ChrisEyles
Guru
- Location
- Devon
My "new" Marin full susser is going to need the drivetrain replacing sometime in the near-ish future, and I'm pondering whether to look for a nice retro triple crankset, or to keep the current cranks and go to a single chainring on the front. The front shifter is currently broken so I'm riding it as a 1x8 in any case and getting on with it quite nicely (32t front and 11-30t rear... when I replace the cassette I'll go 11-34 if I opt for a 1x setup).
Has anyone done the same to a vintage MTB on here? If anyone can help out with any of the following questions I'd be very grateful!
1) Is it possible to simply unbolt the chainrings from my crank, ditch the outer and inner rings, and re-attatch the middle? I've read that you "need" shorter chainring bolts, but I'm guessing it should be possible to simply file the current ones a little shorter? (Also my crankset is cheap, so the middle and inner rings are riveted together - but that's what hacksaws are for
)
2) Would I need to get hold of a SS specific chainring, or will the middle ring of a triple (ie with shifting ramps) be OK? Would prefer the latter as I can get one for £3 on ebay! I guess a 9 speed chainring should work fine with an 8 speed chain and sprockets?
3) Would I need a chain guide and/or bash ring to keep the chain on the ring? Could I just use the FD locked into place with the limit screws as a chain guide? I guess shortening the chain would also help a little.
In some ways it would be nice to stick a full STX drivetrain on (I already have a spare front and rear mech for this) and do it up as a nice retro ride. On the other hand it would be quite nice to only spend £3 to fix the crankset and front shifter!
Has anyone done the same to a vintage MTB on here? If anyone can help out with any of the following questions I'd be very grateful!
1) Is it possible to simply unbolt the chainrings from my crank, ditch the outer and inner rings, and re-attatch the middle? I've read that you "need" shorter chainring bolts, but I'm guessing it should be possible to simply file the current ones a little shorter? (Also my crankset is cheap, so the middle and inner rings are riveted together - but that's what hacksaws are for
)2) Would I need to get hold of a SS specific chainring, or will the middle ring of a triple (ie with shifting ramps) be OK? Would prefer the latter as I can get one for £3 on ebay! I guess a 9 speed chainring should work fine with an 8 speed chain and sprockets?
3) Would I need a chain guide and/or bash ring to keep the chain on the ring? Could I just use the FD locked into place with the limit screws as a chain guide? I guess shortening the chain would also help a little.
In some ways it would be nice to stick a full STX drivetrain on (I already have a spare front and rear mech for this) and do it up as a nice retro ride. On the other hand it would be quite nice to only spend £3 to fix the crankset and front shifter!