Regarding my August post, I've since replaced the original Suntour 42T chainring with a 39T Vuelta SE Plus. Works fine, although I had to make several adjustments.
The bigger drop from 52/39 and vice versa resulted in lots of chain drops. So I had to tweak the front derailleur very carefully to get smooth shifting without dropping the chain. This is crucial to me because I rely on the front derailleur shifts for our roller coaster routes.
And I tried combinations of the original 52/42 chainring with the SunRace 13-25 freewheel, which worked well. I really liked the spacing.
But I hated the spacing with the 52/39 chainring combo and SunRace 13-25 freewheel. Too much double shifting was needed to find the sweet spot. On climbs it was costing me momentum, fiddling around with shifting both levers.
So I switched back to the original Suntour 13-24 freewheel with the 52/39 chainring combo. Not quite as much oomph for steep climbs with dead legs, but the spacing is very good. And the 39/24 combo has been fine for our local hills as long as my legs are fresh.
Originally Posted by
canklecat
Has anyone replaced the inner chain ring from the usual 42T to something smaller? I'm not sure whether it's feasible or cost effective compared with a compact crankset.
I've been trying for almost three months, with lots of HIIT and hill climbs in training, but just can't get along with the stock 42T front and 24 rear cog. Saturday's hilly ride was pretty close to the last straw. I was exhausted by the end of a 64 mile ride with about 2,600 feet of climbing and could barely mash my way up -- walking would have been faster. Not a huge climb for some folks but it's my limit.
I get along much better with the 30/40/50 triple and 13-28 on my Univega, even though the bike is heavier than the Ironman. I feel energized rather than wiped out after a long ride on the same route.
I did get a 13-25 SunRace freewheel, but I doubt there will be a huge difference for climbing. I could try a 28T maximum freewheel, but I'd need to give up indexed shifting.
Seems like changing the smaller chain ring would be the best solution.