Double-to-triple upgrade, any last minute advice?

rickn · May 26, 2004

My fat ****, old legs, and hilly neighborhood have lead me to the
decision to upgrade to a triple-front crankset.
The components have been ordered and the upgrade project will begin any-
day-now.
Any last minute words-of-wisdom (before I disassemble the bike) would be
appreciated.
Here are the facts:
The bike is a late '90's (?) Bianchi Veloce currently equipped with
Campy Veloce components throughout and includes 8-speed cassette and
double chainring front.

So far I have purchased the following:
Racing T 30-40-50 triple crankset
Centaur 9-speed triple front derailleur
Centaur 9-speed rear derailleur (long cage)
longer chain

The bike has very few miles on it so I am going to try the new chain
with the old 8-speed cassette and hope that they get along with each
other.

Specific concerns include:
Someone who seems to know a LOT more about this than I has suggested
that the existing BB is likely the right one and that I may not need to
change it. BUT: Is this a component that I should change / upgrade while
I am at it? Any recommended upgrades?

A recent My fat ****, old legs, and hilly neiborhood have lead me to the
decision to upgrade to a triple-front cranksetstring mentions "chain
alignment" as an important issue with this upgrade. Is this where the BB
length comes into play? Once the new crank is seated / torqued onto the
BB spindle it would seem that the chain alignment is fixed at that
point. Or does chain alignment refer to the derailleur setup? Obviously
I am confused . . .
A few words of advise regarding chain alignment would also be
appreciated.

Have I missed anything major?

Thanks,

Rick

Paul Southworth · May 26, 2004

In article <[email protected]>,
rickn <rickn> wrote:
>My fat ****, old legs, and hilly neighborhood have lead me to the
>decision to upgrade to a triple-front crankset.
>The components have been ordered and the upgrade project will begin any-
>day-now.
>Any last minute words-of-wisdom (before I disassemble the bike) would be
>appreciated.
>Here are the facts:
>The bike is a late '90's (?) Bianchi Veloce currently equipped with
>Campy Veloce components throughout and includes 8-speed cassette and
>double chainring front.
>
>So far I have purchased the following:
>Racing T 30-40-50 triple crankset
>Centaur 9-speed triple front derailleur
>Centaur 9-speed rear derailleur (long cage)
>longer chain

Should work great.

>The bike has very few miles on it so I am going to try the new chain
>with the old 8-speed cassette and hope that they get along with each
>other.

Ride carefully and stay seated when you test it. You need to test
on every cog.

>Specific concerns include:
>Someone who seems to know a LOT more about this than I has suggested
>that the existing BB is likely the right one and that I may not need to
>change it. BUT: Is this a component that I should change / upgrade while
>I am at it? Any recommended upgrades?

There is probably no reason to replace the BB unless it's worn out.
The 111mm AC-H is correct for nearly all bikes with double or triple
Mirage/Veloce/Centaur style crank (same as Racing T) except for a
few that require the 115.5 - those few will mostly be fat tube
aluminum frames.

>A recent My fat ****, old legs, and hilly neiborhood have lead me to the
>decision to upgrade to a triple-front cranksetstring mentions "chain
>alignment" as an important issue with this upgrade. Is this where the BB
>length comes into play? Once the new crank is seated / torqued onto the
>BB spindle it would seem that the chain alignment is fixed at that
>point.

That is correct, although you can influence the results slightly
with thin spacers under the BB fixed cup or under the cassette.

> Or does chain alignment refer to the derailleur setup?

No

> Obviously
>I am confused . . .
>A few words of advise regarding chain alignment would also be
>appreciated.

It should all just work with no special tricks - you have the right
bottom bracket for the crank, and that's the main thing that you need
to get right.

>Have I missed anything major?

Looks OK to me. I often replace derailleur cables and housing in
a major upgrade like this, just so everything works like new. Sometimes
just a nice new stainless rear derailleur wire is enough if everything
is in good shape.

--Paul

Paul Kopit · May 26, 2004

On Wed, 26 May 2004 09:58:00 -0400, rickn <rickn> wrote:

>So far I have purchased the following:
>Racing T 30-40-50 triple crankset
>Centaur 9-speed triple front derailleur
>Centaur 9-speed rear derailleur (long cage)
>longer chain

Just install the stuff you have on the bicycle and ride away.

Richard Chan · May 26, 2004

[email protected] (Paul Southworth) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

Yes, a chain catcher gadget.

Qui si parla Campagnolo · May 27, 2004

rickn-<< a LOT more about this than I has suggested
that the existing BB is likely the right one and that I may not need to
change it. BUT: Is this a component that I should change / upgrade while
I am at it? >><BR><BR>

Nope, if it is 111mm and your seat tube is 28.6 or 31.8mm, you don't need a new
BB. If it's smooth, leave it alone.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Search

Double-to-triple upgrade, any last minute advice?

rickn

Guest

Paul Southworth

Guest

Paul Kopit

Guest

Richard Chan

Guest

Qui si parla Campagnolo

Guest

Similar threads

We value your privacy