Originally Posted by Peterpan1
Year ago I had this thing you could put on the bolt pattern somehow and it was a fourth ring, about half the size of the 26 front. Not sure who made it or whether it is still made, it was good quality back when I got it. Sadly that bike was stolen. Not really practical but it did get used now and again.
On a more serious vane, I would look for the 13-34. Anyone (like a lot of us), who needs 32-34 has no business with an 11 sproket, and it ends up robbing some nice extra gears that are useable when you are trying to do 95% of the remaining spinning.
You must be talking about the
Mountain Tamer Quad which, apparently, is still available.
On the 13-34 vs an 11-34, I'd agree that if you are running a 52/40/24, a 13-34 would be an excellent choice but if you are using a 44 or 46 or even a 48 outer ring, a 13 tooth cog is too low. I've ridden mountain bikes that have this combination and you spin out very quickly since you have either a 91", 95" or 100" gear. The only one that would be useful would be the 48/13 combination.
Using Sheldon Brown's gear calculator, you'd reach 25 mph at 90 rpm with a 44/13 which is pretty slow. Lots of places here in the west would have you coasting for miles, literally, with that gear. And if you coast too long, your knees won't be your friend when you hit the next uphill. Trust me
