| |
Main
Date: 04 Sep 2006 13:48:42
From: Stephen Harding
Subject: The Joys of Upgrade!
|
About three weeks ago, I upgraded a crankset on my 10 year old
Mongoose Threshold. I went for the Sugino crankset as
recommended by some here at about 25 bucks. Also found that
Shimano makes a Tourney crankset for around the same.
Although a mountain bike, I use this bike priily as a road
bike, either as a "rain bike" during the summer, or my priy
"ice bike" during the winter. Even on dirt it's pretty much a
road ride: no loose rocks, ruts, roots, single track stuff.
Since the bike has a 6 speed freewheel, and higher gearing is
getting increasingly hard to come by, with 14-24, 14-28 or
14-30 about all one can find, I decided I'd upgear the crankset
from its 46/36/24 to 48/38/28 (I think that's what it is).
Simple enough! Just select the right crank and order!
Ahh one could only wish!
The larger circumference 48 tooth ring no longer fits the
front derailleur. Curve is too tight. I tried moving it higher
but it's mounted on the inside on the undershift protector, not
on the frame. I attempted a few visits to the local hardware
store to attempt to rig something that would allow higher mounting
and although I modified a metal clip that would do so, it wasn't
really rigid enough to be reliable. Time for a new front derailleur.
Got the SRAM 3.0 which supports both bottom and top pull cabling (I
have bottom pull) and a couple sizes of tubing on which it mounts.
Seems I have 1 inch tubes rather than the other two (larger sizes).
It wouldn't fit. Too loose.
Back to the local hardware store. Bought a 1" or so plastic pipe,
cut one side of it and snapped it over the seat tube. Mounted the
derailleur on it and I was golden.
Besides top and bottom pull, did you know there is also a quality
called top or bottom *swing*? The old der. was top swing, meaning
it could be mounted lower on the tube. The SRAM der. was bottom
swing, meaning I had to mount it higher...just a bit out of reach
of my front shift cable ending!
Into the parts bin and a new cable fixed that.
The larger front ring means the rear derailleur was rather tight in
certain gear/ring combinations. It only supports a max of 24 teeth
back there. Since the rear der. was awfully "loose", I went back to
my parts bin and came up with another cheapo der. off a junk bike I
got some years ago. It was good up to 28 teeth, so I could use it
even with my 30 if I keep it off the large ring (which I should any
how due to the extreme cross angle of the chain line).
Some fiddling around to adjust the gears front and rear and on the
stand, it looked like the Mongoose was back! A little test ride
however revealed a skipping chain when in the 14. This is the gear
I rode most often as it was the highest gear I had (which was still
too low for road use). It had worn out ahead of the other cogs.
Back to the local LBS and a new 14-30 freewheel, and of course, the
special puller for removing it.
The axle however got in the way of the puller, so I had to remove
the axle to get freewheel access. The puller was a hair too large!
Perhaps the made in China specs were a bit off.
Some time on a grinder to bevel the edges of the puller, followed by
some hammering on and off of the puller and freewheel a few times
got it in far enough to gain grip. Mount puller in vice and twist
wheel and SCREAK! Off it came.
New freewheel spun on and I once again had all 6 rear gears and
three sets of rings functional!
So...in upgrading my $230 (original price) Mongoose, I spent $25 for
a new crankset, $16 for a new SRAM PC48 chain, $25 for a new 6 speed
freewheel, another $12 for the puller and $29 for a new SRAM front
derailleur. I got bonus points in having a spare shift cable and rear
derailleur available for use at no cost.
Given that I also just spent close to $30 on a new rear wheel for this
bike, I think when this drive line wears out, perhaps it will be cheaper
to just buy a new bike!
SMH
|
|
| |
Date: 06 Sep 2006 15:23:08
From: TonyKiz
Subject: Re: The Joys of Upgrade!
|
Shimano makes a very nice 7 speed freewheel in an 11-34 range -- very nice
and is compatible with the spacing of the 6 speed, so it slips right in. All
you will need is a rear derailleur and protective wheen ring to match the 34
cog. I've got the 11-34 on both my MTB and road bike and it's really nice to
have that large a range....
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/freewheels.html#7
"Stephen Harding" <smharding16@msn.com > wrote in message
news:_8WKg.3440$hV2.3360@trndny05...
> About three weeks ago, I upgraded a crankset on my 10 year old
> Mongoose Threshold. I went for the Sugino crankset as
> recommended by some here at about 25 bucks. Also found that
> Shimano makes a Tourney crankset for around the same.
>
> Although a mountain bike, I use this bike priily as a road
> bike, either as a "rain bike" during the summer, or my priy
> "ice bike" during the winter. Even on dirt it's pretty much a
> road ride: no loose rocks, ruts, roots, single track stuff.
>
> Since the bike has a 6 speed freewheel, and higher gearing is
> getting increasingly hard to come by, with 14-24, 14-28 or
> 14-30 about all one can find, I decided I'd upgear the crankset
> from its 46/36/24 to 48/38/28 (I think that's what it is).
> Simple enough! Just select the right crank and order!
>
> Ahh one could only wish!
>
> The larger circumference 48 tooth ring no longer fits the
> front derailleur. Curve is too tight. I tried moving it higher
> but it's mounted on the inside on the undershift protector, not
> on the frame. I attempted a few visits to the local hardware
> store to attempt to rig something that would allow higher mounting
> and although I modified a metal clip that would do so, it wasn't
> really rigid enough to be reliable. Time for a new front derailleur.
>
> Got the SRAM 3.0 which supports both bottom and top pull cabling (I
> have bottom pull) and a couple sizes of tubing on which it mounts.
>
> Seems I have 1 inch tubes rather than the other two (larger sizes).
> It wouldn't fit. Too loose.
>
> Back to the local hardware store. Bought a 1" or so plastic pipe,
> cut one side of it and snapped it over the seat tube. Mounted the
> derailleur on it and I was golden.
>
> Besides top and bottom pull, did you know there is also a quality
> called top or bottom *swing*? The old der. was top swing, meaning
> it could be mounted lower on the tube. The SRAM der. was bottom
> swing, meaning I had to mount it higher...just a bit out of reach
> of my front shift cable ending!
>
> Into the parts bin and a new cable fixed that.
>
> The larger front ring means the rear derailleur was rather tight in
> certain gear/ring combinations. It only supports a max of 24 teeth
> back there. Since the rear der. was awfully "loose", I went back to
> my parts bin and came up with another cheapo der. off a junk bike I
> got some years ago. It was good up to 28 teeth, so I could use it
> even with my 30 if I keep it off the large ring (which I should any
> how due to the extreme cross angle of the chain line).
>
> Some fiddling around to adjust the gears front and rear and on the
> stand, it looked like the Mongoose was back! A little test ride
> however revealed a skipping chain when in the 14. This is the gear
> I rode most often as it was the highest gear I had (which was still
> too low for road use). It had worn out ahead of the other cogs.
>
> Back to the local LBS and a new 14-30 freewheel, and of course, the
> special puller for removing it.
>
> The axle however got in the way of the puller, so I had to remove
> the axle to get freewheel access. The puller was a hair too large!
> Perhaps the made in China specs were a bit off.
>
> Some time on a grinder to bevel the edges of the puller, followed by
> some hammering on and off of the puller and freewheel a few times
> got it in far enough to gain grip. Mount puller in vice and twist
> wheel and SCREAK! Off it came.
>
> New freewheel spun on and I once again had all 6 rear gears and
> three sets of rings functional!
>
> So...in upgrading my $230 (original price) Mongoose, I spent $25 for
> a new crankset, $16 for a new SRAM PC48 chain, $25 for a new 6 speed
> freewheel, another $12 for the puller and $29 for a new SRAM front
> derailleur. I got bonus points in having a spare shift cable and rear
> derailleur available for use at no cost.
>
> Given that I also just spent close to $30 on a new rear wheel for this
> bike, I think when this drive line wears out, perhaps it will be cheaper
> to just buy a new bike!
>
>
> SMH
|
| | |
Date: 09 Sep 2006 11:31:46
From: Stephen Harding
Subject: Re: The Joys of Upgrade!
|
TonyKiz wrote:
> Shimano makes a very nice 7 speed freewheel in an 11-34 range -- very nice
> and is compatible with the spacing of the 6 speed, so it slips right in. All
> you will need is a rear derailleur and protective wheen ring to match the 34
> cog. I've got the 11-34 on both my MTB and road bike and it's really nice to
> have that large a range....
Sounds like a good option. Of course going with 7 speed means
a new shifter as well derailleur and freewheel.
Quite the range too, although for my purposes, on this particular
bike, a 34 if pretty much over-kill.
SMH
|
| |
Date: 04 Sep 2006 18:14:46
From: Bill Baka
Subject: Re: The Joys of Upgrade!
|
Stephen Harding wrote:
> About three weeks ago, I upgraded a crankset on my 10 year old
> Mongoose Threshold. I went for the Sugino crankset as
> recommended by some here at about 25 bucks. Also found that
> Shimano makes a Tourney crankset for around the same.
>
> Although a mountain bike, I use this bike priily as a road
> bike, either as a "rain bike" during the summer, or my priy
> "ice bike" during the winter. Even on dirt it's pretty much a
> road ride: no loose rocks, ruts, roots, single track stuff.
>
> Since the bike has a 6 speed freewheel, and higher gearing is
> getting increasingly hard to come by, with 14-24, 14-28 or
> 14-30 about all one can find, I decided I'd upgear the crankset
> from its 46/36/24 to 48/38/28 (I think that's what it is).
> Simple enough! Just select the right crank and order!
>
> Ahh one could only wish!
>
> The larger circumference 48 tooth ring no longer fits the
> front derailleur. Curve is too tight. I tried moving it higher
> but it's mounted on the inside on the undershift protector, not
> on the frame. I attempted a few visits to the local hardware
> store to attempt to rig something that would allow higher mounting
> and although I modified a metal clip that would do so, it wasn't
> really rigid enough to be reliable. Time for a new front derailleur.
>
> Got the SRAM 3.0 which supports both bottom and top pull cabling (I
> have bottom pull) and a couple sizes of tubing on which it mounts.
>
> Seems I have 1 inch tubes rather than the other two (larger sizes).
> It wouldn't fit. Too loose.
>
> Back to the local hardware store. Bought a 1" or so plastic pipe,
> cut one side of it and snapped it over the seat tube. Mounted the
> derailleur on it and I was golden.
>
> Besides top and bottom pull, did you know there is also a quality
> called top or bottom *swing*? The old der. was top swing, meaning
> it could be mounted lower on the tube. The SRAM der. was bottom
> swing, meaning I had to mount it higher...just a bit out of reach
> of my front shift cable ending!
>
> Into the parts bin and a new cable fixed that.
>
> The larger front ring means the rear derailleur was rather tight in
> certain gear/ring combinations. It only supports a max of 24 teeth
> back there. Since the rear der. was awfully "loose", I went back to
> my parts bin and came up with another cheapo der. off a junk bike I
> got some years ago. It was good up to 28 teeth, so I could use it
> even with my 30 if I keep it off the large ring (which I should any
> how due to the extreme cross angle of the chain line).
>
> Some fiddling around to adjust the gears front and rear and on the
> stand, it looked like the Mongoose was back! A little test ride
> however revealed a skipping chain when in the 14. This is the gear
> I rode most often as it was the highest gear I had (which was still
> too low for road use). It had worn out ahead of the other cogs.
>
> Back to the local LBS and a new 14-30 freewheel, and of course, the
> special puller for removing it.
>
> The axle however got in the way of the puller, so I had to remove
> the axle to get freewheel access. The puller was a hair too large!
> Perhaps the made in China specs were a bit off.
>
> Some time on a grinder to bevel the edges of the puller, followed by
> some hammering on and off of the puller and freewheel a few times
> got it in far enough to gain grip. Mount puller in vice and twist
> wheel and SCREAK! Off it came.
>
> New freewheel spun on and I once again had all 6 rear gears and
> three sets of rings functional!
>
> So...in upgrading my $230 (original price) Mongoose, I spent $25 for
> a new crankset, $16 for a new SRAM PC48 chain, $25 for a new 6 speed
> freewheel, another $12 for the puller and $29 for a new SRAM front
> derailleur. I got bonus points in having a spare shift cable and rear
> derailleur available for use at no cost.
>
> Given that I also just spent close to $30 on a new rear wheel for this
> bike, I think when this drive line wears out, perhaps it will be cheaper
> to just buy a new bike!
>
>
> SMH
That sounds like what I did to all 3 of my mountain bikes. First, I only
bought ones with the square type bottom bracket so I could use a puller
to get the original, cheap, cranks off. The newer ones from China are
increasingly going to e-cheapo one piece cranks, so even if I see a free
bike at a garage sale with that setup I won't take it.
My next step was to go on a buying binge on E-bay and buy all the higher
quality crank sets I could find. Some were described wrong but I did
manage to get 5 with individually changeable chain rings. I have one
that has a 20 tooth granny and can take a 58 tooth top gear ring that I
got from E-bay. The problem is that the front de won't handle the spread
and the rear de runs out of room and locks up if I go to more that 15
teeth on the rear.
I also got lucky and found a MTB rear with a 7 speed
11-13-15-18-21-24-28 combo. I tried the 58/11 once and found that it was
impractical for me to ride, being way too high for me to pull on
anything but a descent. Also with that 58 tooth the 20 tooth granny was
out of reach. Now it hangs as a memento in my garage. Having an 11 tooth
on the rear of a mountain bike does make it a lot easier to apply power
with a good tailwind or a descent but it lowers my cadence a bit too
much for general riding. It comes in handy when I can find a muni bus or
large truck to draft, but that's about it.
Moral of this story....You can find almost anything on E-bay if you
look. I can now set up almost any combination of chain rings I want.
Bill Baka
|
| | |
Date: 05 Sep 2006 21:24:54
From: Michael Warner
Subject: Re: The Joys of Upgrade!
|
On Mon, 04 Sep 2006 18:14:46 GMT, Bill Baka wrote:
> My next step was to go on a buying binge on E-bay and buy all the higher
> quality crank sets I could find.
Don't be so modest, Bill.
I bet you actually located the cave in deepest Africa that they were all
hidden in using an ancient map which you found in a dusty Chinese gift
shop, slew the dragon guarding them single-handed and escaped
terrible booby traps and massive falling pillars to bring them out of the
cave and back to civilization.
--
Home page: http://members.westnet.com.au/mvw
|
| | | |
Date: 05 Sep 2006 18:44:46
From: Bill Baka
Subject: Re: The Joys of Upgrade!
|
Michael Warner wrote:
> On Mon, 04 Sep 2006 18:14:46 GMT, Bill Baka wrote:
>
>> My next step was to go on a buying binge on E-bay and buy all the higher
>> quality crank sets I could find.
>
> Don't be so modest, Bill.
>
> I bet you actually located the cave in deepest Africa that they were all
> hidden in using an ancient map which you found in a dusty Chinese gift
> shop, slew the dragon guarding them single-handed and escaped
> terrible booby traps and massive falling pillars to bring them out of the
> cave and back to civilization.
>
Yeah,
I would have done that for some action since E-bay is basically boring,
but, damn, I didn't have the map you refer to.
Yawn,
Bill Baka
|
| | | |
Date: 05 Sep 2006 14:59:20
From: R Brickston
Subject: Re: The Joys of Upgrade!
|
On Tue, 5 Sep 2006 21:24:54 +0930, Michael Warner <see@homepage.com >
wrote:
>On Mon, 04 Sep 2006 18:14:46 GMT, Bill Baka wrote:
>
>> My next step was to go on a buying binge on E-bay and buy all the higher
>> quality crank sets I could find.
>
>Don't be so modest, Bill.
>
>I bet you actually located the cave in deepest Africa that they were all
>hidden in using an ancient map which you found in a dusty Chinese gift
>shop, slew the dragon guarding them single-handed and escaped
>terrible booby traps and massive falling pillars to bring them out of the
>cave and back to civilization.
...and that was on his off day.
|
| | | | |
Date: 05 Sep 2006 18:48:33
From: Bill Baka
Subject: Re: The Joys of Upgrade!
|
R Brickston wrote:
> On Tue, 5 Sep 2006 21:24:54 +0930, Michael Warner <see@homepage.com>
> wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 04 Sep 2006 18:14:46 GMT, Bill Baka wrote:
>>
>>> My next step was to go on a buying binge on E-bay and buy all the higher
>>> quality crank sets I could find.
>> Don't be so modest, Bill.
>>
>> I bet you actually located the cave in deepest Africa that they were all
>> hidden in using an ancient map which you found in a dusty Chinese gift
>> shop, slew the dragon guarding them single-handed and escaped
>> terrible booby traps and massive falling pillars to bring them out of the
>> cave and back to civilization.
>
> ...and that was on his off day.
And with one hand tied behind my back.
I have been inside an old mine when the exit caved in and I had to do
some digging to get out, but those have all been blasted shut long ago
for just that reason.
True story, but sorry guys, I used a car to get there.
Bill Baka
|
|
