astrocan
Veteran
- Location
- Abingdon, Oxon
My Marin hybrid has not had anything new on the driveline for ages and now the bottom bracket is starting to creak so I am thinking its about time I got some new shiny cogs and chain.
The bike is a standard urban/hybrid set up and I mostly commute but also prefer to ride rather than drive and I do some longish rides a few times a year (70 to 100miles). I also like to keep the option of riding paths, lanes, and tracks open so have tended to prefer strength and reliability above lightness.
Last time I replaced pretty much like for like but this time I would like to consider some alternatives and was wondering what others think.
First up the BB, the current one is a square taper cartridge but I wondered about changing to one of the splined formats. What is the difference and what preferences do you have and why? I am not sure that external BBs are quite suitable for my purposes as I feel they are a bit exposed and consequently need more maintainance than they would get.
Moving on to the sprockets, my son has just got a new hybrid with a double front sprocket matched to a 9 speed cassette which I think would suit me very well. The option to use a larger big ring with a moderate small ring appeals to me, I can't remember the last time I was absolutely obliged to use my granny ring but I sometimes use it just so that I can keep that option open. What am I going to have to take into consideration if I go the double route. Will my current front derailleur work with it if the mech is correctly set up?
My only firm decision so far is that I intend to stick with a 9 speed cassette, partly because this still gives me enough gears and a reasonable range even with a double. I also have the budget to consider and with a fairly new changer and mech I would prefer not to spend it on stuff that is still performing well.
Your thoughts please folks?
The bike is a standard urban/hybrid set up and I mostly commute but also prefer to ride rather than drive and I do some longish rides a few times a year (70 to 100miles). I also like to keep the option of riding paths, lanes, and tracks open so have tended to prefer strength and reliability above lightness.
Last time I replaced pretty much like for like but this time I would like to consider some alternatives and was wondering what others think.
First up the BB, the current one is a square taper cartridge but I wondered about changing to one of the splined formats. What is the difference and what preferences do you have and why? I am not sure that external BBs are quite suitable for my purposes as I feel they are a bit exposed and consequently need more maintainance than they would get.
Moving on to the sprockets, my son has just got a new hybrid with a double front sprocket matched to a 9 speed cassette which I think would suit me very well. The option to use a larger big ring with a moderate small ring appeals to me, I can't remember the last time I was absolutely obliged to use my granny ring but I sometimes use it just so that I can keep that option open. What am I going to have to take into consideration if I go the double route. Will my current front derailleur work with it if the mech is correctly set up?
My only firm decision so far is that I intend to stick with a 9 speed cassette, partly because this still gives me enough gears and a reasonable range even with a double. I also have the budget to consider and with a fairly new changer and mech I would prefer not to spend it on stuff that is still performing well.
Your thoughts please folks?