for a road bike. If you need lower than a 24/34 or 36, I won't say it.......

If the OP wants to go even less expensive, he can get a Stronglight Impact triple for about half of the Sugino. https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/S...=impact+triple

Last edited by Garthr; 10-12-10 at 09:20 AM.
Garthr is offline  
Old 10-12-10, 09:28 AM
  #19  
ah.... sure.
 
kayakdiver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Whidbey Island WA
Posts: 4,107

Bikes: Specialized.... schwinn..... enough to fill my needs..

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Riding style has something to do with what you like. I have never had a reason for anything smaller than a 26 small front ring. I'm not a grinder either. Fitness level/age will also come into play as well. If in dought you can't go wrong going with lower gearing than you think you might need. I really think that you can't go wrong with the Shimano XT line of modern cranks. They are priced decent and do what they should.

On a recent tour I needed to remove the pedals to get my bike in the bike box at the Amtrak station.... Well I didn't have a pedal wrench but I did have an Allen wrench and just removed the crank. Modern BB's have some benefits that some don't even think about.
kayakdiver is offline  
Old 10-12-10, 09:49 AM
  #20  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: N. California
Posts: 1,410
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
My LHT has a Race Face Atlas 46/36/26 crank, XT front derailleur, and an 11-32 cassette with XT long cage rear derailleur. Down-tube shifters. 26" wheels.

I also have an ultra-distance bike with the XT "treking crank" at 48/36/26 (matching XT fdr) and a 12-34 (XTR rdr). Down-tube shifters. 700c wheels.

Then, there is the Ti Aero recumbent which has a Specialite Carmina crank with 50/36/24 and a Dura Ace triple fdr and a SRAM 11-28 cassette and XTR rdr. SRAM twist shifters. This lattercrank has the lowest "Q" (width) of the bunch but that Carmina crank is unreasonably expensive (IMO). 650c (26") wheels.

After thousands of miles on each combination, I'll rate them all as excellent performers.
The Smokester is offline  
Old 10-12-10, 10:39 AM
  #21  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: San Diego
Posts: 1,435

Bikes: IF steel deluxe 29er tourer

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
It needs to be borne in mind that a "touring crankset" probably requires friction shifters unless one can get ahold of an old set of Ultegra 6510 STI 9 speed shifters and a 6503 front der. A Sora 9 speed STI shifter and an IRC Alpina-d front der might substitute. The 10 speed stuff won't work. If you want STI, the safest thing to do these days is to get a MTB drivetrain and forget about using drop handlebars.
Cyclesafe is offline  
Old 10-12-10, 10:57 AM
  #22  
ah.... sure.
 
kayakdiver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Whidbey Island WA
Posts: 4,107

Bikes: Specialized.... schwinn..... enough to fill my needs..

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by Cyclesafe
It needs to be borne in mind that a "touring crankset" probably requires friction shifters unless one can get ahold of an old set of Ultegra 6510 STI 9 speed shifters and a 6503 front der. A Sora 9 speed STI shifter and an IRC Alpina-d front der might substitute. The 10 speed stuff won't work. If you want STI, the safest thing to do these days is to get a MTB drivetrain and forget about using drop handlebars.
There is zero compatibility issues running Tiagra STI shifters with a touring crank set. For that matter they work fine with 10 speed. Just need a compatible FD like Tiagra. The RD doesn't care what shifters you are running. Run a Tiagra FD and it will work great. No friction required.

I've run XT RD's with Ultegra 10 speed systems for extreme climbing when I wanted to use an 11/32 RD because I needed the wide gear swing that my DA RD can't handle.

What I'm trying to say is that most of this stuff will work and work well together.
kayakdiver is offline  
Old 10-12-10, 11:00 AM
  #23  
Senior Member
 
SouthFLpix's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Miami, FL
Posts: 1,230

Bikes: 2007 Giant Cypress DX, Windsor Tourist 2011

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 24 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I'm going to go with an 11-34 cassette along with a 24 tooth granny chain ring (unless I come into some cash and decide to buy a Rohloff).

Last edited by SouthFLpix; 10-12-10 at 11:08 AM.
SouthFLpix is offline  
Old 10-12-10, 11:25 AM
  #24  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: San Diego
Posts: 1,435

Bikes: IF steel deluxe 29er tourer

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by kayakdiver
There is zero compatibility issues running Tiagra STI shifters with a touring crank set. For that matter they work fine with 10 speed. Just need a compatible FD like Tiagra. The RD doesn't care what shifters you are running. Run a Tiagra FD and it will work great. No friction required.

I've run XT RD's with Ultegra 10 speed systems for extreme climbing when I wanted to use an 11/32 RD because I needed the wide gear swing that my DA RD can't handle.

What I'm trying to say is that most of this stuff will work and work well together.
In my experience, the Ultegra 10 speed FD is too long to work acceptably with a "touring" crankset. I haven't tried a Tiagra 10 speed FD, but I would have my doubts. The XT FD doesn't work with the Ultegra 10 speed shifters either.

https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/derailers-front.html

I haven't heard whether the IRD Alpina-d front der works with the Ultegra 10 speed. If so, then the new 10 speed MTB cassettes would indeed give tourers new (modern?) STI options.
Cyclesafe is offline  
Old 10-12-10, 11:31 AM
  #25  
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,354 Times in 861 Posts
Now that the cassettes are 11 or 12-32or34 You don't need a big big chainring , its overkill.
and so a 44,32,22 Mtb crank will do, Bar end shifters work on drop bar type, nicely.

Then again Its a touring range of gears
with a Schlumpf Mountain drive planetary 2 speed and a 3 or 5 speed IG hub.

and a single 38t chainring with a 16t cog on a Rohloff hub, in a 26" wheel is near perfect.
Older derailleur bikes 50,40 24. on either an M730 110/74
or a <C> 'race triple' sold as 50,40,30, 135 for the big rings,
the 30 is on a 74 bCD so swap for a 24t is easy.

Last edited by fietsbob; 10-13-10 at 11:53 AM.
fietsbob is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.