Ya, I didnt go for the Rusky crap CCCP one, but for a el cheapo Filzer or something one for half the price, considering Ive only used it once or twice, it worked fine.

Thanks [MENTION=21724]cyccommute[/MENTION], good info. I do indeed have that BB tool, although I'll have to grab a new crank puller. Oh well, I have enough other newer bikes at home I'll eventually need it for, and its only $16. Spent far more than that on impact hex and star bits to take the motorcycle apart...

Completely forgot I have a 24t chainring which I believe is a 74BCD sitting in my toolbox too. May look into a 46 and 38 chainring, if a FD can handle a 14t jump.

I sure that the smallest inner ring for that crank is a 39. And I doubt you'll be able to find an outer ring in a 46. Vuelta makes a 42, 44 and 48. The 44 and 42 are probably too close to the 39, although it does make for an interesting "cross over" gear pattern (see top gear pattern).

The 24 tooth should work. I've done it before. It's a bit of a jump but not impossible. I'd opt for a cheaper Shimano front derailer if the current one doesn't work. They are far easier to set up and more forgiving than the more expensive Shimano derailers.

Finally, on the crank puller, the Park version has a replaceable pin. You can swap it for the narrower pin for a square taper. Park also sells the CWP-7 which is a universal crank puller. The different sized pins are stored on the tool.

re: a 15t jump. For years I rode a bike with 50/40/24 with downtube shifters, and the 16t jump was doable, its just that its a bit too much for everyday riding. Im sure with friction shifting it shouldnt be a problem, it wasnt with the old lx fd on that bike. The time I changed my 50/39/30 to 26 posed no problem for my tiagra fd, but then this is 105 so who knows.
Personally, I think its worth doing the 36 mid ring thing, as riding loaded I figure 36 is a minimum for a 700 wheeled bike for having a more workable range of gear inches in the mid ring, where we are most of the time.
I expect the fd on the bike can be moved down easily on the frame, so if you go with a smaller crankset, it should be a fairly easy adjustment of the fd down a bit for the smaller rings.

Let's be honest here, this sort of situation comes from not properly tightening the bolt and never ever checking it, which is a basic check point in maintenance, or it is for me.
a properly installed crank will avoid this whole deteriorating situation and I've never had it happen to a bike, nor seen it happen.
it's like saying car wheels can fall off because the lug nuts can loosen.

I know I know, it was just a poor example.
Really it was to just say that once a square taper bolt is properly tightened, in my experience Ive never really had them loosen, but I'll do a cursory check maybe once a year when I do a big go over, but I always check these bolts on friends bikes that I look at, just to be sure.

Although Im new to outboard bearing bb's (and like them) it would seem to me that they would need a check sometimes also. Im pretty certain on a day off on my last trip, where I tend to do a go over of the bike, that I had to slightly slightly tighten one of the bolts on my crankarm with the hollowtech 2 or whatever bb it has.

and yes, I totally agree that better ideas come out, hence my embracing of the outboard bb and disc brakes, but realizing the older stuff works fine too generally.

I'm not stuck to the idea of keeping the FD, they are cheap enough if I need to change. It is a clamp on FD, so no issue moving it where it needs to go. 24 would simply be a bailout gear, not for regular use, 46-36 or so would get me all the useable range I normally need. Probably a moot point, though, if the smallest I can get a 130 in is 38, I'll probably shy towards a new crank. I can be flexible on 46 v 48, but I do agree with you on wanting a 36. I've got other uses for this part, so it won't be a waste.

Guess I probably should also ask if there is a cassette option that can get me to the range I was looking, that I am just missing. Seems my only other 9 speed touring option really is a 12-34, which doesn't change too much over the 11-32.

Never had an issue with square taper, not a concern or selling point to me either way.

As an aside, for whomever was thinking it wasn't possible to find one, there are some 46t options for 130: https://www.niagaracycle.com/categories/sugino-46t-130mm-outer-chainring

Knock-off wheels were not tapered, but had to be splined for torque.

16t jumps from the 24 to 40 are no problem for me, (using friction bar end shifters),
I only really shifted out of it, as I crested the climb and am headed down the hill on the other side..

so not pulling on the chain as I shift.





...

16t jumps from the 24 to 40 are no problem for me, (using friction bar end shifters),
I only really shifted out of it, as I crested the climb and am headed down the hill on the other side..

so not pulling on the chain as I shift.





...

16t jumps from the 24 to 40 are no problem for me, (using friction bar end shifters),
I only really shifted out of it, as I crested the climb, and , headed down the hill on the other side..

so not pulling on the chain, against gravity, as I shift.





...

Turned out to be an Octalink v1, I believe:



Also the small chainring I have is a 64, not a 74, so in making the determination between new crank and new rings, I think it'll be new crank.

Fiets, when I mentioned my 16t jump from 24 to 40, the bike shifted fine with proper technique, the thing I wanted to bring up was more that the large jump between the two is a bit of a pain, having to up or downshift 2 or sometimes 3 gears to make up for the large jump.
No diff from using a compact 50/34 I guess, and it certainly works fine enough, I just personally find the hassle something I would avoid if setting up a bike, and anyway for my skinny legs I just find smaller mid rings in the 32, 34 (of which you dont see much) or 36 to be much better suited for loaded touring riding.

heck, even my 26in wheeled bike with a 44/32/22 works fine with the 32 mid, for the weight I carry on the bike I still find the 32 to be a very versatile ring and I generally only shift up into the 44 ring when I get up to close to 25kph.

but then Im more of a spinner than a tractor leg guy and am comfortable at slightly higher cadences than others.

jef, I guess you'll have to do a bunch of searches and adding up the costs of parts and tools.

PS I have a bike I use as a commuter, a 20+year old hybrid by GT, GT Cirque, that has a cheap stamped crankset with non replaceable rings, but its a great ring combo--- 42/34/24 which with this 700 wheeled bike gives a great range with the stock 11-28 seven speed cassette of 23 to 104 gear inches.
The mid 34 ring is 33-84 gear inches, which is a pretty good mid ring range and although I dont have a bike computer on the bike, Im sure I can easily get to 35kph in the mid ring.

On two of my bikes I am running a triple with 46/42/24 (half step plus granny) and an eight speed 11/32 cassette.

I agree that the shift down or up between the 42 and 24 is pretty big. On the two bikes that use that shifting, I use bar ends and I have gotten used to simultaneously shifting both front and rear.

But since i only use the granny gear when I really need it, I use it quite rarely. Thus the few times I make that shift, I don't let any inconvenience bother me. The downshift is quite smooth, but the upshift often takes a bit of an overshift, making the friction shifter worth having. I assumed I might frequently drop a chain on the downshift, so I put a chain catcher on first thing so I do not know if it is really needed or not, but I can say I never drop the chain.

I am not much of a spinner, cadence usually between about 72 to 78 on my derailleur bikes.

The upshift from a 24 to 42 on my bikes is an increase in gear ratio of 75 percent. Or the 24 to 40 that you had was an increase of 67 percent. But a compact crank from 34 to 50 is only 47 percent.

But I know that most people would not like half step gearing, just commenting that it works for me.

Eh, at $30ish each, it really isn't worth it to rebuild this one when I can buy new around $100 and used well under that. Tools are negligible, I will eventually need them for my other newish bikes, buy now or buy then is pretty much how that goes. Plus, I was already looking for a triple to go on the wife's Euro touring bike, so she has some sort of bailout gear, I can transfer this over there. Before anyone wonders why I need low gearing and she doesn't, I don't really need sub-25 for this trip, just getting it setup how I want it to start out with. She was mostly fine with the 52/42 in the NL, the 30 should get her the extra boost in any sort of hills. Shes got a couple other bikes she rides in America, this is solely her "scared to get a nice bike stolen in Europe" option.

At least, I really hope we don't need lower than 25GI for a river canal path

February 2017 I spent two weeks touring Florida Everglades and Florida Keys. That is probably about the same amount of elevation change you will see in the Netherlands. I do not think I ever used my granny gear on my triple, but I did have to gear down for the approaches to bridges.

***

You could just try the 24 that you have in storage on that crank and see how it works before you make any other changes.

Wrong BCD, thought it was a 74, turns out its a 64.

As far as gearing down, yeah, that was pretty much it in the NL, bridges. We may have hit an occasional hill here or there, but they certainly were not memorable if we did. I suspect the Loire Valley to be roughly the same. I had that 52-47-low 30s half gearing for that, I don't recall getting into the low ring but once or twice.

Just want mine geared down to 20ish from the get-go, because I know it will eventually be needed. No point in doing something now then redoing in the future.