Originally Posted by
Bigbus
Some really good information in this thread and even though that 52T chainring looks huge. to me, I;m thinking now that it might be easier to find a larger one rather than mess with the rear gearing. By keeping the 36T up front I won't lose my current low range either. Sounds like a good fix for me if the front DR can handle the difference in gear size without too much adjusting or modifying. Thanks for all the good input.
A jump fom 36 to 52 is 16 teeth. I wonder what front derailleur can handle many more teeth? Also, it takes more teeth on the front chainring to make the same increase as it does if you subtract a tooth or two to a rear cog.
Example. You currently have a 52 x 14 high gear which is 98.0" with 700 x 25 tires. Changing to a 54 chainring raises that high gear to 101.8" and a 56 chainring raises it to 105.5" whereas getting a 13 teeth rear cog with the existing 52 chainring gives a new high of 105.5" which is the same as you'd get with a 56 x 14. A 52 x 12 gives a high of 114.3" and a 11 x 52 gives you a high of 124.7". Have you given any thought to getting a new rear wheel with a freehub and a cassette?
Cheers