Originally Posted by
joedab
I wouldn't say I am shifting improperly as this would be the method with only one front chainring...
With one front chainring that chainring would generally be larger, so that you would be in the smallest cog only when going quite fast. More recent 1x drive trains have 10 or 11 gears, not only 5 or 6, so wear is more evenly spread out. In addition your rear cogs are further out for the small chainring and further in for the large one than they would be for a 1x.
Originally Posted by
joedab
...though I can see how leveraging the chain against cogs with more teeth would put less wear on the drivetrain over time.
Yes, it would, because one is putting just as much pressure on the chain, but the chain is engaging many fewer teeth per mile, both front and rear, it will wear about twice as fast on the small ring as it will on a similar gear ratio with the large ring, and the small cog will wear much faster as well, especially if it is an 11 tooth.
Originally Posted by
joedab
I usually don't encounter enough long downhills to necessitate shifting to the larger ring...
..and that is a problem because that means you are riding the small cog far too often, just to avoid the "necessity" of shifting to the large chainwheel.
Originally Posted by
joedab
and with my shifters on the downtube, I have become accustomed to keeping my left hand on the bars while sparing my right for the shifting.
...but it's not your bike, so your habits are not at issue.
Originally Posted by
joedab
This bike for a novice rider and therefore I would like it to have as few restrictions as possible.
You are restricting the life of her drive train, and her knowledge of how to properly ride a multispeed bike.
Originally Posted by
joedab
I have tried 'transplanting' foreign spindles into existing cups and have not been able to adjust them properly; there are standards for the thread pitch and diameter, but I think the diameter of the race from different models/manufacturers can vary and therefore do not guarantee a proper mesh.
You are mistaken in almost all cases on that point.
Last edited by cny-bikeman; 01-06-18 at 08:19 AM.