Can Too High Gears be Lowered on SRAM Dualdrive?
 

Hi All!

Back safe and sound from Provence and first major tour on the recumbent
trike.

Among the technical issues I noticed, this trike, which has a 27-speed
SRAM Dualdrive shifter (three SRAM gears that can be shifted at a
standstill plus a derailleur with nine gears on it) is geared rather
stiff. I spend a lot of time in I-1, and never practically go beyond
III-6, even on the last day when I found myself on the Nationale 7, a
dual carriageway where trikes fear to tread! Comfortable cruising on
flat straight roads is at around III-4 or II-5. The last two gears seem
so high that I cannot see a use for them, since at those speeds,
downhill, I tend not to pedal anyway.

My favorite upright also has a SRAM Dualdrive, but with only 7 plates on
the derailleur. On this bike, I often use the highest gear.

I should mention that the cranks have been changed on the trike which is
now fitted with special short cranks, to go with my medium height. But I
was told one effect of this is that the gears might go stiffer.

The lowest gear is not really low enough to get me up my nightmare hill
on the way to work. I have to push furiously and can only manage a few
strokes before giving up to take a breather.

Now I have heard of people apparently changing the plates on a
derailleur to raise or lower the gear set. So I want to know, before I
get in touch with the Darth, if the request is feasible, if it is easy
or exorbitantly complicated to do, and what sort of price range are we
talking about.

I'm afraid also of disappointing my Darth, because when I bought the
trike in November we were discussing fitting him with a Schlumpf
Mountain Gear in addition to the SRAM. This would cost some 400€ extra,
and of course would add weight and fiddle. Is this a better solution, or
should I prefer substituting the original SRAM cassette for a lower version?

Thanks for your opinions - you people are so helpful!

EFR
Back doing laundry in sweltering Isle de France

Can Too High Gears be Lowered on SRAM Dualdrive?
 

Artemisia wrote:
Now I have heard of people apparently changing the plates on a
derailleur to raise or lower the gear set. So I want to know, before I
get in touch with the Darth, if the request is feasible, if it is easy
or exorbitantly complicated to do, and what sort of price range are we
talking about.

Should be possible to get a new 9spd cassette. Cheaper thing to do
probably would be to simply get a smaller chainring (front gear)

\\paul
--
Paul M. Hobson
..:change the f to ph to reply:.

Can Too High Gears be Lowered on SRAM Dualdrive?
 

Paul M. Hobson wrote:

Should be possible to get a new 9spd cassette. Cheaper thing to do
probably would be to simply get a smaller chainring (front gear)

No front gears with a SRAM Dualdrive, though.

EFR
Ile de France

Can Too High Gears be Lowered on SRAM Dualdrive?
 

Paul M. Hobson wrote:
Should be possible to get a new 9spd cassette. Cheaper thing to do
probably would be to simply get a smaller chainring (front gear)

Artemisia wrote:
No front gears with a SRAM Dualdrive, though.

No gears that you can change while riding, yes. But you have a crank
with a chainwheel up front where the pedals are. Getting a smaller
chainring will lower the gearing of all gear combinations and cost $25
to $40 (US).

--
Paul M. Hobson
..:change the f to ph to reply:.

Can Too High Gears be Lowered on SRAM Dualdrive?
 

Artemisia wrote:
Paul M. Hobson wrote:

Should be possible to get a new 9spd cassette. Cheaper thing to do
probably would be to simply get a smaller chainring (front gear)

No front gears with a SRAM Dualdrive, though.



The chainring is a gear

Can Too High Gears be Lowered on SRAM Dualdrive?
 

Paul M. Hobson wrote:

No gears that you can change while riding, yes. But you have a crank
with a chainwheel up front where the pedals are. Getting a smaller
chainring will lower the gearing of all gear combinations and cost $25
to $40 (US).

Cool! I'll try to find out more.

EFR
Ile de France

Can Too High Gears be Lowered on SRAM Dualdrive?
 

Artemisia wrote:

The lowest gear is not really low enough to get me up my nightmare hill
on the way to work. I have to push furiously and can only manage a few
strokes before giving up to take a breather.

How often do you cycle to work?
and did you cycle to work during winter?

If you have recently started cycling to work after taking a long winter
break, it might be worth persevering, as your leg muscles will improve,
and in a few week you will wonder what the trouble was.

Can Too High Gears be Lowered on SRAM DualDrive?
 

Artemisia wrote:
Paul M. Hobson wrote:

Should be possible to get a new 9spd cassette. Cheaper thing to do
probably would be to simply get a smaller chainring (front gear)

No front gears with a SRAM Dualdrive, though.

Not as stock. However, if your trike has a derailer post, adding a
triple crank and front shifter is easy (though likely a 100-200 Euros).

However, Paul Hobson's suggestion of a smaller chainring is entirely
sensible if you currently have high gears you never use.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

Can Too High Gears be Lowered on SRAM Dualdrive?
 

In article , Martin
says...

If you have recently started cycling to work after taking a long winter
break, it might be worth persevering, as your leg muscles will improve,

Not much point having better leg muscles if your knees have exploded ...

Can Too High Gears be Lowered on SRAM Dualdrive?
 

Paul M. Hobson wrote:

Paul M. Hobson wrote:
Should be possible to get a new 9spd cassette. Cheaper thing to do
probably would be to simply get a smaller chainring (front gear)

Artemisia wrote:
No front gears with a SRAM Dualdrive, though.

No gears that you can change while riding, yes. But you have a crank
with a chainwheel up front where the pedals are. Getting a smaller
chainring will lower the gearing of all gear combinations and cost $25
to $40 (US).

As Paul says...

Roos' Dual-Drive equipped touring 'bent sports a 52 tooth front
chainring if we're going to the NL, but a 42 tooth one at home where the
hills are more freely available.

Changing from the 52 to the 42 gives a ~20% reduction to each of the
gears. There's no reason not to go /very/ low on a trike, as you're not
going to have balance issues at low speed.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/