Buying Individual Chainrings

[Hover Fly]

I'd forgotten what they were called, along with the steel Williams C34 and "clanger", the seat tube front changer.

They don't make bikes like that anymore.

Thank god.

 

[T4tomo]

No point nowadays, but one of my early bikes had a double with 3 teeth difference. Something like a 52/49.

On the rear was a 5 speed block in 2 tooth jumps. 14,16,18,20,22

The idea being that you could go/up down at the rear and on the big ring and when you felt that you needed something in between, just move to the smaller of the chain rings. The three tooth difference gave a ratio mid way between the sprockets.

Presumably that was from the hey day of time trialling, where exactly the right ratio on a flattish course was pretty key.

 

[Sharky]

Presumably that was from the hey day of time trialling, where exactly the right ratio on a flattish course was pretty key.

Yep, my dad helped me set up that first bike. He was racing just before the war and until 1954. It was mostly fixed in the days, but gears were starting to appear. Front changers were not very good and were operated by a rod on the seat tube. When I started TT'S in the late 60's it was nearly all gears and I had advanced to a 52/42, with a 5 speed 14-18 block.