markk900

I have heard over the years about the half step gearing approach - always thought it sounded cool in theory but had never actually tried it. Well, I have now busted through the theory barrier and I have to say I really like it.

I tried this out (prior to the freezing cold and snow) on my Peugeot AO-8, with a 50/47 front and a 14/16/19/23/27/30 freewheel (I guess that is almost half step plus granny!).....this gives 42 to 96 gear inches with most differences in the 6-7% range (a couple of outliers but I do indeed have all 12 gears available if I really want it).

First off, Suntour SL front changer laughs at the 3 tooth difference on the front....silent and swift changes. The Vx Luxe on the back never had any issue with the freewheel before this. But the riding is sooooo smooth! I am not a slave to gear progression, so I didn't even kind of follow the classic shift pattern. But within the scope of the gear range I have; I am always able to find a proper gear.....

In short - it is worth considering if you haven't tried it!

bikemig 

You're running downtube shifters, right? I want to try out 3 x 5 half step gearing on a bike I'm building but I'd prefer to do that with bar end shifters.

markk900

bikemig Yes - downtube shifters. This incarnation of the bike has drop bars and I am at a point now where I am having a hard time with them; I still have no issue with downtube shifters.

I'd be interested in a 3x5 half step setup - please post if you do it.

davester

My Cinelli Speciale Corsa is a 5-speed so I switched it over to half-step. However, since our area has endless steep hills, I did the opposite of what you did and went low...47-42 front, 13-32 rear. That gives me a range from 36" to 98" and perfect half steps with ten totally usable gears. I slightly miss the over-100" gears, but not much. Usually I only use those going downhill and I can just perfect my tuck instead.

bikemig 

Well it's half step plus a granny. That was a pretty common set up BITD with 5 or 6 in the rear so you could eke out some more gears. I picked up a raleigh super course a few years ago because I liked the gearing. It had a TA triple with 52/47/32 rings and a 14-32 (14-18-22-27-32) freewheel. I sold the frame as it was too small but kept the parts (a mix of first gen dura ace and campy plus the TA crank and freewheel). I plan to use that gearing on a Witcomb I picked up that i need to rebuild.

steelbikeguy

I've been using a half-step-plus-granny for about 20 years now, and find it very useful.
It is a 3 x 7 arrangement, with 26-46-49 chainrings and a 7 speed cassette with 13-15-17-20-23-26-30. The cassette cog progression has about the most even step size that I've seen.



The bike is used for commuting and general utility purposes. It has also traveled a fair bit, been used for a double century, and is subjected to rotten weather.
I do tend to stay on the 46T chainring, but am happy to switch use the 49T ring when it is windy or if I'm on a slope that needs that small change of gear.

The only downsides:
- shifting from the 46 to 26 rings does require some care to avoid dropping the chain.
- The Sugino AT crank has somewhat wide gaps between the rings for the 8 speed chain. If I'm being careless, the chain may skate between the big rings or jam between them.
- It is getting harder to find rings that provide the 3 tooth difference that works with the cassette. I'm using a 49T ring from T.A., but I'm not sure these are still available (I do have a spare in the parts box).

Steve in Peoria

thook

you might try, as a future arrangement, 48/45/28. all three rings are commonly available with sugino (i have them myself). i punched your numbers comparatively on sheldon's calculator and the percentages are on par, the top and low end wouldn't be discernibly different, and the closer gap between the 45 and 28 would make for a more secure shift

steelbikeguy

I'm not sure when I last shopped for 110mm chainrings, but I got the impression that they were hard to find in odd # of teeth. However... I see that Harris Cyclery shows just about every size available....
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/chainrings/110.html
Maybe that's the advantage of having suppliers other than just QBP?

True... a 3 tooth difference produces almost the same size gear change if the rings are nearly the same size.
I do like my chainrings and gear range, though, and rarely mess up the shift.
There have been bike rides when I knew that I'd be on and off the granny ring a lot. I switched over to a more conventional chainring selection (26-36-46?) and a 8 speed 13-26 cassette. I used this for Ride the Rockies back in 2004, and spent about 3 hours in the 26 x 26 gear one morning!

Steve in Peoria

AngryFrankie

You know, I'm not very quick, and I've had a number of older bikes with a triple like this, but never thought about it. Suddenly, that makes a lot of sense, a half step, but with a big drop to a granny. I've seen it on truly vintage touring bikes only. Half steps for regular shifting and then the granny for the big ones!

smontanaro 

My Frejus TdF has half-step gearing, 47/50 up front and 14-28 five-speed in back. I like it, except... Where I ride and my physical condition/attributes mean that the two most common gears I use require a double shift. Half-step would be great if your two most frequently used gears use the same rear cog and all you need to do is flip back-and-forth between the chainrings.

xroadcharlie

Soon after buying my 2018 Giant Sedona with the 28/38/48T triple chainring I found a 1/2 step combo that I thought I would try against some moderate wind. I really didn't think a difference of 5 - 6% was even worth having but was pleasantly surprised to find it quite refreshing. Just enough extra torque to make pedaling pleasant rather then a chore and picking up a bit more speed. More importantly the next lower gear can be almost too easy.

As it turns out the few hills I have to climb are either somewhat steep, but short, or the longer ones not steep enough to require much less then 50 - 60 gear inches. I might be happy with a half step double chainring and the stock 14 - 34T 7 speed freewheel. It one of those Megerange units with 6 correctly spaced gears and 1 absurdly low one (24 - 34T in 1 step.).

That said their are times the double step with the 38T & 48T chainring are welcome too. So I guess it works both ways.

I wonder if we could make a triple that would give us the best of both worlds and work correctly. Perhaps a 48/45/36T.

SwimmerMike 

I hadn't tried a half-step until this year. I bought a Gitane that has a half-step and a granny (52-46-36) with a 5 speed 14-34 freewheel. With such big jumps in the back, I fell in love with the half-step. I just acquired a Bob Jackson last weekend with a 52-46 half step. With the hills around here, the 52-46 + 14-28 will limit which rides I take the bike on. So the Jury is still out for me on half-steps in general, but I think they are great when combined with a granny. If I still lived in MN. I'd be 100% on-board for a half-step double, since the terrain didn't require any longer steps climbs.

John E

Been there ... done that. I ran 1/3-step for many years: 49-46-43 / 13-16-19-23-26. (28 would eliminate the large-large redundancy, but I didn't want to use that combo anyway, and my short cage SunTour was much happier with 26. 14 very nicely spaced ratios.)

John E

A man after my own heart.

I experimented with a 53-50-39 half-step-plus-1.5-step on a Campag. Veloce spider, but many modern spiders are too thick to support half-step without the problem you describe.

I was able to run 48-45-34 on a 110mm BCD Sugino crank, using long chainring bolts and spacers, and I loved the combination of 48-45-34 / 13-15-17-19-22-25.

I run 1-5-step - plus - granny on the mountain bike, with a 48-40-28 up front. I sometimes use a 24T granny ring, but the 24-40 shift requires a lot of finesse to avoid jamming the chain at an inopportune moment. My SunTour XCD front derailleur was designed for 48-38-28, and it tolerates my 28-to-40 jump nicely, but not 24-to-40.

John E

I geared my UO-8 beater/commuter 45-42/13-15-17-20-23-26, and the combination is delightful, albeit very slightly low for my tastes on the top end.

I was raised on half-step, first with my 1962 Bianchi Corsa, 52-47 / 13-16-19-23-26, and then with my 1971 American Eagle Semi-Pro, 54-47 / 14-18-22-27-34. I don't mind the double shifts at all -- they are easy with one-hand reach-through on downtube levers, and even easier with barcons. My other favored gearing is 1.5-step, sometimes called "Alpine," such as the 50-42 / 14-16-18-20-23-26 on my Bianchi. A lot of us used to run 1.5-step for hills, then swap in a larger inner ring for flatter rides. My 50-42 easily converts to a 50-47 half-step. I had one friend who used just three chainring bolts (not recommended) to facilitate quicker swaps between the two gearing systems.

sd5782 

I have a couple of half steps on double cranks and like them. I think they make more sense on triples though. I wasn’t going to change cranks on my 47-50 Frejus or get rid of my 144bcd Superbe crank on a Trek so they are my half steps and are pleasant to use here in the flatlands. I think however I like the one and a half steps best with a 6 speed in back.

Classtime 

I had 1/2 step on my PX-10 for several years on a mostly flat commute. And then I had a Trek 620 with 1/2 Step plus Granny. I'm a fan. It sure is fun to shift that front and get such a swift and sure reaction without ramps. They were both 5 speeds.

Trakhak

In the mid-1980s, Cannondale briefly offered a two-chainring touring model with half-step gearing. That was a gutsy move, given that most of their dealers wouldn't have heard of half-step, let alone the customers of the dealers. That configuration lasted for only one year; they reverted to conventional gearing for the bike the next year.

Wharf Rat

It is extremely flat, but always windy on the coast where I live. A 46-42 half step double with an 11-28 7 speed cassette give me all the range I could ever need. It also gives me 14 closely stepped gears that help me fine tune for the wind. I couldn’t be happier with my setup.

clubman 

My first road bike was a 72 Orbea with a half-step double and a 14-23 five-speed block and it was perfect for 16-year-old legs in flat suburbs. I didn't understand the alpine gearing on my buddies Peugeots, they spent a lot more time shifting than I did. Rode the hell out of it.

It looked just like this, except blue.

AustinFitz

I'm actually just now trying out half-step plus granny myself. The bike is a 1984 Centurion Elite GT. Haven't taken it on a ride yet, but just switched the rings to 50-46-26. Freewheel is a 5 speed 14-17-20-24-28. I'm looking forward to trying it!

bwilli88 

I have enjoyed modern versions of half step +
I really like 3x10 with 49x46x34 turning an 11 -36 10 speed rear. The pic show a 50 before I found a good 49t here in Cambodia.




I also have used a 2x9 48x45 turning a 12-36 9 speed. this can easily be changed to a 45x42 for more hilly regions

balindamood

All of my regular riders have been converted to half-step.

Classtime 

Lovely drive train. You may already have the shifting Sequence worked out but I got confused when folks said you double shift when this or that and I tried to over think it. I finally settled on this: For fine tuning, look to shift the front to the big or middle ring and if it is already there, shift the rear. Then if that was too much, shift the front.

The Golden Boy 

Half step and a granny were common on most 80s tourers until the advent of 7 speed. I've changed most of mine to 6 speed- so it messes up the ratios, but the concept is still there.

Even with Command Shifters, it's kind of a pain to do it as intended- but what I do like is you can easily find an 'in between' gear that you can settle on.