Mhiniker

Just posting these here to get the community thoughts and opinions.

I have a recumbent tadpole trike and was regularly having issues with the shifting. As of right now, I have adjusted my limiter screws on the front so that I can only use the second or third Chainrings. The thinking or reasoning for this is the same as people changing to a single or double crankset. Less chain issues with small to small or big to big or just ugly cross chaining!

Just wondering if there is anything to be aware of with having it limited as I do. As I sit here and type and go over it in my head, I'm understanding better why I might eventually go to a double or even a single crankset, less issues with where the chain sits between the crankset and the cassette.

cxwrench

Terminology. Yours is lacking.

well biked

When explaining a multi-chainring drivetrain to customers at my shop, I always stress that they look at the drivetrain as having a low range, middle range, and high range (or just a low range and high range in the case of a double crank), and that the individual gears are in the rear. I explain to them that (as an example), instead of thinking in terms of a "thirty speed" (in the case of a bike with three chainrings and ten gears in the rear), think of that as a ten speed with three ranges, with much less than thirty combinations that are practical or ideal because of cross chaining, and the crossing over of gear ratios between the three "ranges" when paired with the gears in the rear. I always do this as we look down on the drivetrain of the bike, showing them visually what the chain is doing as various combinations are used. It almost always ends up as a "light bulb" moment for folks who never really understood this before.

In your case, it simply sounds like you have figured out that you can eliminate the low range with a limit screw adjustment, and that you have found that you simply don't need that low range. Nothing wrong with that, if that works for you, and there are no mechanical concerns, if that is what you are asking.

Mhiniker

Thanks for the simple answer Biked Well. Without the 1st chainring I'm only going to lose three of the smallest gear ratios, so I'll keep it as is for now.

My recumbent tadpole is now a 2x10