Crankset and Bottom Bracket advice
06-04-08, 10:29 AM
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Crankset and Bottom Bracket advice
Hi, I'm a new poster here so I hope I'm in the right part of the forums and asking appropriately here.
I have a 1999 Specialized Hard Rock FS Comp. I don't really like it, but nine years ago I was a poor grad student and it seemed like a good bike for what I was doing then.
I live in Minneapolis, which is blessed with pretty good commuter and recreation bike paths. I ride a lot with my daughter on a Novara Afterburner or Burley Solo attached to the back. I've got Schwalbe Marathon slicks on the wheels instead of the knobbies.
I find that the bike is incredibly limited with the 22/32/42 chainrings up front - I basically do all my riding in top gear, all the time. I have a fairly slow and strong cadence, and I find that I run out of gearing very easily, essentially using a mountain bike as a road bike.
So my main question is, am I better replacing the top and middle chainrings on the crappy but workable Specialized crankset, or should I just buy a new crankset/bottom bracket? I kind of lean towards the latter - it looks like I can get a Shimano Deore M-FC532 26/36/48 crankset with bottom bracket for about $100 new, and I'd probably end up spending at least $50 to change the chainrings on my existing crank anyway.
I have done very little work on bicycles, but I do all the standard maintenance on my motorcycle and my scooter, as well as the regular maintenance on our car, so I'm pretty sure it's not beyond my ability. Is there anything I'd have to buy besides a crank puller and the gears, or the crank puller, crankset and bottom bracket? I don't want to sink too much money into this if possible...
I have a 1999 Specialized Hard Rock FS Comp. I don't really like it, but nine years ago I was a poor grad student and it seemed like a good bike for what I was doing then.
I live in Minneapolis, which is blessed with pretty good commuter and recreation bike paths. I ride a lot with my daughter on a Novara Afterburner or Burley Solo attached to the back. I've got Schwalbe Marathon slicks on the wheels instead of the knobbies.
I find that the bike is incredibly limited with the 22/32/42 chainrings up front - I basically do all my riding in top gear, all the time. I have a fairly slow and strong cadence, and I find that I run out of gearing very easily, essentially using a mountain bike as a road bike.
So my main question is, am I better replacing the top and middle chainrings on the crappy but workable Specialized crankset, or should I just buy a new crankset/bottom bracket? I kind of lean towards the latter - it looks like I can get a Shimano Deore M-FC532 26/36/48 crankset with bottom bracket for about $100 new, and I'd probably end up spending at least $50 to change the chainrings on my existing crank anyway.
I have done very little work on bicycles, but I do all the standard maintenance on my motorcycle and my scooter, as well as the regular maintenance on our car, so I'm pretty sure it's not beyond my ability. Is there anything I'd have to buy besides a crank puller and the gears, or the crank puller, crankset and bottom bracket? I don't want to sink too much money into this if possible...
06-04-08, 10:35 AM
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Add a bit for a new chain. If you go to a significantly larger chainring, your current chain may be too short. You may also need a new front derailleur as your current one will have the wrong curvature for a larger ring and would have to sit too high to shift well.
Another possibility is to look for a Shimano 105 9-speed road crank, either double or triple, and it's matching bottom bracket (53/39 or 52/42/30). These are available at low cost now that 10-speed has taken over and would give you a much higher top gear.
Another possibility is to look for a Shimano 105 9-speed road crank, either double or triple, and it's matching bottom bracket (53/39 or 52/42/30). These are available at low cost now that 10-speed has taken over and would give you a much higher top gear.
06-19-08, 08:33 AM
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So I chickened out and had the Hub here in Mpls install a Sugino 48-38-28 for me - which means I'm sticking with a square taper bottom bracket. They originally thought my Alivio derailer would fit the new crank, but in the end we put on a new (Deore) front derailer too. Running the original chain and cassette, at least for now.
It's a totally different bike now, that's for sure! I think I finally really have my fast commuter, and while it may not be as sexy as the nice, shiny, new ones on the showroom floor, it also was a hell of a lot cheaper.
A related question though: for good or for bad, I think I'm probably going to keep running the same cassette and chain for a while, at least - I know it's often recommended that they get changed together to cut down on wear on the new chainrings. But when I *do* change it out at some point, does anybody know of a Shimano-compatible cassette that includes 11, 12, 13 AND 14 sprockets? My current is 11-12-14, and I know there's some 11-13-15 and 12-13-14, but ideally it would be awesome to have single-tooth spacing for the first four, including an 11. It doesn't really matter, but it would be nice to have less of a gap between them.
It's a totally different bike now, that's for sure! I think I finally really have my fast commuter, and while it may not be as sexy as the nice, shiny, new ones on the showroom floor, it also was a hell of a lot cheaper.
A related question though: for good or for bad, I think I'm probably going to keep running the same cassette and chain for a while, at least - I know it's often recommended that they get changed together to cut down on wear on the new chainrings. But when I *do* change it out at some point, does anybody know of a Shimano-compatible cassette that includes 11, 12, 13 AND 14 sprockets? My current is 11-12-14, and I know there's some 11-13-15 and 12-13-14, but ideally it would be awesome to have single-tooth spacing for the first four, including an 11. It doesn't really matter, but it would be nice to have less of a gap between them.
