Originally Posted by masterchief

Tire update: the Pasela 38c has now grown from 34,5 to 36mm width since friday evening.



To me it does simplify things, since with the 38t big ring, it will allow me to stay in that ring longer than I am able to stay in the big ring on my current triple before i need to shift to the middle ring, which means a shift between the chainrings has i been eliminated in more cases than with the triple. This is what i mean by simplifying things.



First, as said previously in this thread, I dont mind coasting at 25 mph, it is quite a lot faster than my commuting cruise speed, and I would rather have wider range at the lower end. Should I end up finding it frustrating as you and others are warning me about, I can easily swap the ring for a bigger one.

Secondly, thanks for the link to that gear calculator! Thats a pretty handy tool for comparing gear ranges. Up untill now I've been using Sheldon Browns calculator which is not as good for comparing ranges.

Looking at that comparison, I do see what you're on about and it has got me thinking about getting a 26 or even 28t inner ring for commuting, and then keeping the 24t for when I decide to load the racks up. I do not fully agree with you on the drastic increase in cadence when shifting to the small ring, as I always combine it with one or two shifts to a smaller sprocket, to even out the transition between the chainrings.

This whole project is a result of what I like and dislike about my current commuter. Some of the parts are chosen from actual experience, and some are based on what I think will give the result I'm looking for, so the final result of this build, will not necessarily be the final state of the bike - most likely not.