View Single Post
Old 01-16-08 | 10:06 PM
  #68  
John E's Avatar
John E
feros ferio
25 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 22,374
Likes: 1,847
From: www.ci.encinitas.ca.us

Bikes: 1959 Capo Modell Campagnolo; 1960 Capo Sieger (2); 1962 Carlton Franco Suisse; 1970 Peugeot UO-8; 1982 Bianchi Campione d'Italia; 1988 Schwinn Project KOM-10;

Originally Posted by big john
John, you have a 28x26 low gear on your mtb? ...
Yup. It came with a 28/32 low, which I never used, so I tightened up the ratios a bit. I did have a 24-tooth inside ring for several years, but after I replaced my bottom bracket bearings, the mounting bolts began to rub against the chainstay. I need to procure some narrower spacers so that I can reinstall the 24.

I find there is a practical limit to how low a gear I can use and still balance the bike successfully. On anything very technical I tend to get off and walk, cyclocross-style, so a 24-to-96 (currently 28-to-96) gear-inch range works fine for me.

I currently have 43- tor 45-inch bottom gears on my road bikes, because I like short-cage rear derailleurs, most of which have a 24- or 26-tooth low-gear capacity and limited chain-wrap capability. Capo #2 will be a bit of a challenge, because the lowest I can go with the original crankset (157mm BCD) and derailleurs (Campagnolo Gran Sport) will be 44/26, and I am currently building it up with a 46/26 low gear.
__________________
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
John E is offline  
Reply