Gravel Grinder Gearing
 

This is a what would you do thread.

The bike: 1988 Peugeot Nice
Components: Generally Exage level stuff. Six speed, all shimano. INDEXING ONLY, front, double shifter.
Wheelset: Mismatched Maillard hub with no name black anodized rim. Anodizing rubbing off. Miche Competition rear hub with Wolber rim. Wear in the races on both hubs.

I have on hand a tricolor rear derailleur and a 105 cassette. I also have the remaining items to do a total 9 speed 105 STI triple set up, but don't want to go that far currently.

The bike is going to be ridden as a gravel grinder, especially on two local trails, the New River Trail and the Creeper Trail. The current gearing is a no go. My lowest gear is 39/24. That's just not working when I hit hills. I've pondered a compact double. That would allow continued use of the indexing double shifter/derailleur. I've also pondered just getting a different cassette, but I don't know how many teeth the current rear derailleur can handle. I would assume 26 isn't out of the question. The group that is on there now isn't high end. I could buy a new wheelset with a freehub body and use the other parts I have on hand. I'd be getting more gears in the rear, better components, and matching wheels. I'd probably still go with the compact double in the front with this set up as well.

Given the wear on the hubs, mismatched rims, and current gearing issues, what would you do?

On mine, I've got a 48/36/26 or 28 triple that I find to be excellent. I *rarely* use either the lowest or highest gears up front, and spend about 90% of my time in the middle ring. However, the 48 is low enough I can still turn it over if I want to haul for a bit or need a change of cadence, and the low is great for climbing with loads. Rear cassette is a 7 speed 13-30 if I recall correctly.

Two questions: what model crankset do you have, and what model rear derailleur? That will help determine what chainring options you have and how low of a cassette you can fit.

^ That's why I generally dislike triples with modern gear. I hate having gears I don't use.

I'm digging the nice 10t jump on my Shimano CX50 46/36 crankset and the stiffness of that bike's BB shell and the outboard bearing BB is really nice. I have it paired with a 12-26t 8s cassette (or 13-28t 8s freewheel on another wheelset). So far, I like the gearing a lot and am looking forward to putting some gravel miles on this bike come spring.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8390/8...c2234967_b.jpg

It's a Shimano 350 level crankset with 130 BCD. I've already reduced down to 39T. I don't see myself going much farther. The Derailleur is a Sport LX I believe. I'm at work now and unable to look at it.


I'm basically leaning toward the wheelset change and am looking to see if people think I'm crazy.

Colonel, that's pretty much the exact sort of thing I'm looking at doing. The 46T on the front will be nice on the flat New River Trail.

I am using a 48/38 (130bcd) front and 11/27 9 speed on the rear of my TX700 that I use for gravel. Gives me 115.1-37.1 gear inches which works great for me in a not to hilly area.

My "gravel grinder" bike is the fixed-gear, and depending on the time of year, it's geared anywhere between 58" and 71". I wonder if my choice of tires is what keeps it from spinning out more.

At any rate, I would expect the Tricolor RD to handle a 26-28T cog, depending on the B-screw setting.

An RD-6402 will handle a 28t without worry.

You're faster than I am. I just don't need a 115" gear.

I picked my CX50 up on eBay for $50. The crank was used, but the owner had installed brand new rings. The BBs are inexpensive.

Just swapping in a 28t rear would give me a low end of 37.6"

The Creeper Trail that I'm going to riding has a 6% grade at the end that isn't bad. Some of the other gravel roads around here are definitely worse. That's why something smaller than the current 39T I have up front starts to become appealing.

If I drop to a 36T, I end up with a 34.7" set up.

Edit: The 6% wouldn't be bad, but the trail is cinder. That definitely adds some resistance. I can always ride my 29er, but what's the fun in that?

I don't use the 48/11 combo much in gravel, mostly on the road. The gravel I ride in doesn't have as much muck as there appears to be where you are riding, plus It is flatter here. I am currently using 24mm Vittoria Open Paves, but am thinking on going with some 27 or 28mm tires in the spring which will screw up my gearing. I'll probably throw on a compact up front and 46/36 gears do sound like a good fit.

Ah, well I'm using 32mm or 35mm tires which changes the gear inches quite a bit over a 24mm tire.

I have a Trek 710 that I'm running a compact up front 48-34 and a 10spd rear cassette 11-34 and its perfect for whatever I throw at it. The 1:1 gearing is great for steep, long hills either paved dirt or gravel. Just grab an 8spd mtb cassette and a compact crank and you should be happy. When I first put the bike together it was 52-39 double w an 11-32 cassette and I had no problem on some steep climbs near me.

I'm running 700x30 cx tires

Off topic, but how do you like the Wazoo? I had one of the older Rada's and really liked it, except for the aggressive geo and my advancing age. I've been thinking of getting a steel CX frame to build and the Wazoo is one on the short list I'd like to find.

What rear derailleur are you using with that set up Rob? I have the TX700 being repainted and when I get it back I am probably going to rebuild it with 10 speed components.

My initial impression is that I'll like it a lot, but I haven't put enough miles in to make a proper evaluation; I live in my office until mid April. This is one of the older Wazoo's I gather; non disc. The geometry is aggressive for me as well so we'll have to see how I feel after a few 40+ mile rides on it. The more attracted I become to this type of riding, the more I like the the offerings from Rawland.

I thought it might be one of the older Wazoo's. Pretty cool. When I got the Rada I did some research and found that those older frames were made in California. I'd be appreciative if you could give me any thoughts on the Wazoo when you get some miles on it. Also thanks for the tip on Rawland. Will have to check them out.

Agreed on Rawlands, especially the Stag and the Nordavinden.

I can't believe how much thought and input go into these frames at their low price point.

The Stag prototype looks great. Some of it looks a wee rough, but the proto wasn't final finished, primed, nor painted.

The geo looks comfy, the fork crown is desirable, bosses for three water bottles is wise and space for fenders/big tires is well considered.

Wonder if they considered lighting and routing through the frameset?

I just see loads of value and can't wait to see the Stag built.

Color choice is also key for me.

Should be a looker.

I managed quite well on the local fire roads with Fuji. 12-32 8sp, 38/48 rings, 28mm tires, and platform pedals. A smaller chainring would have been nice for a bit more spin on the inclines and rock, but I'm a heavy guy.

FWIW, for 6% gravel grades I do okay with a 34/23 or 42/28, either of which give me about 40 gear inches. For really steep, sustained climbing I opt for sub-30", which is generally 1:1 gearing, so if you've got some steeper gravel roads that aren't sustained climbs I would opt for something lower than 40, and if you can get 37.6 by just swapping out the rear, that would be the simplest solution.

Most Shimano RDs can easily handle 28T even if officially rated for less.

Sean said the factory producing the Stag doesn't do certain braze-ons like dyno wire guides. Seems silly to me that they can't, but there you have it. So there will be no provisions at all for dynamo wiring, it will all have to be makeshift.

If the frame quality manages to really impress me (I'm not expecting it to, I'm expecting a typical Soma- or Surly-level Taiwanese production quality to it), I may consider investing right off the bat in some modifications for internal dyno wiring and a re-paint. At least that way it will be unique among the throngs of Stags showing up at all the events I expect to ride on it.

But agreed, for the price point, it's a well designed bike and a terrific value (especially if you get in on the pre-order deal), designed by a bike guy who "gets" it. The fork rake is gracefully curved and the crown is very nice, as you say. And it was designed specifically around Hetres with fenders. What $720 frame gets you all that? ($625 if pre-ordered).

Well, I have been convinced by the banter in here to go with new wheels, switch to cassette, and the tri-color RD.

Any decently priced, solid wheel set recommendations?

Some other factoids regarding the build:

A Peugeot Nice, which is supposedly a sport touring bike, cannot fit anything larger than a 35mm tire. This would also say it cannot fit fenders and anything larger than a 25 mm tire. The 35mm Continental Speed Kings I put on the bike rub the chain stays if I put any real force on a pedal stroke. I had to completely remove the dropout adjuster screws to even get the tire to clear the chainstays.
The stock Shimano SLR BR-L570 brakes will absolutely not clear a 35mm tire. I'd be fairly confident in saying they will not clear a 32mm tire.

And because every thread is worthless without more pics:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7118/7...5053ecaa_b.jpg

Have you had a 130mm wheel in that frame? I'm assuming it'll be smooth sailing.

If you're going to be riding in any mud I reckon you'll want as much clearance as you can get. Tektro R539s will let you have 35mm+ if your frame allows.

I have some hoods NIP for those levers if you need them.

I have an 88 Nice that I use as a commuter, still has the original 6 speed shifters, I am running a short cage 600 RD with a 6 spd. freewheel with a 30 tooth low gear, the 600 handles it with no problems. I'm running 23's with fenders, not room for much more.

I've put a 130mm wheel in before, but haven't done anything in terms of attempting to set the frame and dropouts. I have Park dropout adjustment tools, so that's not an issue. The brakes on there now are a set of dual pivots I had on hand that should have enough clearance to take care of things. The bike is set up for short-ish reach brakes. The issue with the old ones was that the arms angle toward the pivot rather than going up and over.

Thanks for the offer on the hoods. This bike's setup pretty much requires that I ride the drops. It's not terribly comfortable on the hoods and I would rather ride drops with downtube shifting.

To answer an earlier question, I'm running an XT rd w/ my Trek setup.