audiomagnate
Member
There's a video on YouTube from a guy with a vintage Cannondale with an RX100 52/42 chainring who was having trouble on the hills in the Pittsburgh area. I can definitely relate. After a week or so on my new-to-me 3.0 SR400 I knew I needed to lower my lowest ratios. The good news is he swapped the 42 to a 38 and had zero problems. There is no need to shorten the chain or even adjust the rear derailleur. The entire job takes a few minutes and the only tool required is a 5mm hex key. You don't have to pull the crank or even buy the little tool for the retaining nuts on the back of the chainring; they just come right off. He used a black SRAM from Amazon for about $22 but I wanted to keep my bike looking vintage so I went with the U.S. made Vuelta for a few bucks more. The swap will lower your lowest gear 10 per cent to 1.65. My new chainring arrives Sunday and I'll post a few pics and my results then. In the mean time, here's the video.
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