[Closed] MTB Chainset to Road race

Yes, however you'll need to experiment with the BB axle length to make sure that you have adequate chainstay clearance.

If you have a 68mm BB shell you may get away with it, but you may foul the chainstays with the inner ring.

Do you actually want bigger than a 44, or do you just not use the granny? You could fit larger rings to what you've got, or you could buy a Deore or XT with 26/36/48 rings.

Yeah you can just take off the granny ring and adjust the front mech.

Get a Middleburn duo?

That wouldn't give bigger rings though, just 2 with a more usable spread than 32/44, hence asking if the issue was not using the granny or wanting bigger than 44.

Careful aP, a road/CX chainset [b]will not[/b] fit an MTB with a 73mm shell, the axle will be too short as all road bikes are 68mm shells.

Why not just get a bigger big ring? 46t or 48 are fairly easy to find. Save spending out on new crankarms and possibly BBs.

tbh, if you need more than 44 teeth you shouldn't be on an mtb anyway - get yourself a cross bike 🙂

Is it worth the bother to save the weight of the granny? You might appreciate it if you travel.. though you may just be considerably tougher than me 🙂

I switched to a compact on road as the shifting/chainline on a triple was irritating, could never get it to settle down for some reason, but I've never felt the urge on the mtb even though I probably could ride everything around here on a 40/28 in most weather

I never used the granny and found the big ring a bit big for most riding, so a double (40/28 incidentally) was a very good compromise! Not for everyone, but I personally don't find a 22t much use at all!

I'm the same as njee, I've never even marked the paint on a 22 ring so I got a Sram XX in 28/42, however for he way I use the bike I find the 28 a litle small and the 42 a little big most of the time for my use, I'd ideally have 30/40. I've just put a single 36 with chainguard on my trail bike to see what the fuss is about.

It wont fit, not without a really long BB, so your looking at pre hollowtech models so your not saving (much) weight. Stick with normal cranks and adjust the chainring sizes, although you'd need legs like Hoy to push >48t off road. Downhill you'd be faster pumping/braking more effectively, note 38t is considdered big in downhill, I went for 26-38 with a 11-32 cassette, which gives a usefull climbing an decending gears. Think of it more as high and low arange in a landrover than as 18 seperate gears.

It wont fit, not without a really long BB, so your looking at pre hollowtech models so your not saving (much) weight

Like I said, if the MTB has a 68mm shell it [i]may [/i]fit, the risk is clearance between the big ring and the chainstay. It's not as clear cut as will/won't, unless it has a 73mm shell, when it won't!

A friend used to run an Ultegra SL compact on a Yeti ASR, and Nico Vouilloz ran a Dura Ace 7800 on his 4x bike.

As an aside... Hollowtech simply refers to the hollow construction of cranks, which is unrelated to BB fittings, you mean HT2, which refers to the outboard bearing systems, although confusingly some cranks are technically not Hollowtech, whilst being Hollowtech 2.

You may find the arms aren't wide enough to clear the chainstays .. when I ran a road C/S on an MTB the arms ONLY JUST cleared .. but would rub under pressure - so every week I had to apply new gaffer tape to the frame to avoid the metal being worn through :S

njee - I did say he'd have to be careful to check that there was clearance - anyway I haven't used any shimano chainsets since 1992 and the Deore DX square taper 48/38/28 chainset I had on my Clockwork Orange.
I'm sure it would be possible with a TA crankset and square taper bottom bracket.

If we're not talking about integrated BBs then it'll be absolutely fine with the correct BB as you said, but that really would be pointless, and these days one assumes that we are talking integrated BBs.

Why on earth would the OP want such high gears anyway? Could try increasing cadence.. it's free, and effective 🙂

I am not trying to save weight.
And I dont want cyclo xc bike either.

I would like to just increase the number of teeth on the big ring from 44 teeth to what ever would work with the front mech.
My bottom bracket is a 68x118 and the chainset is a deore octolink but that could be changed if need be.
I live on the Somerset levels and most of the riding I do is along droves and road so I do much hill climbing and what I do do I dont need the granny ring as I mostly climb in the middle ring and 3/4

Stick a 48/36/26 ring combination on your bike, all your existing kit should work fine and you get higher gearing.

Probably cheaper to buy a new Deore HT2 chainset with 26/36/48 frankly.

Why can't you leave it as it is?

Just curious - not having a go.

I still don't see the point. Are you saying you spin out a 44x11, which to my mind is fast considering it's flat. 26/36/48 is probably the cheapest way to go if you want bigger gears, but a 48 is a big chainring on a mountain bike and you may not get chainstay clearance and you'll have less ground clearance.

The gearing is fine mostly but sometimes when swmbo's daughter comes out with us cycling I cant get her off my back tyre no matter how hard I spin and I end up spinning out.
My thigh's are ending up like tree trunks and my calves are so big I cant do up the zip up my motorbike leathers.
I know I am not going to manage a 48 for very long on the road but I just want an edge.
Personally I feel she should join a roadie team cept she says she would not cycle if she were given the choice.