Chain-ring Sugggestions Please
 

We have an FSA Gossamer tandem crankset on our Cannondale RT2 and the mid-ring is done. The bike has about 3600 miles on it and sees very mixed use. Captain (me) is heavy and stokers vary from 110lb light weight to 260lb linebackers. Is there a generally accepted better replacement for the FSA rings?

How many teeth on your existing ring?

I suppose more info would have been helpful. Currently we have 52/39/30 the 52 and 30 seem to have life left, the 39 has a couple broken teeth and quite a few significantly worn (pointy/shark-fined)

Looking to replace both middle and outer?
If you stick to rings with shifting enhancements, a matching pair is needed.
Our FSA rings still look pretty good approaching 4000 miles but that's just our experience. (Light stoker and non-powerful captain.) Used plain-Jane Sugino rings on our previous tandem.
TA rings have a good reputation. One source: Chainrings 130 mm BCD - Harris Cyclery bicycle shop - West Newton, Massachusetts

IMO, the best-wearing rings are by Shimano. They do a pair of 52-39 for their 6603 triple crank that would work well. TA are good if you want to customize the sizing, but wear and shifting are not as good. FSA would be the best if you only want to change the middle ring and keep the current outer, just find a middle ring that matches what you already have. It's probably a good time to change your chain at the same time as putting the new rings on.

The best wearing, best shifting, and best looking chainrings are Shimano's, specifically the Ultegra 6604 Triple Chainring. The full set is $156 delivered from SJS. For any tandem that could use an improvement in front shifting (which is about all), this is a cost-effective upgrade. Its listed as 10-speed, but it works fine on our Campy 11-speed.

Yes, Shimanos give the best performance and durability for us. 10 speed middle rings work fine on our 9 speed FSA crankset. We run a SS 26T granny ring. Totally worth it. Alu granny rings didn't last very well for us.

Wait, you're not supposed to admit you're ever in you're granny, let alone wear it out. "Yes...we have a triple, but the granny? I cahhn't even remember the last time we we used it."

We're not hiding from our granny, but we aren't hiding from hills, either. This year so far, its 208.0 mi and 15,108 ft of climbing. Was meant to be used.

Tandems can wear out granny rings very quickly if you ride lots of hills. We even found that a cheap steel inner ring developed chain suck issues due to hooked teeth faster than some good quality alu' rings, but there are certainly good steel options out there. I've now found some NOS Shimano 26-tooth 74mm BCD inner chainrings that were the stock size on early 110/74 MTB triples (from before the "MTB compact" 94/58 size became common, which was before the modern 4-arm 104/64 standard, so these are quite old and rare). Shimano rings are made by forging instead of the machining process that is used by TA and others, which is why they are very durable despite being aluminium.

LOL. 560 and 25,000'. It's hilly here if you want it to be . . . or not. I run a 26T (alu) on my climbing single, 12-25 in back. It's the ohhnly way to go.

I was able to source the fc-6604 39t and 30t locally but cannot find the 52t. Any suggestions? I will order from SJS as a last effort but the 3-4wk shipping time keeps the tandem down longer than I would prefer :(

Ebay? We have 9-speed and I was able to get a Shimano Ultegra FC-6500 53 Tooth 9-Speed B-type chainring a few months ago. 10-speed should be even easier to find. 52T or 53T makes little difference other than moving the FD up a hair.

will all rings among the 6600 series be compatible as it sounds like Carbonfiberboy is saying above regarding the fc-6500? I found a good deal on a fc-6600-b 53t ring. The B ring says it will work with a 39t ring but doesnt say if it will work with the 6603/6604 39t Mid ring. Anyone experimented with this setup

If the weight of steel granny chainrings is an issue, there's titanium chainrings.

The tech docs for the 6603 and 6604 both list the large ring as being a 'D' type chainring. Using the B will mean that the shifting ramps on the big ring are not lined up with the timing/tooth positioning of the middle ring, so the chain while not find as smooth as a transition between the rings as it otherwise would.

I actually have a 6604 52-D lightly used ring hanging around in my workshop plus a Dura Ace 7803 52-D. The shifting ramps on the Dura Ace appear to be in identical positions to the Ultegra, which is why they both have the D designation. The Dura Ace has thicker mounting arms and less machining, making it even stiffer. Both are lightly used and still have a LOT of life left. I'd sell the 6604 (dark grey color) for $30 and the 7803 (polished silver) for $60. I'm in Switzerland and the local post office quotes $20 to ship to the US in 3-7 working days, $12 for 7-15 working days (those rates are for a small parcel under 500 grams). I don't have any spare middle rings.

Anyone who is interested should send me a PM.

Thank you for the offer. I did locate one (a 6603 53t-d) this morning that should be here on friday :)