Chainsets
 

Hey Guys

I'm currently going through the process of upgrading my chainrings / chain and cassette and was hoping for some advice.
I'm running 52/42 with an 8 speed cassette at the moment and happy to keep like that.

What chainset / chainrings do you recommend, I literally know f all about them.
Link to my bike here. http://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...omec-time.html

Cheers!!!

Those rings look fine to me, and you're not likely to get better performance with different ones. So you're in the awkward position of needing to futz with something else, I think. ;)

There is nothing wrong with 52-42 if it serves you well. I run a 10% downsized version of it, 47-38, on my 1959 Capo.

Haha cheers man, I wish they were fine! That photo is pretty old, and they've been through the wars over winter since then. The chain has stretched a load and really wore the chain rings down.
As much as would like new wheels the chainrings is the priority now :( haha

What do you mean, "upgrading"? The only reasons there might be to change those parts would be: 1) you want to change gear ratios; 2) some parts are worn;or, 3) there is no 3.

First step would be to check the chain for wear. Measure from the center of a rivet on the taut chain using a good steel rule. 12" along should be at the center of another rivet. If that rivet is in fact at 12 1/16" + then you need to replace the chain before it grinds your cogs and chainrings into scrap. If the rivet is at 12 1/8" or greater you may have already damaged the chainrings and/or cogs and a new chain may cause skipping or chain suck. In any case, evaluate and change the chain first.

Edit: Oops, I didn't see your last reply. Sounds like you already measured the chain.

Aha, that'll teach you to run a chain too long without checking it. ;)

I like plain Sugino chainrings myself, but if you're on a budget, one thought is to see if there are any bike co-ops or swap meets going on in your area. I've gotten chainrings that were practically new for only a couple of bucks.

KMC X8.93 chain
Shimano 8 speed cassette to suit.
Chainrings - what is your budget? Often it is less expensive to replace the whole crankset, or just purchase a crankset for the chain rings, and sell the cranks without rings.

Hey man thanks for the reply, I was planning to just replace the rings but while I'm at it think I'll just do the whole crankset.
Budget is around £50 I guess? Pretty flexible at the moment but don't want to be paying loads.
Sorry for noob question but do I need to check the bottom bracket fitting?

Yes, which is a good reason to just replace the rings, either new rings or rings from a purchased crankset. From the pictures, do you have 110mm or 130mm BCD? Another option is to buy a used crank with good rings. Or a cheap 52/42 crank set with steel rings, and use just the rings until your money situation improves. For example: Silver Double Alloy Road Race Chainset 42/52: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

You definitely need chain, cassette and chain rings. Chain rings wear MUCH slower than cassette cogs.

Cool thanks for that, I've just found this site that sell a lot of NOS.
What's your thoughts?
Hilary Stone Shimano double chainsets

Cheers

I have had a good experience with Stronglight chainrings on my 7800 group (7400 crankset). I had some issues getting the chain from the small ring up to the big ring. Previously I had been using the original 7400 chainrings, then a Vuelta big ring, then a 7800 inner ring, with not a whole lot of shifting improvement. Then I took a shot on the Stronglight rings and it was fantastic. I had been looking specifically for chainrings that would match the polished silver of the 7400 crank, so I was pretty happy to have both good shifts and looks.

Classic. Are they in your budget? Most of the examples do not appear to have ramps & pins, and thus will not work well (if at all) with front index shifting.

Budget is probably more like £100 so can be a bit more flexible.
Crap had no idea about the ramp and pin issue

You could change to friction shifters - bar ends or down tube :)

haha don't think I'm ready for that yet!

At 8 speed, I'm not sure this would be as big a deal. 10s worked okay with my old 6s 7400 chainrings. It's just that when I was using a 10s chain, sometimes it would take another 1/4-1/2 revolution for the chain to catch on the bigger ring when shifting up. I imagine that a wider 8sp chain would be a little less problematic. You could always adjust your shifters/derailleur to give you the performance you're looking for.

Sweet, that's good news. So what would you recommend for my budget?

Sunrace 8s Cassette
KMC X8.99 or KMC X8.93
Stronglight Dural 8/9/10s (I use Stronglight Zicral; Dural seems to be more budget oriented)

Another reason why I liked the Stronglight chainrings was because they have a narrow profile where they join the crank arm spider, so it's less noticeable that it's not an original part. On my 7400 crank, the chainring profile is maybe 1mm wider on each side than a spider arm, so it isn't too bad. Obviously an original chainring would be perfect looking. Another chainring option is the Specialites TA Alize which is classic looking and comes in silver. I do not own one, however; so can't give any input on pricing or aesthetic fit with your particular crank.

Thanks man! Buying chainrings instead of the whole set might a lot less painful the sounds of it.
Going with those options should save me a lot of a cash too! Way under my budget haha