3bs
whereabouts unknown
okay so i parked my other projects for the summer to focus on the v20. i ended my 3x9 system and went sram force 22 thinking i could overcome the problems with the compact ringsets well documented on other threads.
i wanted to push ratios further. and i also respectfully disregarded sram's view on cassettes.
because i am not even remotely in the shape of our esteemed elite riders of the tribe, i wanted to create a system that allowed me to maximize where i could to get the job done over a wide range of terrain. i am also not a smooth pedaller, and not a wiz at high speed descents on the v20. i am practicing all of these things, so i am sure i will get better, but for now i am trying to make the bike work for me (and peeps like me)
in southern michigan and northern indiana, where i am 70% of the time i am doing rollie pollies most of the time, with few ugly climbs and few big downhills. in florida, the biggest climbs are bridges, and i really dont like high bridges with low walls (for example sanibel causeway bridge) so i pretty much skip them. but when i go east west or north, all of the sudden there are hills that are not within my comfort zone going up or going down.
first try was 50/34 in front and 11/36 in back. as far as ratios goes, i was pedaling out on downhills too quickly. i cannot maintain the rpm's smoothly like the big dogs, so i have to get the bike going as fast as i can early in the downhill, and then coast while keep the bike quiet. i also found myself having to wait too long when i brought the pedaling back on line. on climbs, around my house, i really didn't need the 36. but i was able to keep the bike moving up hill at that ratio, so that was successful. i also liked the lack of duplication and lack of overlap at each end
as far as shifting, really a disaster. front yaw mech did not like the experience. all really alignment issues. cold not get the mech close enough to the ring, and i also think my arm or the mount is out of line. rear mech, the wifli arm cant carry that much chain without takeup rub on two smallest rings in rear when on 34 front. but, could not bet the b spacing anywhere near spec. so what that translated to was i could adjust good spacing and the top and bottom but never in the middle, or i could get half the cassette to run good.
next try was 50/34 and 11/34 rear. all the same problems, but only rubbing on overlap in 33-11.
next try was 53/34 wickwerks front and 11/34 rear after lots of work with position, works great in front. still an occasional jump off the ring when going up, but i think i can adjust that out with some more care. 53/11 takes me that extra distance at the start of the hill and i can pick up sooner at the end.
as for the rear mech, the stock hanger just cant cover the need for b adjust. too much on the spring, and not enough range. so i tapped a stop into the gap about 45 degrees from the stop on the hanger. this means a lot more b screw adjust and less spring wrap, and i was able to get the spacing almost to spec. improvements to shifting all across the cassette. still not silent, and one cog still ghost shifts, so i am not there yet, but certainly rideable, and also suggests changes to the hanger to accommodate these big range rears. there also may be something wrong with my rear mech, so i am going to swap it out as a test to see if the ghost shifts and sound improve. i am also gong to try and retap another stop a little further to see if i can get improvement there as well.
i think the 53 - 11/34 now completely covers florida and 75% of my local riding. so front rings now set.
i am going to test some more on steeper and longer climbs locally to see where i have to use 34-34. i am sure out west i will use that gear regularly, and in a lot places just live on the small ring
so what does everyone else think? this suggests to me that a 1x11 or 1x12 with the right ratios will do well for normal humans, (see new cb's coming set that way) and that a 2x11 or 2x12 would make solid climb and descent numbers even more accessible to normal humans.
i wanted to push ratios further. and i also respectfully disregarded sram's view on cassettes.
because i am not even remotely in the shape of our esteemed elite riders of the tribe, i wanted to create a system that allowed me to maximize where i could to get the job done over a wide range of terrain. i am also not a smooth pedaller, and not a wiz at high speed descents on the v20. i am practicing all of these things, so i am sure i will get better, but for now i am trying to make the bike work for me (and peeps like me)
in southern michigan and northern indiana, where i am 70% of the time i am doing rollie pollies most of the time, with few ugly climbs and few big downhills. in florida, the biggest climbs are bridges, and i really dont like high bridges with low walls (for example sanibel causeway bridge) so i pretty much skip them. but when i go east west or north, all of the sudden there are hills that are not within my comfort zone going up or going down.
first try was 50/34 in front and 11/36 in back. as far as ratios goes, i was pedaling out on downhills too quickly. i cannot maintain the rpm's smoothly like the big dogs, so i have to get the bike going as fast as i can early in the downhill, and then coast while keep the bike quiet. i also found myself having to wait too long when i brought the pedaling back on line. on climbs, around my house, i really didn't need the 36. but i was able to keep the bike moving up hill at that ratio, so that was successful. i also liked the lack of duplication and lack of overlap at each end
as far as shifting, really a disaster. front yaw mech did not like the experience. all really alignment issues. cold not get the mech close enough to the ring, and i also think my arm or the mount is out of line. rear mech, the wifli arm cant carry that much chain without takeup rub on two smallest rings in rear when on 34 front. but, could not bet the b spacing anywhere near spec. so what that translated to was i could adjust good spacing and the top and bottom but never in the middle, or i could get half the cassette to run good.
next try was 50/34 and 11/34 rear. all the same problems, but only rubbing on overlap in 33-11.
next try was 53/34 wickwerks front and 11/34 rear after lots of work with position, works great in front. still an occasional jump off the ring when going up, but i think i can adjust that out with some more care. 53/11 takes me that extra distance at the start of the hill and i can pick up sooner at the end.
as for the rear mech, the stock hanger just cant cover the need for b adjust. too much on the spring, and not enough range. so i tapped a stop into the gap about 45 degrees from the stop on the hanger. this means a lot more b screw adjust and less spring wrap, and i was able to get the spacing almost to spec. improvements to shifting all across the cassette. still not silent, and one cog still ghost shifts, so i am not there yet, but certainly rideable, and also suggests changes to the hanger to accommodate these big range rears. there also may be something wrong with my rear mech, so i am going to swap it out as a test to see if the ghost shifts and sound improve. i am also gong to try and retap another stop a little further to see if i can get improvement there as well.
i think the 53 - 11/34 now completely covers florida and 75% of my local riding. so front rings now set.
i am going to test some more on steeper and longer climbs locally to see where i have to use 34-34. i am sure out west i will use that gear regularly, and in a lot places just live on the small ring
so what does everyone else think? this suggests to me that a 1x11 or 1x12 with the right ratios will do well for normal humans, (see new cb's coming set that way) and that a 2x11 or 2x12 would make solid climb and descent numbers even more accessible to normal humans.
