Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
  • Exciting What Chainring Do I Need? thread…..
  • stumpy01
    Full Member

    Just stuck a new chain on the Inbred expecting the cassette to skip (as the chain should have been changed a while back.
    The cassette seems fine – couldn’t get it to slip in the short ride up & down the road.

    BUT, you can’t pedal in the middle ring without it chainsucking really badly, so I obviously need a new middle ring…

    The crankset came off my 2010 Stumpy FSR (I swapped it out for an XT) and is described in the brochure as a “custom Shimano FC-M542 crankset”. Googling that has got me to a tech doc,
    http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/techdocs/content/cycle/EV/bikecomponents/FC/EV-FC-M542-2681A_v1_m56577569830708779.pdf

    but the part number for the chainring doesn’t bring anything up. There is an alternative part under FC-M532 which appears to be a Deore part number.
    Looking online it seems there are a few options that look like they’ll fit the bill, but I don’t want to get one & find that it’s almost right, but not quite.

    Any ideas? Ta…..

    DaveyBoyWonder
    Free Member

    Just looks like a boggo standard Deore type middle ring.

    stumpy01
    Full Member

    Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Just not sure what the difference in all the numbers mean/whether they are relevant…

    For example, would both these fit….?

    http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=38192

    http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=5699

    One pic is a 32t and the other is a 36t, but the tabs inboard the mounting holes on one of them seem to extend further than on the other one. I don’t want to get one & find it clashes with something on the rest of the crankset….

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    stumpy01
    Full Member

    Any more ideas before I order the wrong bit…..?

    Rickos
    Free Member

    Just buy any middle ring for the 104bcd in the size (teeth) you need. It will work.

    The mount tabs in the photos on those 2 links just show a smaller and larger ring. The mount holes don’t move but the outer of the ring will grow to accommodate more teeth. See?

    stumpy01
    Full Member

    The mount tabs in the photos on those 2 links just show a smaller and larger ring. The mount holes don’t move but the outer of the ring will grow to accommodate more teeth. See?

    Thanks for clearing that up. It always has had me confused how they fitted more teeth on.
    I can relax now & order one.

    My concern was that the mount tab on one of the rings protrudes further inboard than on the other ring. Knowing my luck, this will cause some kind of interference issue with the remaining rings. Guess I’ll just order one and if it’s wrong, blame you….. 😉 🙂

    bikewhisperer
    Free Member

    Go for the M510 one. There are some Shimano rings that have the inner tab extending more. Pointless irritation ensues when you have to get the dremmel out..

    stumpy01
    Full Member

    bikewhisperer – Member
    Go for the M510 one. There are some Shimano rings that have the inner tab extending more. Pointless irritation ensues when you have to get the dremmel out..

    Arrgghh! That’s exactly what I was concerned about – the tab extending too far inwards & interfering with something else on the crankset….
    Too late now, as I have ordered the M532 ring (that looks like it has the larger tabs) following Rickos’ somewhat sarcastic advice above…. 🙄
    Was going to go for the M510, but don’t seem to be in stock anywhere until early May.

    I don’t even own a Dremel…… 😐

    Rickos
    Free Member

    I wasn’t trying to be sarcy, I mis-understood your question. I suspect you’ll be fine though.

    z1ppy
    Full Member

    I don’t even own a Dremel……

    Do you own a file then? as filing has alway resolved the issue for me

    stumpy01
    Full Member

    Rickos – Member
    I wasn’t trying to be sarcy, I mis-understood your question. I suspect you’ll be fine though.

    Sorry. I thought you were taking the mick.

    Yeah, Zippy a file will do I s’pose 🙂

    perthmtb
    Free Member

    I’ve found out through bitter experience that a lot of people on here don’t realise that all 104BCD Shimano middle chainrings are not the same! Although the bolt holes are in the same place, Shimano have been playing about with the length of the arms over the last couple of years.

    Starting at the beginning – the M542 chainset is the same as the Deore M590 but with different surface finish. So, the M590 rings will fit perfectly, as will any of the other recent ones like M532, M572. The M510 will also fit, but it has shorter arms, as you rightly noticed, so there will be a small gap between the arms of the ring and the lugs on the crank arms they are supposed to sit on. The few quid saving by buying the M510 versus say the M532 is not worth it not properly fitting in my view.

    But, the ones to really watch out for are the new ‘composite’ middle rings (like come on the 10 speed deore’s or the 9 & 10 speed SLX and XT chainsets), which have longer arms on the middle ring, so won’t fit your M542 without either filing the ring arms shorter, or filing the lugs off the crank arms.

    However, I happen to really like the composite middle rings, as I find they give silky smoooooth shifting, with the durability of steel. So, I chose to file off the crank arm lugs on my M542 so I could fit an SLX M660-9 composite 32T ring. Works fine for bike path & commuting, although I probably wouldn’t do it on a true off roader.

    Which is all an exceedingly long way round of saying – you’ve done the right thing by ordering the M532!

    stumpy01
    Full Member

    Wow! Thanks. Awesome reply…

    Rickos
    Free Member

    Whoa! Sorry stumpy, I had no idea Shimano had faffed with their cranks in that way. Mind you, I’ve never bought Shimano rings aftermarket – Middleburn, Blackspire and Race Face have all fit fine on my old XT and new SLX cranks.

    stumpy01
    Full Member

    Rickos – Member
    Whoa! Sorry stumpy, I had no idea Shimano had faffed with their cranks in that way.

    No Worries – 😀

    I went online with the ‘simple’ task of getting a new chainring, but it didn’t really turn out that way. Not much chance of keeping up with ALL the different goings on with regards to bike bits….
    Now Cyclestore UK have e-mailed telling me that their supplier can’t get the ‘ring for 8 weeks. All the other usual suspects are out of stock of the M532 as well. Might just put the old chain back on & get on with it!!

    I dread to think of the palaver when I need a new BB for the carbon FSR, with it’s weird Spesh specific kinda standard, kinda not, push-fit jobbie.
    And then there’s the headset which is tapered on the frame, but the fork isn’t (as it came from the alloy frame they warrantied), so it has some kind of adaptor plate pushed into the lower cup……. 😯

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