Originally Posted by
nixter
It is too small. It seems most bikes come with a 48/16 setup and the san jose ( I think because it is cross ) is set at 42/17.
I live in Nebraska and ride on a really flat trail both on road and off road. I am spinning to the limit and feel I could go a little faster with a more normal setup. I thought of just increasing the chainring size to 48 and seeing if I like that before getting a new freewheel in the back.
I used to ride a 52/17 and it worked fine. Wind was a factor though. I think a happy medium would be 48/17.
I obviously don't want to downgrade the chainring by going too cheap, but I also don't want to over spend on a tight budget.
I don't think there is any thing to be worried about in going for a less expensive chainring. Track chainrings are very simple things compared to geared chianrings with their ramps and pins and all. You won't notice any difference between a $20 chain ring and a $40 one.