Hard to get parts

[fossyant]

have you looked at superstar components, they seem to have lots of chain rings of different BCD for road and MTB

https://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/shop/mountain/mountain-drivetrain/

They have indeed. Just spotted the 120BCD's but they are 36/38 - 24-25. SRAM on mine is 42/28 but I could drop the top end speed, and slightly lower climbing gear wouldn't be an issue, and they are half the price of SRAM....

Thanks

 

[jowwy]

They have indeed. Just spotted the 120BCD's but they are 36/38 - 24-25. SRAM on mine is 42/28 but I could drop the top end speed, and slightly lower climbing gear wouldn't be an issue, and they are half the price of SRAM....

Thanks

No probs - the rings are good quality, i have a fair few of them in the spare box from bikes i have built in the past and tried different size rings on.....

glad to be of help

 

[fossyant]

No probs - the rings are good quality, i have a fair few of them in the spare box from bikes i have built in the past and tried different size rings on.....

glad to be of help

I'm just abit sad, the SRAM ones look like this:-

https://www.bikester.co.uk/sram-mtb...TMvZRAJP-QYROTyvRgRhM2HzHMi2BnahoC_r8QAvD_BwE

I like the machined silver bit !

 

[jowwy]

I'm just abit sad, the SRAM ones look like this:-

https://www.bikester.co.uk/sram-mtb...TMvZRAJP-QYROTyvRgRhM2HzHMi2BnahoC_r8QAvD_BwE

I like the machined silver bit !

dont like the black or just the look of the ring itself??

 

[fossyant]

dont like the black or just the look of the ring itself??

The bike came with all black, the machined silver ones just look "flash". Seems SRAM wan't everyone to move on all the time - a big downside of owning a MTB is the constant changing of standards. TA do the larger ring too, but there is usually not much stock. At least with 'single ring' set ups now it's 'direct mount' chain rings, which gives you a huge choise. They have just moved the cost to the horrendously expensive cassettes.


At least with road derived chainsets they are 110 or 130 BCD and 4/5 arm, although it's getting worse with the 4 arm rings now.

 

[jowwy]

The bike came with all black, the machined silver ones just look "flash". Seems SRAM wan't everyone to move on all the time - a big downside of owning a MTB is the constant changing of standards. TA do the larger ring too, but there is usually not much stock. At least with 'single ring' set ups now it's 'direct mount' chain rings, which gives you a huge choise. They have just moved the cost to the horrendously expensive cassettes.


At least with road derived chainsets they are 110 or 130 BCD and 4/5 arm, although it's getting worse with the 4 arm rings now.

yeh im not a fan of two tone rings in that ilk tbh.....although i have used coloured ones in the past to add some bling to the Ti, i have mainly used black when building my bikes ( i do have a pull towards anodised red though)

 

[bonzobanana]

+1 to this - taught my lesson with a dale with good but troublsome front suspension, and a Dahon Speed Pro folding sports bike.

Now all my bikes are simple, nothing above nine speed. many bits interchangeable.

I know Dahons can be problematic because they love changing designs all the time. I've seen forum postings where bikes have just had to be scrapped as hinge parts weren't available or they were so expensive it just didn't seem worthwhile to spend that on a frame that was probably heavily fatigued with age. Dahon use so many different factories too. When Tern had all the huge product recalls for all the failing frames many of the documents showed they were using different factories for the same model and it was mainly an issue with one factory. I only mentioned as Tern and Dahon have strong family connections and both companies seem to operate in a similar way. I have one of the early Dahon designs which is rebranded as a Bickerton. That bike is utterly proprietary I must admit and goes against all the advice I give to other people but its just in storage as a curiosity really.

 

[fossyant]

There are a lot of silly standards. I actually picked the Boardman Full suspension over the hard tail, at the time, as the FS had a more 'standard' chainset. The HT had a FSA chainset with 3 arms ! But, SRAM soon changed the spec again. 104 BCD is more common than 120 !

There are supply issues for 12 speed SRAM rear mechs and that's 'in-production' parts.

 

[avecReynolds531]

After decades of Campagnolo ergolevers on road bikes, and Shimano (not so rapid-fire) indexed gearing for flat bars, I'm planning to ditch indexing on the bike, and return to friction derailleur gear changes: for the simplicity, durability, control, and resistance to manufacturers continually changing or phasing out their products.

Flat handlebars mean searching out second-hand or new thumb shifters. There's also the choice of using Paul or Velo Orange thumb shifter mounts & separate levers such as the Rivendell's Silver or Gran Comp ENE.

Shops such as Fresh Tripe, Spa and SJS Cycles, Velo Duo, and Velo Vitality* have been great for sourcing different, difficult to find, or unusual parts for bikes.

Likewise, our old steel frames with 135mm spacing, decent clearances (40mm tyres with mudguards), all external cabling, and standard bb, hopefully keep things easier for future changes/ obsolescence. Triple chainsets, 8-speed cassettes & derailleurs might not be around so long, but let's hope so.

* We don't have any links to these bike businesses, only as happy customers.

 

[fossyant]

Now't wrong with indexing. I've had Zero issues with my 7 speed Shimano MTB STI's - first set failed just after I bought the bike, just in time for riding Snowdon, but the replacement shifter has been in regular use for getting on 30 years. I don't think road STI is quite as reliable.

Even as someone who doesn't change bikes often, I've got 2 different BB standards on my four bikes, and MrsF's bikes are both different ! I suppose it keeps people in jobs...

That said, I've just ordered some bearings as service parts for my Full suspension MTB. Spare headset lower bearing (I drowned and managed to save a new one that was fitted in July - but I doubt it will last that long), a spare non-drive side BB bearing and a couple of spare hub bearings. I do like cartridge bearings as they are so easy to replace. The bike got submerged again just before New Year (deep stream crossing).

 

[Ming the Merciless]

After decades of Campagnolo ergolevers on road bikes, and Shimano (not so rapid-fire) indexed gearing for flat bars, I'm planning to ditch indexing on the bike, and return to friction derailleur gear changes: for the simplicity, durability, control, and resistance to manufacturers continually changing or phasing out their products.

Flat handlebars mean searching out second-hand or new thumb shifters. There's also the choice of using Paul or Velo Orange thumb shifter mounts & separate levers such as the Rivendell's Silver or Gran Comp ENE.

Shops such as Fresh Tripe, Spa and SJS Cycles, Velo Duo, and Velo Vitality* have been great for sourcing different, difficult to find, or unusual parts for bikes.

Likewise, our old steel frames with 135mm spacing, decent clearances (40mm tyres with mudguards), all external cabling, and standard bb, hopefully keep things easier for future changes/ obsolescence. Triple chainsets, 8-speed cassettes & derailleurs might not be around so long, but let's hope so.

* We don't have any links to these bike businesses, only as happy customers.

You can also get friction index shifters mounted either side of the stem.