Old 02-25-14, 09:24 AM
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Originally Posted by Fullcount
I have a 30 - 42 - 52 crankset with a 11 - 32 cassette with 27" tires. If I could get down to a 22 tooth granny gear, that would be great. I am just too new to this stuff in order to ask for the correct thing at my lbs.
I think your granny gear is a 74mm BCD, if so the smallest you can put on that crank is a 24t granny.

I run 52/42/24 chainrings and a 11/32 eight speed cassette on two different touring bikes that I built up. Thus, I think that I have the same gearing that you would have if you switched your granny to a 24t. (You might have a 9 speed rear, not 8, but otherwise about the same.) The upshift from the 24t to the 42t is not a smooth shift, but I can usually make that shift in a distance of less than 30 feet, so it is not really that bad. All other shifts work just fine. I am using bar end shifters, the front is friction. It would also be prudent to get a chain catcher if you try the 24t chainring. I can't use the rear 11t or 12t cogs when I am on the 24t granny because the derailleur won't take up that much slack, but those are pretty far cross chained, I do not use those gears anyway. Since I spend 95 percent of my time on the 42t or 52t chainrings, I do not let the non-smooth upshift from the 24t to the 42t bother me.



My point is that with the cost of a 24t chainring, you can get substantially lower gearing. While it is certainly possible to get even lower gearing with a mountain crank, etc., you start ringing up the cash register a lot more if you want lower gearing than you would get with a 24t front/32t rear gear.
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