fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
You may have to buy a new bottom bracket, even is changing from square taper to square taper as axel lengths can vary between chainsets.
Oh why oh why did I bother with this bike...
- Thread starter GoatBeard
- Start date
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Bit in the middle: should fit your current style of bottom bracket interface. Square taper and numerous other styles.
Bit around the edge with teeth. Chain rings come in many tooth count combinations. Unless you want to change gear ratios, stick with what you have.
Bit inbetween. The chainring bolts are setup in a diameter to match chainring with cranks. Pick a common standard such as found on Shimano.
Bit that sticks out. The crank arm comes in a small selection of sizes, all of them variants if medium. 170 and 175mm are coming. Unless you want a change, stick with what you have.
Materials. Aluminium cold forged cranks are best. Melt forged is cheapest. Rings come in 2 grades, normal and tough Aluminium alloys. Exotic materials are available at a price but little advantage for normal riders.
Shimano cranks are hard to beat for quality and price down at the low end.
Bit around the edge with teeth. Chain rings come in many tooth count combinations. Unless you want to change gear ratios, stick with what you have.
Bit inbetween. The chainring bolts are setup in a diameter to match chainring with cranks. Pick a common standard such as found on Shimano.
Bit that sticks out. The crank arm comes in a small selection of sizes, all of them variants if medium. 170 and 175mm are coming. Unless you want a change, stick with what you have.
Materials. Aluminium cold forged cranks are best. Melt forged is cheapest. Rings come in 2 grades, normal and tough Aluminium alloys. Exotic materials are available at a price but little advantage for normal riders.
Shimano cranks are hard to beat for quality and price down at the low end.
vickster
Legendary Member
Most cranksets sold are 175mm., which appears to be the industry 'standard' regardless of the size of bike they're fitted to. Sounds odd, but 170mm are probably best for those of us who aren't either vertically challenged in either direction - ! I switched to 170mm several years ago and get on much better with them.
Cycleops
Legendary Member
- Location
- Accra, Ghana
I think your existing is a triple? In which case you’ll have an extra ‘click’ on your shifter but I think if you set cable tension so that the shift to the outer chainring corresponds to the same on the shifter you should be okay.
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Would this work? I know it's marketed as for a roadbike...
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/chainsets/alloy-compact-double-square-taper-chainset-5034t-165mm/
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/chainsets/alloy-compact-double-square-taper-chainset-5034t-165mm/
vickster
Legendary Member
Do you have a triple or double, and how many speeds? and do you want to stick with the same? Also 165mm are shortish cranks, which might be a consideration
What's the reason for wanting to change the crank set/rings etc? In all the years I've been cycling, I've never changed a crankset/rings because they are worn. I've changed many for different reasons - weight, number of teeth etc, but never because they were worn. Rings have always lasted until the bike was replaced.
Sorry it's a double at the moment, 8 speed. Quite happy sticking with doubles never been a fan of triples. Yes I'd get the 170mm version (me, 5'8ish)
Basically, the rings (in fact the whole assembly) looks out of true. There's a distinct wobble when you spin the crank on both rings. It's not enough to straighten out with a screw driver or spanner but it is enough to make the rear mech noisy and nasty and also rub the cage. The BB looks fine however, there's no play going on.
vickster
Legendary Member
You’ve linked the 165
PpPete
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chandler's Ford
The SJS one has steel chainrings, whereas the Spa ones are aluminium. Steel is heavier, but potentially longer lasting.
Apart from that - perfectly fine.
I'd definitely get a Shimano UN55 bottom bracket to go with it - they last ages.
Apart from that - perfectly fine.
I'd definitely get a Shimano UN55 bottom bracket to go with it - they last ages.
vickster
Legendary Member
Every bike I’ve ever bought has been fitted with 172.5, no issue for me being fairly tall with long legs. Every bike I have specced myself has 172.5 too
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
In case other people come looking here, a crankset is the cranks and a chainset is the cranks and chainrings combined.
I suggest this assertion is not true. Please quote your source. The 'industry' fits cranks at 170/172.5/175mm depending, to an extent on the size of the frame.
Just do what other helpful posters have suggested on your other thread (linked to by @vickster ) above: buy a ST compact (50-34) 170mm ST chainset at Spa Cycles (this one: https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m8b0s109p45/STRONGLIGHT-Impact-Double ) (@PpPete
) and one of their BBs (correct spindle length) at the same time. Your current BB is probably suffering from neglect anyway so a replacement would be cheap (£20) and sensible (anyway).Don't get fixated on a 52t ring. If you want a longer gear, procure a cassette with an 11t sprocket: eg 11-30.
Edit: Thank you @Moderators for merging the two threads.
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Hi, I was not entirely wrong with my definition
of crankset
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crankset
