Like most riders I use only the three biggest cogs with the inside ring on a triple, so don't worry overmuch about chain drag. It is true I occasionally absent-mindedly shift into the big - big combo. This has never been a problem, except on the tandem, where a combination of very long stays and very wide gears (54x44x28 and 11-32) maxis out a full chain. And of course the drive train is too far from me too see. It is not good when 400 lbs of rolling stock comes to a screeching (in addition to the stoker screeching) stop. Now she keeps an eye on the chain and periodically reminds me where I am.
So the takeaway from the collective advice seems to be... don't shorten the chain more than necessary to cover the big-big; don't worry about chain drag on gears you truly never use; and don't worry about the FR difference as long as the gearing is within the total tooth & largest tooth capacities - which was my original question. Michael On Thursday, January 31, 2013 9:17:53 PM UTC-5, Joe Bernard wrote: > > Btw, *do not attempt* to do this bodge with a chain shortened enough to > cover most combos, but too short for big/big. You swear you never run those > rings together, *but one day you will*. Trust me on this... > > On Thursday, January 31, 2013 12:01:40 PM UTC-8, Cyclofiend Jim wrote: > >> What Joe said. Cage length determines how slack things get in the >> chain. I've run standard (road) length cages on the stock triple 26-36-46 >> and a 9 speed 12-32. You are certainly less likely to run "small/small" >> cross chaining, but you should be aware of it. >> >> The tendency would be to run a bit too high of chain tension, which might >> accelerate wear on the derailleur bushings and other bits. >> >> - Jim >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
