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Messages - latifb

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General Discussion / Re: Cardboard Box for Bike as Checked Baggage
« on: June 21, 2014, 12:40:10 am »
Portland Int. airport even has bike assembly stands and tools that can be checked out.

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I'd throw  Salsa Vaya into the mix. Mine feels stable and comfortable on gravel and even did a bit of single track recently and it surprised me how well it did. Haven't toured with it yet but have tried it with lightly loaded panniers for grocery shopping and it's very stable.

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Gear Talk / Re: Touring crankset
« on: June 29, 2013, 03:34:02 pm »
I discovered something this morning that may have an effect on what I choose to do. I've assumed all along that the factory advertised spec for my Salsa is 52/42/30. When I talked to my LBS mechanic the other day he was looking closely at the big ring and noticed it was stamped 50t. Interesting. This morning I put on my magnifiers and counted the teeth on all the rings and found 50/39/30 which is the spec for the previous years model and does make much more sense. I still need lower gears but  just swapping the 30 for a 24 is the simplest way to go. I can only go down to a 38 on the middle with the 130bcd so that swap makes little sense. The 50 is still  too big but I spend so little time on that ring that maybe I can just let that go. 24 to 39 still seems like a big jump but much less than the 24 to 42 possibility.

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Gear Talk / Re: Touring crankset
« on: June 27, 2013, 06:54:12 pm »
Thanks Russ, you got it right about spending most of my time on the middle, and a much smaller time on the front although with a smaller big ring I'm hoping to be able to use that ring much more. I do ride unloaded on fun rides quite a lot. Whatever I finally decide to do you've all been a great help.

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Gear Talk / Re: Touring crankset
« on: June 27, 2013, 12:27:58 pm »
In my quest to find the best direction for me to go to get the gearing I think would be best a new question has arose which has been alluded to already.
The question is about the importance of ramps and pins for the outer and middle chainrings. I did talk with the mechanic at the LBS I purchased my Salsa from and all the single replacement rings he could find did not have ramps and pins which he thought would lead to poorer shifting even with my friction front derailleur setup. He admittedly wasn't experienced at setting up touring bikes.
So what are folks opinions on the importance of ramps and pins?
Thanks again for all the input so far. This newbie has a lot to learn.

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Gear Talk / Re: newbie saddle question
« on: June 25, 2013, 03:14:59 pm »
Check out Selle Anatomica for a leather Brooks type saddle that has a high level of waterproofing built in and doesn't need much break in. I've got one on my road bike that's working out quite well. Haven't had a chance to try it on my Salsa Vaya yet. It has a stock cheap WTB/Salsa seat that is passable but haven't had it out for more than 50m at a time yet.

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Gear Talk / Re: Touring crankset
« on: June 25, 2013, 03:09:08 pm »
Thanks once again for a thoughtful perspective. Yes, I would like to gain the skills to do this work myself if I'm going to tour at almost any level.
What I like about the sugino 500 is the 24 low and 48 high, something I haven't seen in the MB cranks. I do also ride the bike unloaded and although the 52 is mostly still unusable for my fitness level I think 48 would give me a nice extended range.I'm thinking 24 is as low as I may need. 36 or 38 in the middle would both work with the edge to the 38 for the amount of unloaded riding I do.
Most of the MB cranks I've seen don't seem to have such a wide range. Admittedly there's a lot I haven't seen I'm sure.

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Gear Talk / Re: Touring crankset
« on: June 24, 2013, 05:41:07 pm »
Thanks Russ for doing my homework or at least pointing me in the right direction. After getting confused looking at 110bcd rings I found the correct 130bcd rings on Amazon at the prices you found. I'm good with 38 for the middle ring and will likely do 48 for the big ring.I see these rings are not ramped and pinned but is that a non issue with friction front shifting?

Yesterday I was convinced I would go ahead and get the sugino XD500 48/36/24 from Harris for $160 plus $26 for sq taper BB. I can find a way to make it work but agree that it would be flushing an extra $100 or more down the can which could be used for all the rest of the touring gear I'll be needing.

Thanks for your input as well Paddleboy. I'm in no rush at the moment to make a decision. I'll be off to the LBS to get their input as well.

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Gear Talk / Re: Touring crankset
« on: June 22, 2013, 01:17:58 pm »
Thanks for the suggestions. My original thought was to do just that, swap just the inner ring but the jump from 24 to 42 seems too big to me. I'm sure with the friction front bar end it would be physically doable. The 52 big ring is almost useless to me. I did a short 25 mile ride yesterday, flat with a lot of wind at times and never got out of the middle which is ok with me. My dedicated road bike is a triple with a 39t middle and I'm mostly always on the middle ring and I like it's ability to use most all the cassette cogs.If I were to change out two rings then the cost goes up and it may still be a compromise. The combo of 46or48/36/26 sounds the most useable at this point. I have plenty of time to work on this as there won't be anytime until perhaps the fall before I can get a chance to do any light touring.
Harris cyclery also has a Sugino XD500 which is 48/36/24 but $160 plus BB. The TA rings that Harris and Peter White sell sound like great rings but nearly as costly as swapping a whole crank out to get the same combos.

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Gear Talk / Touring crankset
« on: June 22, 2013, 12:19:31 am »
I just picked up a Salsa Vaya as an all around bike that I would also like to do some touring and to what degree I don't know yet. It came with a Sora triple ext BB with very high gearing for this kind of bike, 52/42/30 which I knew from the outset I would like to swap out for something like 48/36/26. The cassette is 11-32 9sp, and has microshift bar end shifters.
I'm looking at a couple options. There's a Sugino xd600  46/36/26 that's billed as a touring oriented road  or MTB crank which uses the old standard sq taper BB setup and then a couple Shimano mountain bike/trekking, the  Deore M532 and Deore M591 which come with external bearing BBs, both 48/36/26. Those setups run around $90 with the BB while the Sugino around $130 plus the cost of a new BB. I've been reading what I can but it can get so confusing especially with the issues of chainline.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. The cost savings of the Shimano setups as well as the 48t large sprocket seem attractive but am I missing something here. I'll have my LBS do the install.
Thanks in advance

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