Quest 2.0 gearing for climbing during loaded touring?

[Alan Dolbeer]

Does anyone know if a Harris CS923 Cyclotouriste 13-34 9sp cassette would fit the SRAM dual drive hub on a Quest 2.0 with 559 wheels? The cassette is made with Shimano parts. Basically this is a two part question. First will it physically mount OK on the SRAM dual drive hub? Second, would there be any chainstay or fork clearance issue on the Quest 2.0 using a 13-34 tooth cassette?
Best I can tell this would give a 21.5" low gear and a 105" high gear. Based on my past experience with loaded touring, a low gear of 20" or so worked well for me on the extended, and sometimes very steep climbs found in the Appalachian mtns of the eastern USA. Thanks in advance for any information.

 

[Charles.Plager]

Hi,
In general, I think

Hi,

In general, I think you're good to go:

* I looked at the Quest pictures (never seen one in person) and I don't see anything that would interfere with a 34T cassette.

* I believe that, in general, SRAM and Shimano cassettes are compatible with each other. You'll clearly want to get confirmation of this in your specific case.

* You will need a long cage derailleur. I don't think a medium cage derailler will handle a 34T large cog.

* You'll want a longer chain.

So, it's possible that I haven't really told you anything at all, since everything I said is prefaced with I think , but otherwise you're all set.

Cheers, Charles

 

[billyk]

An easier and certainly cheaper alternative

An easier and certainly cheaper alternative is to just switch the elliptical chainring for a smaller one (probably only available round).

I have a Quest 2.0 and do a lot of climbing and also wanted lower gears, so I changed the chainring to a 36-tooth round one.

I haven't done the gear-inch calculation (not sure how to do it for an elliptical chainring), but it makes a big difference on a long hill. My experience with recumbents on hills is that you want a high cadence otherwise you're likely to injure your knees.

Anything smaller than 36 teeth and you'd need to shorten the chain, but other than that you can do a simple switch, nothing else required. Then you could easily switch back if you wanted, or make further mods.

And I agree with Charles above that he hasn't really told you anything at all ;-). I believe I think that, probably.

BK

 

[Alan Dolbeer]

Thanks for the replies.   I

Thanks for the replies. I see that the Technical Specs for the DualDrive 27 Derailleur indicate a max sprocket of 34 teeth so it should be OK with a 13-34T cassette. Anyway, sounds like the Harris C923 cassette would fit OK on a Quest 2.0.

 

[Charles.Plager]

HI Alan,
One last thought.  I

HI Alan,

One last thought. I agree with BK that the 42T ring is too big for the 26" Quest. I've never ridden an elliptical ring, but I like the idea behind it. It might be possible to find another ring (Q-ring) of smaller size that you can get to fit on. What you need to do is make sure you can orient it the same way the current ring is mounted on your crankset.

One nice thing about what Billy suggested is that these two upgrade paths are independent. You can upgrade the cassette which just means buying a new chain. And if that doesn't give you enough room, then you can play with the chainring up front. (If it were me, I'd do both, particularly if I could find an elliptical ring to use... ).

Let us know, and remember, if you don't post pictures, it's like it never really happened!

Cheers,
Charles

 

[Alan Dolbeer]

Hi Charles,

Presently I am

Hi Charles,


Presently I am the happy owner of a Silvio and in the thinking stage of buying a Quest 2.0. When and if I become the proud owner of one, I'll be sure to post pics once it is setup for touring.

Thanks again for your response.

Alan