How to get the lowest gears possible?
05-29-08, 07:46 AM
#1
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How to get the lowest gears possible?
I live in a very hilly area, there is no flat ground to ride on and the hills are *very* steep. My triple 48-38-28 is way too big for my use. I never use the big chain ring. I use the 38 a little but spend most of my time on the 28 (with a 34t in the back). My question: I'm thinking about getting the Sugino Impel triple which has 42-34-24t rings (I wanted the 42-32-22 version but it only comes in size 175mm and the 650B wheels on my early 80's Specialized Sequoia frame won't allow anything longer than the 170mm cranks I have now). Is the 42-34-24 the lowest gear combo possible for me? Or should I just strip off the 48t on my current cranks and replace the 28t with a 24t and ride a double? If so, how would I know what size Bb to use? Thanks for the info!
Maria
Maria
05-29-08, 08:54 AM
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The Improbable Bulk
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You need to get yourself into a bike shop and not just looking online...
Chainrings can be purchased to customize things in a lot of ways. I don't know your current crank, but unless it is the type with chainrings rivetted in place, you can theoretically run a 42-32-22 on your current crank simply by replacing the chainrings.
Chainrings can be purchased to customize things in a lot of ways. I don't know your current crank, but unless it is the type with chainrings rivetted in place, you can theoretically run a 42-32-22 on your current crank simply by replacing the chainrings.
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05-29-08, 09:24 AM
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This is Africa, 1943. War spits out its violence overhead and the sandy graveyard swallows it up. Her name is King Nine, B-25, medium bomber, Twelfth Air Force. On a hot, still morning she took off from Tunisia to bomb the southern tip of Italy. An errant piece of flak tore a hole in a wing tank and, like a wounded bird, this is where she landed, not to return on this day, or any other day.
This is Africa, 1943. War spits out its violence overhead and the sandy graveyard swallows it up. Her name is King Nine, B-25, medium bomber, Twelfth Air Force. On a hot, still morning she took off from Tunisia to bomb the southern tip of Italy. An errant piece of flak tore a hole in a wing tank and, like a wounded bird, this is where she landed, not to return on this day, or any other day.
05-29-08, 12:41 PM
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I suggest an 23-tooth granny gear to a 23-tooth Sturmey-Archer hub in low gear. That gives you a ratio of 3:1.
Good luck staying upright.
(I'm joking, of course, but I just realized that that setup would give you a huge range for three speeds: 3:1, 1:1, 1:3. Huh. It might make sense to approximate that. So, yeah, go visit a local store and see what they advise, since they know the local terrain better than anyone on the Internet.)
Good luck staying upright.
(I'm joking, of course, but I just realized that that setup would give you a huge range for three speeds: 3:1, 1:1, 1:3. Huh. It might make sense to approximate that. So, yeah, go visit a local store and see what they advise, since they know the local terrain better than anyone on the Internet.)
05-29-08, 03:34 PM
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To the OP: an MTB crank with 22/32/42 or 44T chainrings will give you as low a ratio as is feasible with a 12x34 or 11x34 cassette. Many of the Shimano MTB cranks (Deore XT and LX for example) are available with 170 mm arms.
05-29-08, 07:54 PM
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TA Carmina Triple cranks with a 94/58 mm bolt circle. You can get as low as a 20T chainring with that set up. Crank arm lengths from 155mm to 185mm.
Lots of $$ though
Lots of $$ though
