MTB gearing issue, need help from the guru's
 

I have a 8 speed rear (11/30) 3 sprockets up front 22/32/42

On my old 24 speed setup, it seemed I was more in the middle of the rear gears for a nice cruizing speed when on the middle sprocket.. It kept the chain nice and strait as far as I remember..

now on my current setup Im about 1 or 2 sprockets away from the smallest in the rear and its just not in that sweet spot I liked to ease of cruising.

Any recomendations for a rear cassette that would suite my needs a little better?
I just like to keep the chain fairly strait when I'm in the sweet spot..
I'm not very good with gear ratios..

any help, much appreciated..
thanks

Your problem isn't the cassette. It's that munchkin weeny crank.

how do you figure that?

Think about it.

If ya can't just throw it out there, I don't want to play guessing games..
Whats the crank have to do with gearing? It's a 175 just like I've been accustom to riding with.

so if i bumped my mid ring up in size i'd be set?
I'm just trying to figure out why its such a different feel gear wize from my old setup.
My old crank I believe had 22/32/44's on it (Son of Strongarm by Specialized polished finish)
I snapped a few XT's clear in half and bought that cheaper one and it worked great.

I just have no idea what my gearing was unless someone has some sort of killer an art program that enables you to zoom in and be able to count it for me?

heres my old bike (r.i.p.) *stolen*
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10.../kleintop1.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10.../kleinside.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...oseFMODDED.jpg

Nice Klein.:) You probably have a 104/64 Bold Circle Diameter (BCD) on your current cranks, if you can find something like a 36t chainring with a 104 BCD, it should make that middle ring range more to your liking-

thanks, and thanks for the tip, it seems the way to go..

I actually went through alot of trouble trying to revamp the mojo that that bike had...

I bought one that was the same year, color and model.. then had it redone.. its a little different..
I had the orignal "Pulse" comp changed to "Pauluk" comp (last name) :) all done with powdercoating, no decals or paint.. the logos are all done with powdercoating..
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...N/MVC-002X.jpg

the cranks I have now are pretty cheezy and not worth upgrading anything on..
I think once I get built back up that I'm sure I'll crack these..

any crank sets recommended in the ebay $75-$100 price range?

The crank (specifically the chainrings) has every bit as much to do with gearing as the cassette. Changing the chainring sizes has the same effect as changing the casette cog sizes.

That's what DMF meant with "Think about it". You have to understand how gearing works at both ends of the gear train.

thinking hurts, what did I do to you? :D

Chris,

If you like a little more gear on your chain rings, I would go with the Shimano LX Trekking Crank set. Nashbar has these at a fair price right now for last years version with the OCTALINK bottom bracket.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...20ATB%20Cranks

Wow! $54.99, that's less than I paid for it on sale back in April. I've got about 500 road miles and 250 off-road miles on mine so far and have had no problems with it. With all that you've done with your Klein, this might make a nice update for you.

Chris

Only if you're not used to doing it. :)

Why not just use the big ring? A 42/17 is almost exactly the same gear as a 32/13 with much better chain line and a 42/20 is almost exactly the same as a 32/15 with marginally better chain line.

Awesome find! thank you Chris!
are there any benifits to this OCTALINK bb setup?

I have the same one of these on my bike right now.. :roflmao:
and on sale for only 12 bucks too LOL
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...20ATB%20Cranks
http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photo...82-NCL-TOP.jpg


the drivetrain for the most part was swap over stuff from a Trek 4900 just to get me rolling.. :D

I'm just trying to get my bike setup so I have my sweet spot back..
I dont have enough top end gearing so i need to completly reconfigure it..
I max out at 30ish mph and I'm no where near maxed out on leg power..

I figured out what gearing my old bike had up front..

after searching and searching all I found aftermarket was 22, 32, 42 (or 44)
I found the exact same crank set on ebay that I used to have on my old bike (stolen) and I fgured it out..

off of ebay..
http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/1/4...0136160_tp.jpg

so I photo flipped it and counted some teeth.. (didn't want to wait for their responce)
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10.../STRONGARM.jpg
I just feel so relieved being able to figure out my old setups gearing..

I have no plans on purchasing those cranks tho, they served me well, but I wan't something a little more fresh :)

I'm fairly certain I had (8spd) 11/30's out back.

Hopefully I win that race face crank, then all I'll need is an ISIS 73mm 113mm bb a 34 middle ring and I'll be set..

I've learned so much in very little time from everyone on here, your guys rock!
small victory for me.. :)