I've taken to starting with a 38-39 inner ring on most all my bikes, and then adjusting with rear gearing. My Litespeed, Ironman, and now the Marinoni are setup that way. Heck, I just bought a Campy crank just because it had a 39 inner ring- took the chainring, and passed the rest along.
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.