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Old 12-10-21 | 07:12 PM
  #141  
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bulgie
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Quad rings really lend themselves to tandems, that can go faster downhill but might need to go slower uphill.
Especially on a front-drive like this, with no chain-line worries — "cross-chaining" just isn't a thing, with such a long chain. Q-factor can even be kept narrow, by using a short spindle. No tire or chainstay to clear.

You need a front derailer that can "cover the spread", but they're out there, sometimes with a simple modification needed. Or make your own, like the Singer in the first photo!

The Rebour drawing shows a TA with extra-long chainring bolts, maybe custom-made? My favorite way to do it, with TA 5-pin rings, is to use two outer chainrings, one on either side of the 5-pin flange on the crank. Then no custom bolts are needed. I bolted the outer 2 rings to each other with normal double bolts, at the "Randonneur" bolt circle, and then the inner 3 rings are bolted together at the "Cyclotouriste" bolt circle. That does require an extra set of bolt holes to be drilled in the 2nd-largest ring, which is bolted to the larger outer ring and also to the inner rings. Drilling holes is easier than making custom longer quad bolts. The whole double-drilling, double bolting nonsense probably isn't strictly necessary — that outer ring could stand alone, bolted only to the crank at the 50.4 mm circle — but it stiffens up the assembly and prevents the chain wedging itself down between the two outer rings. Large TA 50.4 rings are not very stiff side to side.

This method could also be extended to 5 or more rings, still without needing extra-long bolts.

Mark B

Last edited by bulgie; 12-10-21 at 07:17 PM.
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