Chainring (chainset) replacement; upgrade
 

Good day, I have a bike: mid 90's, looking to replace two chainrings or upgrade the entire crankset.
Interested in your best suggestions on quality brands or specific chainrings; cranksets. Search for steel (retro) fitting chainrings? (quality difference vs aluminum or other materiall?)

(been looking at Shimano FCM131, an upgrade from 42t; if fitting, has a plastic chainguard. Useful? Or try a different crankset with an aluminum guard? What are a few specific best value to performance models?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300895422485...84.m1423.l2649

Included is a pic on my current crankset.

Crankarm: White Industries 170mm.

Chainrings:42-32-22. (Sugino csp 42, csp32, csc 22) (square taper?) Best to find out current bottom bracket, spindle specs in better researching compatible models?)

What are you going to use the crank for? White Industries (Sugino versions) were OEM on mid to high end Marin bikes for a few years from 1995-97, looking at the chainrings in the attached photo, your rings are so worn, that the cassette & chain will also have been wrecked,

If just replacing the rings, this will be difficult, as the crank is 5 bolt, and this is an almost obsolete chainring pattern (4 bolt has been standard since the late 1990's) there are some still available, from Middleburn, Stronglight & Specialities TA, but replacing the rings will be the same or more then a new crank.

For chainring material, as a general rule, steel is budget (defiantly not retro) with the exception of some stainless inner rings most quality rings will be alu, normally 7075 or similar series.

For the FC-M131 crank, this is a budget crank, the plastic guard is to protect you trousers(pants) / legs, it is not the same as a alu bash guard you mention. If looking for a quality crank, would be looking at LX/SLX level it be similar to your current crank, this is about the best value crank currently on the market http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-sho...ainset-bb.html as it also includes a HT2 BB, and will be noticeably stiffer than your current crank, and you don't need to worry about working out BB spindle lengths (an 8 speed setup will work with 8 or 9 speed cranks).

From looking at the wear on the rings, if you are always in the outer, is an MTB the right bike for your requirements?

lx; slx
 

I'm aware in replacing all the components. Just interested in product model suggestions.

Another bike type you had in mind? (outer) Commuter, recreation, road.

From lx;slx, what 8 speed models are best suggested? What upgrades is possible from a current 42-32-22? (44 or test clearance)

As well as compatible chainguards.

Not a lot of that makes any sense, Another bike type? you need to answer that

LX, SLX? their names of groupsets, that indicate quality levels, they are on the same level as you currently have; an upgrade would be XT or XTR. For a 44t, if your frame has a 42t currently, a 44t will fit fine. For 8 speed , getting anything apart from cassettes and chains is hard, as high end 8 speed MTB has been obsolete for 15+ years.

For chainguards, only very low spec / commuter market components have these, they aren't really an aftermarket item.