How many people tour self supporting with a double crank
08-17-15, 02:08 AM
#26
Senior Member
I use a 46x34 crank paired with a 12x36 cassette. But, IMHO, a mountain double makes the best front touring crank.
https://www.sram.com/sram/mountain/products/x9-crankset
https://www.sram.com/sram/mountain/products/x9-crankset
Cheers
08-17-15, 05:23 AM
#27
I swapped out the double on my cx bike for a Sugino wide/low double (40 x 24t). It doesn't have much top end, but with an 11-32 cassette, it is geared plenty low for climbing with a full load (I pulled a 55 lb trailer around the Rockies last year).
08-17-15, 05:49 AM
#28
Senior Member
I'm also interested. I know there is this 40x26 and have contemplated whether you could get by with 24t granny with careful shifting.
I wonder if a double designed for 40-24 rings with the right ramps and pins might do better. FD choice and setup would probably vary how acceptable it would be as well.
08-20-15, 10:38 PM
#29
Senior Member
If it shifts the big jump from 24 to 40 well enough, that sounds like a pretty sweet setup. My 39/26 with a 12-28 was adequate for a light load and your setup has more range on both ends. I'd think that would make it pretty versatile. Did it shift between rings pretty well?
08-21-15, 06:01 AM
#30
Senior Member
I notice that the X9 MTB crank that Nun mentions limits the jumps to 14 teeth with 42-28t, 39-26t, 38-24t, and 36-22t offerings. I at some point briefly used a road triple with a 50-39-24 and found the shifting kind of clunky, but usable. It was clunky enough that I decided to swap cranks before doing a loaded tour in the mountains, so I only use it a short while.
I wonder if a double designed for 40-24 rings with the right ramps and pins might do better. FD choice and setup would probably vary how acceptable it would be as well.
I wonder if a double designed for 40-24 rings with the right ramps and pins might do better. FD choice and setup would probably vary how acceptable it would be as well.
08-22-15, 09:20 AM
#31
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I'm working on a new dirt touring bike and it will also be a single with a newer even wider range MTB cassette. I find getting ride of the front derailleur is well worth the slight loss in gear range. I just move the gear range I need around by using the correct front ring for the trip. I am fine with coasting downhills and I can comfortably pedal at low, medium and high RPM so I get a lot of range out of 9-10 gears.
My gear is on the mid to lightweight end of the touring spectrum which helps a lot with not needing a huge gear range.
08-22-15, 10:50 AM
#32
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The upshift from the 24 to the 42 is a bit slow, but I can usually make that shift in about 30 feet of distance without any difficulty. The downshift to the 24 is virtually perfect. I use a chain catcher to make sure that I do not drop the chain but I quite frankly have no idea if it is needed or not.
Derailleur is a vintage Suntour. I use a friction front shifter, I am quite certain that an indexed front shifter would work poorly, as I usually have to overshift a bit when shifting up from the 24 to 42, then trim it after the shift is complete.
If I ran the 42 and 24 as a double, it would probably shift smoother because I could mount the front derailleur slightly lower down the seat tube closer to the 42 and 24 chainrings. First photo is 52/42/24, on one trip I put a 46 on instead of the 52 as shown in the second photo. Both bikes use the same vintage Suntour derailleur.
08-22-15, 12:02 PM
#33
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Nice thread-- I just was wondering about this a month back when building up a vintage touring bike for a friend and had a heck of a time changing it all out for a triple for him.
As for me, I'm two-years new to touring and built up my own (fairly robust/heavy) vintage touring bike to be able to handle anything that might come at me. I have a half-step + granny set up in front (a 48-42-26) and just a 5 speed freewheel in back from 14-34.
In the past two years of sporadic tours, I've never had to go to the granny, including a couple cascade mountain passes and a trip up Mt. Constitution in the San Juan islands. I'm certainly fit, but not a high mileage trainer by any means, so I would think, choosing carefully, a double could be made to work just fine for pretty much anyone. Some of the MTB gearing referenced above is a good starter I think.
As for me, I'm two-years new to touring and built up my own (fairly robust/heavy) vintage touring bike to be able to handle anything that might come at me. I have a half-step + granny set up in front (a 48-42-26) and just a 5 speed freewheel in back from 14-34.
In the past two years of sporadic tours, I've never had to go to the granny, including a couple cascade mountain passes and a trip up Mt. Constitution in the San Juan islands. I'm certainly fit, but not a high mileage trainer by any means, so I would think, choosing carefully, a double could be made to work just fine for pretty much anyone. Some of the MTB gearing referenced above is a good starter I think.
08-22-15, 02:20 PM
#34
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A buddy and I just rode the ice field parkway (Jasper AB to Banff AB), both on compact doubles on cross bikes. I weighed my gear before leaving and it was 50 lbs not including my camera bag which was probably close to another 5. The passes were a grind but we lived to tell the tale. We saw one other guy with a double and all the other cyclists we encountered were running triples.
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