SRAM Rival chain ring upgrade
08-26-21, 02:15 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 5
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
SRAM Rival chain ring upgrade
Hi all, noobie here. I bought a 2011, I think, Pinarello CX a month or so ago. My first carbon bike but first real road bike (yes I know it is cyclocross but use it as a road bike). Anyway, I love it so far, just getting into the sport and most I've done is 15 miles but am enjoying it. Anyway, the question is what is the range of the front derailleur? I notice that I top out in gearing fairly quickly/easily. It is 20 speed, front sprocket is 36T/46T, says SRAM red. I see that typical road bike rings are 34/50(?). Can I just buy a 50 and replace the 46 with no issues? I'm very mechanically inclined and it looks pretty straight forward. Looks like the derailleur has plenty of upward room but wanted to get some advice first. Thanks!
08-26-21, 07:53 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 18,093
Bikes: Stewart S&S coupled sport tourer, Stewart Sunday light, Stewart Commuting, Stewart Touring, Co Motion Tandem, Stewart 3-Spd, Stewart Track, Fuji Finest, Mongoose Tomac ATB, GT Bravado ATB, JCP Folder, Stewart 650B ATB
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4208 Post(s)
Liked 3,874 Times
in
2,314 Posts
Most likely larger rings can be mounted on the crank. Possibly the ft der will work with them, possibly not so well. Some CX ft ders are designed around the 46T ring curve and height off the shell. Possibly the chain will need lengthening/replacement and if worn the cassette might then need replacement too. Ft shifting set up can be less plug and play then the rear so sometimes trying is the easiest way tio find out.
Not asked for but... A 46/11 combo will allow about 20mph per 60 cadence. 40mph would be about 120rpm. Do you know your cadence range? While it's easier to spend $ to get "faster gears" it's generally considered a skill of better riders if they can spin the cranks at a faster cadence. Lot's of reasons why.
I run 46/11 high gear on a few bikes and have little issue getting up to 30mph on a flat (though not for long as I have a small engine) and exceed 45+mph often down hills. Of course how fast we go is a poor judge of how good a rider we are
Andy
Not asked for but... A 46/11 combo will allow about 20mph per 60 cadence. 40mph would be about 120rpm. Do you know your cadence range? While it's easier to spend $ to get "faster gears" it's generally considered a skill of better riders if they can spin the cranks at a faster cadence. Lot's of reasons why.
I run 46/11 high gear on a few bikes and have little issue getting up to 30mph on a flat (though not for long as I have a small engine) and exceed 45+mph often down hills. Of course how fast we go is a poor judge of how good a rider we are
Andy
__________________
AndrewRStewart
AndrewRStewart
Likes For Andrew R Stewart:
08-27-21, 01:46 AM
#3
Senior Member
Sounds like a really nice bike. I'd second Andrew's suggestion that you probably need to learn to adopt a higher cadence. 46 is certainly small for a road bike but not outrageously so.
On my SRAM chainset the BCD (Bolt Circle Diameter) is printed on the chainring. If you match the BCD and number of bolts then any replacement will physically fit. As Andrew says, though, whether the derailleur will work is another matter. Setting up the front derailleur on a SRAM derailleur with yaw is a little finicky, but you'll find some good guides on YouTube. My SRAM Force 50/34 chainset says 110 BCD, by the way. SRAM Red is the top of the range, if you didn't already know, so that's a nice catch.
On my SRAM chainset the BCD (Bolt Circle Diameter) is printed on the chainring. If you match the BCD and number of bolts then any replacement will physically fit. As Andrew says, though, whether the derailleur will work is another matter. Setting up the front derailleur on a SRAM derailleur with yaw is a little finicky, but you'll find some good guides on YouTube. My SRAM Force 50/34 chainset says 110 BCD, by the way. SRAM Red is the top of the range, if you didn't already know, so that's a nice catch.
08-27-21, 01:24 PM
#5
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 5
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Yes, my BCD is 110, guess that is pretty standard? Thanks for the comment, didn't think about that, as well as the chain length from someone else. Good comments.
08-27-21, 02:31 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Nor-Cal
Posts: 3,767
Bikes: lots
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1958 Post(s)
Liked 2,932 Times
in
1,489 Posts
110mm 5 bolt is for compact and mid-compact. 130mm 5 bolt is standard, 53/39 are the normal chainrings for this BCD. This is for SRAM road. Shimano uses an asymmetrical 4 bolt pattern that works for all chainring sizes.
