Hi all -

I'm new to bikeforums.net. I have a question about my 1983 Fuji Espree. Currently, it is factory original with a Sugino Aero No. 5 40 x 52T, 170 mm crank set. It works well in flatter areas, but I now live in a hillier place and need more lower gears

What is the best way for me to get a different crank set with smaller chain rings that is compatible or perhaps just chain rings to get some lower gears? I am not opposed to going to a triple set, but I suppose I would need a different front derailleur.

Any advice you can offer would be much appreciated!!!!

Thanks.

bdinpgh

If you won't miss the top end, a compact double, with, say, 48/34 chainrings is the simplest way to go. Look for a crank with a 110 BCD and you can do it easily enough. Parts are plentiful and cheap and the only new tool you'll likely need buy is a crank puller (cheap on eBay)

Or you could look at getting a new freewheel with a 34T big cog and a long cage rear derailleur.

Or go full touring mode with a triple up front, new derailleurs, new freewheel.

Kinda depends on how low you want to go, and how much you care about the looks of your current crank and deraillerurs.

Hey Lascauxcaveman - Thanks for the reply. Some of the hills here in PGH are steep. I'll look for 48/34 chainrings and give that a try first. Do you know if the crank on my Fuji is too big to accomodate a 48/34??

Unless you're talking about the Silstar no. 5, from the Sugino Aeros I could find online, Looks like a 144 BCD crank, which means 40T is as small as you're going to go (I would have guessed 42, but you say yours is a 40). Looking on eBay tells the same story. The good news is, there are a lot of Sugino triple (touring/mountain bike) cranks out there with similar designs and you could pick one of them up for not too much money and get the 110bcd that will take those smaller rings. The rings themselves are not terribly pricey, as 110 is a very common size and a lot of manufacturers made them and still make them. If you have a local bike co-op, I'd look there, first.

Here's an eBay search of "sugino 110bcd" that has a few likely candidates. And it certainly doesn't have to be a Sugino; any compact double with a square taper would work.

Again, thanks for the help. You are correct, my chainrings are 42 x 52. I found this crankset:
I've sent a message to the seller inquiring if it will work. His ad says "Steel chainrings designed for 7 thru 9 speed indexed shifting" and the Espree is a 6 speed, not indexed shifting. I'll see what he says.

If I go to a triple, do you know if I will need a different BB (or at least longer spindle) and a derailleur that can handle a triple?

He may not actually know. But it should be fine; I've never done it to my knowledge, but a six speed chain should be ok on chainrings designed for 9 speed. I think others here have said it works ok, despite the fact that a 6-speed chain is slightly wider. You can always get a new chain, too, they're cheap enough. But if you stick with older parts intended for 5-6-7 speed setups, you don't have to think about what the slightly narrower 9-speed rings will do. The only 9-speed parts I have are a cassette that I'm using with friction shifting and (I think) an 8-speed chain.

Probably a longer spindle (the ad says it needs a 113, how long is yours?), but the rest of the BB should be fine, if you're getting one for English/Japanese sizing.

OK, thanks. I will post when I get it done.