PhoenixBiker 

I'm posting this in the Touring forum because I figure that's the most likely place to find folks who have experience with White Industries VBC cranksets. I'd like to put them on one of my road bikes, a Gunnar Sport, and I'd like to use a 42-24 chainring arrangement. The White Industries website says the cranks are capable of handling a max 24-tooth (!) jump between chainrings. Can anyone here confirm that?

I'm old (almost 64), big (think NFL linebacker), and live in West Virginia, which has oodles of short, steep hills. I'd like to have a 42 on the high end for speed on the flats, with a 24T low end that would allow me to go up hills I currently can't climb. I see the VBC crankset as a potential solution.

Your thoughts? Thanks!

79pmooney

I'm puzzled. It's the derailleurs that have to deal with the jump. You could make up a 60-28 using old TA cranks and rings with no issue at all. Now getting the derailleurs to handle that difference, that's a different story.

Edit: I've been running 52-42-28 and the like for decades. 42-24 isn't much worse than 42-28 and you aren't even looking at the 52 (or 53) I use. Try it. (Do put on a Chain Watcher or one of the other brands with similar names.)

Ben

PhoenixBiker 

I have in mind using a SRAM MTB 2x11 derailleur on the front, with a SRAM long-cage rear derailleur, a Wolf Tooth and an 11-42 cassette. I asked about the cranks because I was concerned that I might drop the chain while downshifting to the small ring. I'll check into the FD to see what its capacity is. Thanks!

rseeker

I'm envious of getting to ride in West Virginia. I used to do a lot of whitewater there. Absolutely gorgeous. Post pictures some time if you get a chance please.

Envious, assuming the right gearing.

tyrion

This guy uses 42/24 chainrings. Doesn't say what kind of FD.

Eggman84

You probably can use a Shimano FD-CX70 FD. It is rated for 16 tooth difference but but your proposed 42-24 is only 18 tooth.

Tourist in MSN

For years I ran a 52/42/24 road triple on a couple touring bikes, the 24 was after market instead of the stock 30 tooth ring. But I have switched two bikes to 46/42/24 (half step plus granny) triples instead of the 52 big ring.

I used friction bar end shifters for the front and used a chain catcher. Not sure if an indexed shifter would play nice with that combination. Never had problems dropping chains. But I run those triples on 8 speed 11/32 cassettes, not the big range cassettes you are talking about.

Only a tiny bit of the chain catcher is visible in the photo.

DropBarFan

SRAM says the GX-11 derailleurs are for 36/24. It's possible the derailleur cage curve would be tighter than optimal for a 42-tooth chainring meaning one would have to mount it a bit higher. Sellers say 14-tooth capacity. You'd have 18-tooth difference, but folks say the derailleur manufacturers list specs a bit on the conservative side. So the White crankset might be a good experiment...maybe they could give info about which derailleurs have worked.

djb

hi,
two things--first, get one of those dogtooth or whatever thingees
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/...-/rp-prod84217

as they really really work well. They do the job and you dont even know it is there doing its job.
I also rode a bike for decades with a 50/40/24, so 16t jump, but with friction dt for fd, so I could finesse it a bit-but still could jump it off if done badly--that bike didnt have a catcher, probably didnt have them back then.
One of my other bikes has one, and it works great. Just measure the tube diameter of frame.

-what shifters, drop bars, mtb shifters? I guess this is the main issue, of what fd will handle the 18t jump well and work together with whtever shifters you are planning to use.

shouldnt be that hard one would think to find a working solution.

**I would add however, that from my 16t jump experience, and a newer bike with 13t jump, 50/39/26 (changed from a 30 granny) you will see that you will need to pop up 2 or maybe 3 gears at the back when downshifting to the small granny. But thats ok, just a quick snick snick or extra snick of shifter, and as you say, having the smaller granny and larger cassette is essential for your riding terrain.
No downside to low gears, nothing but upsides., and if you dont use the first gear that often, so be it, thats fine., but its there when you need it.