What would you do to sort out my gearing problem?
07-22-22, 11:47 AM
#1
Still trying
Thread Starter
What would you do to sort out my gearing problem?
Hi bike folk
Quick background, bought a Diamant 136 "urban bike" from an Austrian dealer for one month of solo credit card touring in September. The bike will be waiting for me when I arrive. First destination the Alps, probably 15lbs of gear including food and water if I can restrain myself from over-packing.
I'm happy about the bike. It's geo essentially knocks off the Salsa Fargo, but longer wheelbase and all aluminum.
But the gearing is not low enough for me. It's Deore, 11-51 in the rear, 1x 42t Bontrager crankset.
The Bontrager crankset looks for all the world like the Shimano Metrea, and specs exactly like it, except a tech rep at Diamant sent info that the Bontrager crankset is 110mm bcd. The Metrea is 96mm bcd.
Crank is 170mm. I'm 6'3 and really used to 175mm.
My ideal for this ride is 36t chainring. I want low if I'm bonking and can live with 36-11 high gear - not in a hurry.
What would you do to get gearing in a better range? It's a bit trick finding Shimano 4 arm asym narrow-wide rings in 36 or 38 in 110mm or 96mm bcd. Plus I don't know the actual bcd of the crank, so hard to do ahead of time. Probably I could find something in Vienna. The crank has a plastic chainguide/pants protector instead of a big ring so maybe a regular non-ramped replacement ring would be fine?
I can also buy a Deore crankset for under 50 euro with 32t narrow-wide ring. It should slide ride in to the existing Shimano threaded outer cup BB. This would get me 175mm crank arms and is remarkably affordable, but then 32-11 high gear and I'll do a lot of road riding.
As a tall rangey guy, am I going to miss 175mm cranks?
Thanks for advice, not sure which path to take ...
Quick background, bought a Diamant 136 "urban bike" from an Austrian dealer for one month of solo credit card touring in September. The bike will be waiting for me when I arrive. First destination the Alps, probably 15lbs of gear including food and water if I can restrain myself from over-packing.
I'm happy about the bike. It's geo essentially knocks off the Salsa Fargo, but longer wheelbase and all aluminum.
But the gearing is not low enough for me. It's Deore, 11-51 in the rear, 1x 42t Bontrager crankset.
The Bontrager crankset looks for all the world like the Shimano Metrea, and specs exactly like it, except a tech rep at Diamant sent info that the Bontrager crankset is 110mm bcd. The Metrea is 96mm bcd.
Crank is 170mm. I'm 6'3 and really used to 175mm.
My ideal for this ride is 36t chainring. I want low if I'm bonking and can live with 36-11 high gear - not in a hurry.
What would you do to get gearing in a better range? It's a bit trick finding Shimano 4 arm asym narrow-wide rings in 36 or 38 in 110mm or 96mm bcd. Plus I don't know the actual bcd of the crank, so hard to do ahead of time. Probably I could find something in Vienna. The crank has a plastic chainguide/pants protector instead of a big ring so maybe a regular non-ramped replacement ring would be fine?
I can also buy a Deore crankset for under 50 euro with 32t narrow-wide ring. It should slide ride in to the existing Shimano threaded outer cup BB. This would get me 175mm crank arms and is remarkably affordable, but then 32-11 high gear and I'll do a lot of road riding.
As a tall rangey guy, am I going to miss 175mm cranks?
Thanks for advice, not sure which path to take ...
07-22-22, 12:09 PM
#2
ignominious poltroon
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Get a mountain 1X crank (pretty much any quality manufacturer will work fine) with a 36T chainring, or get a front derailleur and a 2X. You can get them fairly cheap now because they aren't trendy.
eg: https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...s.php?id=70385
These are all 175mm and 180mm crankarms.
eg: https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...s.php?id=70385
These are all 175mm and 180mm crankarms.
07-22-22, 12:25 PM
#3
Still trying
Thread Starter
going 2x is out, too tricky to mod on the road, and 11-51 cassette is not right. But maybe a mountain crank is the way to go. Then I'd have 175mm crank arms.
Deore1x crankset, chainline is 52mm. The Metrea is 47mm chainline, and the bike is 135qr rear spacing (so need the same chainline at 142mm). I think I need around 49mm chainline at the widest to keep things shifting correctly? So use spacers to move the Deore crankset CR farther inboard? The bike does have long 470mm chainstays, which ought to help minimize less than optimal chainline issues.
Hmmm. Need to see if I can search up a 36t Shimano 4 arm asym 1x 96bcd chainring for not too much ....
Deore1x crankset, chainline is 52mm. The Metrea is 47mm chainline, and the bike is 135qr rear spacing (so need the same chainline at 142mm). I think I need around 49mm chainline at the widest to keep things shifting correctly? So use spacers to move the Deore crankset CR farther inboard? The bike does have long 470mm chainstays, which ought to help minimize less than optimal chainline issues.
Hmmm. Need to see if I can search up a 36t Shimano 4 arm asym 1x 96bcd chainring for not too much ....
07-22-22, 12:27 PM
#4
Still trying
Thread Starter
The XTR crankset you linked is certainly super nice and great price, maybe it could be made to work as 1x ...
07-22-22, 01:50 PM
#5
ignominious poltroon
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going 2x is out, too tricky to mod on the road, and 11-51 cassette is not right. But maybe a mountain crank is the way to go. Then I'd have 175mm crank arms.
Deore1x crankset, chainline is 52mm. The Metrea is 47mm chainline, and the bike is 135qr rear spacing (so need the same chainline at 142mm). I think I need around 49mm chainline at the widest to keep things shifting correctly? So use spacers to move the Deore crankset CR farther inboard? The bike does have long 470mm chainstays, which ought to help minimize less than optimal chainline issues.
Hmmm. Need to see if I can search up a 36t Shimano 4 arm asym 1x 96bcd chainring for not too much ....
Deore1x crankset, chainline is 52mm. The Metrea is 47mm chainline, and the bike is 135qr rear spacing (so need the same chainline at 142mm). I think I need around 49mm chainline at the widest to keep things shifting correctly? So use spacers to move the Deore crankset CR farther inboard? The bike does have long 470mm chainstays, which ought to help minimize less than optimal chainline issues.
Hmmm. Need to see if I can search up a 36t Shimano 4 arm asym 1x 96bcd chainring for not too much ....
Just get non-boost and it will be fine.
08-08-22, 10:29 AM
#6
Still trying
Thread Starter
thanks for the feedback.
Just to put a bow on this, I ended up getting an SLX non-boost crank, Deore BB, and a 36t aftermarket chainring. rest of drivetrain is Deore 11sp 11-51
34t would have been okay, and I don't at all mind the 17.5" MTB low gear that would have given for more relaxed hefting of light touring gear up fire roads in the Dolomites. But spent time noticing high end gear inches on my other bikes. I didn't really mind too much spinning out the +- 80 inch gear 34/11 would give me, although a slight PITA on downhill just not steep enough to roll. But what I realized is that riding in about a 90" gear I can comfortably get out of the saddle on flat ground and cruise for a couple of minutes. Not hammer, cruise comfortable to give my ass a break and change up body position. Lower than that and standing up and pedaling on flat is out.
So glad I picked 36t. 19 inch low gear is still in the tractor zone, and 90" lets me get up and stretch out, which I hadn't realized is quite important.
Just to put a bow on this, I ended up getting an SLX non-boost crank, Deore BB, and a 36t aftermarket chainring. rest of drivetrain is Deore 11sp 11-51
34t would have been okay, and I don't at all mind the 17.5" MTB low gear that would have given for more relaxed hefting of light touring gear up fire roads in the Dolomites. But spent time noticing high end gear inches on my other bikes. I didn't really mind too much spinning out the +- 80 inch gear 34/11 would give me, although a slight PITA on downhill just not steep enough to roll. But what I realized is that riding in about a 90" gear I can comfortably get out of the saddle on flat ground and cruise for a couple of minutes. Not hammer, cruise comfortable to give my ass a break and change up body position. Lower than that and standing up and pedaling on flat is out.
So glad I picked 36t. 19 inch low gear is still in the tractor zone, and 90" lets me get up and stretch out, which I hadn't realized is quite important.
