Originally Posted by
ShannonM
with the possibility of a catastrophic faliure mode if you screw up badly enough.
Yes... tell me as much as you can about that, in graphic detail. The chain might come off at the chainwheel which is scary but, I think, manageable at granny gear speed if one doesn't panic. Somebody mentioned the derailleur ripping off?? That seems unlikely unless the chain flies off the cassette and into the spokes. I do plan to remove the dork disk with this overhaul.
One thing that I've considered doing for safety is this:
1) Sizing and running a chain to be used on only the two, larger chainrings. And setting the limit screws accordingly.
2) Sizing and running another chain to be used on only the two, smaller chainrings. And setting the limit screws accordingly.
When/if I do the dog trailer thing with the Miyata, it will be a bike then dedicated to that purpose for entire seasons at a time. And when I ride with the dog trailer, I rarely get out of the granny gear, yet alone the middle ring. My middle weight poodle weights a solid 50lbs. In this sense, the bike would cease to really be a triple.
Another thing that I've considered, although it may not be possible, is setting the front derailleur limit such that I can't shift to the granny gear but I could move the chain down to it with my hand. This way, whenever I went granny, at least there would be a natural moment of pause and reflection. And I wouldn't be shifting into it at 40km/h or anything.