[Closed] Going "one by" on the cheap.

My bodge technique merely involved whipping off the big and granny rings, changing the bolts to shorter ones and taking a few links out of the chain.

Dropped the chain maybe once or twice in the year of riding twice a week that followed.

I've found, and am still running, a SRAM rear mech and a deep tooth SS front chain ring like a Renthal or Hope on a 9 speed. I use this with and N Gear "thingy".

Maybe just go with a single ring chainguide?

I ran 1x9 just by sticking a cassette/mech/shifter onto my SS bike, along with a cheap BB-mounted tensioner (a Blackspire Stinger). The tensioner did away with the need for a narrow-wide chainring or a clutch mech, though I did have a SS-specific chainring which will have helped with retention.

IIRC a clutch mech should work OK with a std chainring, yes?

But clutch mechs only exist in 10s yes? (I am on 8, so would need new mech and shifters)

How does a NW chainring work with a std mech?

You could always bodge a simple chain tensioner per the mid 90s
[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=56981 [/img]

FWIW, I have a 36T NW to sell fairly cheap if you want...

I'd not run without a chainguide for the puffer Al- it's a race, you don't want to be losing time putting on a chain every half mile. Without a chainguide while a narrow wide will be an improvement on a standard chainring if the chain does come off it won't go back on without manual intervention. A chainguide will just haul the chain back up onto the ring and you carry on without any change.

There is a caveat for that of making sure the chainguide is decent- it works with MRP and e13 ones but not Superstar ones. If you already have a triple just use that. The puffer is one race where I'd happily using more gears up front rather than less.

FWIW I had no issues with my SSC chainguide either...

Cheers all, this is a separate Q to any Puffer thread...

...I've not had issues dropping chains in the past in XC racing with a triple, has anything changed?

You have a chain device when you're using a triple - the front mech.

Hi Al,

I've been running an old-school 3 x 9 steel hardtail for many years and finally decided to make some changes.

I bought a superstar N/W 32T chainring and put that on up front. I did nothing else, same (non-clutch) mech, same length chain.

It works although I do find that I drop the chain perhaps once per ride. I can cope with this TBH.

Saved over 500g of weight too.

[img] [/img]

I have a e13 trs bb mounted chain device you can have cheap. Cheapest way IMO.

I did what MTB idle did. Popped on a NW ring and changed nothing else (other than loosing 2 rings,front mech and shifter) Lost the chain once a ride on the fast rooty bit of my local loop. Fitted a bashguard (Hope) and not lost the chain since.
The caveat being this is used for riding with the kids and severe mincing.

Depends on a definition of cheap. For ~£100 I got a RF N/W ring, SLX chain, cassette, clutch mech and Zee shifter.

Thats been on my main bike for just over a year now, not dropped the chain once and has been ultra reliable. For £100, I'd say that was cheap.

In the past I've done the 'cheap' options above and the only one that was anywhere near as reliable was running some kind of chainguide, even if it was just a ten quid superstar one. Running without it, even with a proper SS ring and non-clutch mech I was losing my chain a few times each ride. It just became a pain in the arse.

I'm back on this. Reckon I can drill a 74mm BCD 30T ring to 104.

But how big will my 8s SGS cage go for the big sprocket at the back?

You can increase the cage tension on shimano rear mechs (some older already have 2 positions) by drilling a second hole for the spring further round.You need 3 hands to put the bugger back together again though.I've been using an xt mech and non narrow/wide ring (with a dog fang) for 3 years on the cx bike and have only dropped the chain once.

a 30t chainring will require a bit of faffing otherwise the chain will probably hit the arms on the crank.
[img] [/img]
most commercial ones get around this by spacing it off the crank tabs and having threaded holes. the would typiclly have a 48mm chainline instead of a 50/52.
this means your chainguide has to move a wee bit to avoid rubbing.

you might be able to just file a bit off the corner of the tabs on the crank with luck

out the back if you are feeling in a fettling mood you can use one of these range
extender adaptors with an old chainring 😉

[img] [/img]

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/40-42-homebrew-adaptor-1250

I put a 30 tooth narrow wide blackspire ring on my k monkey on Monday. with a new deore cassette and chain.
dropped the chain twice and snapped it yesterday morning on the way in.
I sold it (chainring) yesterday, and put the deore 32 ring back on, it performed faultlessly on my way home and back in this morning.

iffoverlord cheers - I am thinking of one of your adaptors but you have no email addy in your profile so I can't contact you.

ton - Member

I put a 30 tooth narrow wide blackspire ring on my k monkey on Monday. with a new deore cassette and chain.
dropped the chain twice and snapped it yesterday morning on the way in.
I sold it (chainring) yesterday, and put the deore 32 ring back on, it performed faultlessly on my way home and back in this morning.

Who fitted the chain? That's the most likely cause of the break.

Otherwise...classic small sample size story that is pretty meaningless.

Have you already done the spring mod to the shimano rear derailleur?
I did that and removed a couple of links from my chain when I went 1x10 on the cx race bike with a 38t NW.

ah here's a thought, if you stay on 8sp you may be able to use a 10sp clutch mech if the pull ratios are enough of a match - my kona ute has an 8speed with an SLX shadow mech on the back of it....

try googling the Harris Cyclery pages, I think they have a fair bit on compatibility between kit

Who fitted the chain? That's the most likely cause of the break.

Otherwise...classic small sample size story that is pretty meaningless.

me.

and what does that 2nd part even mean.

I've been running an old-school 3 x 9 steel hardtail for many years and finally decided to make some changes.

I bought a superstar N/W 32T chainring and put that on up front. I did nothing else, same (non-clutch) mech, same length chain.

It works although I do find that I drop the chain perhaps once per ride. I can cope with this TBH.

Once per ride is pretty often! If you shorten the chain (seeing as you don't need to get around the big ring now) that should make a useful difference.

@cynic-al YGM

SRAM 8/9 speed shifter required for Shimano 10 speed mechs

@edhornby

are you using a 8 speed cassette with an 8 speed shifter on the SLX 10 speed mech?
interesting 🙂

I have a mate who uses a Hope 40t with his 9 speed cassette, mech and shifters and does fine.

edhornby - Member

ah here's a thought, if you stay on 8sp you may be able to use a 10sp clutch mech if the pull ratios are enough of a match

My memory is 10s has twice the cable pull?

ton - Member

Who fitted the chain? That's the most likely cause of the break.

Otherwise...classic small sample size story that is pretty meaningless.

me.

and what does that 2nd part even mean.

It means if you are saying that NW chainrings break and drop chains (I don't see what else your post is meant to say) then you should be testing that theory by having a decent number (sample size) of bikes, riders, miles to see how often it happens. You have 1 bike, 1 rider, 1 ride - a sample size of 1.

It's like riding a shimano chain once, breaking it, then riding a sram chain once and not breaking it and saying "all shimano chains break and all sram ones don't".

i think there is about 0.4 mm difference in the spacing of a 9 and 10 sp cassette
so the shift will still be good,

the shifting ramps may not line up but I have found it makes only a small difference usually.

see what you mean.
tho I don't blame any of the stuff. the 30 tooth ring was very near the spider tho. I think it may have been the cause. possibly too small.

Groovy. So can anyone answer this?

cynic-al - Member

But how big will my 8s SGS cage go for the big sprocket at the back?

hard to say, what model is it.

a lot of older ones were ok for around 34t but you might just have to try your luck

I understand people are using mechs on bigger cogs than designed for with longer B screws (and cages) and I just wondered what a say Deore or LX 9s mech (prob rated to 32 or 34?) would go to as I would like to run 42.