I’m thinking of removing the small ring on my TT-bike since it’s not used at all. Does that mean that I can remove my front derailleur, or is it needed to make certain that the chain is in place?
BR Dave
I’d leave it on. On a fixed gear bike, there is no need for an FD, but when you have the movement from the chain on the cassette, I would choose to leave the FD on, just in case.
A lot of guys that race flat take em off…
On a cross bike I moved the big ring to the inner position and ran a single chain ring with a chain watcher (made by third eye) and it worked fine. I saved the weight of the front shifter, cables, and front derailleur. This should work for a TT bike.
Jeff
Remember David Millar?
Yes, I remember David Millar, but on the other hand I don’t push 500+ watt either as he probably did for that prologue.
BR David
Yes, I remember David Millar, but on the other hand I don’t push 500+ watt either as he probably did for that prologue.
BR David
Not really about power, but hitting bumps with a slight cross can cause the chain to “walk” off. Most cx guys will run a third eye inside and a ring guard outside, and some even run ring guards in and out.
http://www.bikemannetwork.com/biking/p/CXCHR/CR3105
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I raced the last several time trials at the Lowes Motor Speedway last year without a front derailleur. Had no problems though I saw others racing without front derailleurs who DID have problems.
Then I went to my state TT championship. The start was slightly downhill. I don’t like to overgear at the start, so I was in something like my 19t cog on the back … but in no time I was spinning out and flying the chain across the cassette to get to the proper gear. That got the chain bouncing and it bounced right off the front chainring. With no derailleur, I had no choice but to stop, dismount and put the chain back on by hand … all within sight of the start line. Great start. At least I was now topped off with adrenaline!
I still won (my age group), but obviously the time lost to that incident was many times more than what was gained by not having the front derailleur.
By the time you put on third eye chain watchers and chain guards of other types, what’s the point?
.
You will also need new chainring bolts, most likely. I used to run that setup, mostly because I was strictly TTing and was too lazy to cable the front derailleur. After seeing a few guys running the same setup dropping chains, I just ran a front derailleur with the limit screws set so the derailleur wouldn’t move, and spread the cage a little to eliminate any rubbing.
Another tip if you want to ditch the front derailleur is find yourself a new chainring without shifting ramps and modified teeth. The engineering in that type of modern ring is designed to help the chain unmesh from the ring with minimal force. That is exactly what you dont want. Go for the single, just find a ‘dumb’ ring and improve your odds.
It can be done, but rarely works perfectly. IMHO it is better to have a safety net. You don’t have to have the shifter or cable installed, but leave the derailleur there and set the limits for the big ring.
To make it work, you need to have damn near perfect chain line - this probably means switching the big ring to the inside. Also, if you have an old 8 or 9-spd setup, it will work just fine (the chains are wider, thus they catch the chainring more easily with poor chainline). If you are running 10spd, try running a SRAM chain. the outside links are flared to catch the chainring teeth in the case of poor chain line.
Another tip if you want to ditch the front derailleur is find yourself a new chainring without shifting ramps and modified teeth.
http://www.mdt-products.com/products/139_luna_eclipse/luna_eclipse.htm
I went to my state TT championship. The start was slightly downhill. I don’t like to overgear at the start, so I was in something like my 19t cog on the back … but in no time I was spinning out and flying the chain across the cassette to get to the proper gear. That got the chain bouncing and it bounced right off the front chainring. With no derailleur, I had no choice but to stop, dismount and put the chain back on by hand
Why not just reach down and put it back on while continuing to coast? That’s what I did the last time (and I do mean the last time! ) that I unshipped a chain while using a single ring.
Another tip if you want to ditch the front derailleur is find yourself a new chainring without shifting ramps and modified teeth. The engineering in that type of modern ring is designed to help the chain unmesh from the ring with minimal force. That is exactly what you dont want. Go for the single, just find a ‘dumb’ ring and improve your odds.
Tht may reduce the chances of unshipping the chain, but it doesn’t eliminate it. I did both, a 56T ring with no ramps, and a front derailleur. No problems, guaranteed.
Why not just reach down and put it back on while continuing to coast? That’s what I did the last time (and I do mean the last time! ) that I unshipped a chain while using a single ring.
I was in the moment. I did what I did. Reaching down and fumbling with a chain while rolling forward sounds like a risky proposition (at least for a klutz like me) ala racing without a front derailleur. Conversely, dismounting quickly and replacing the chain and getting on with the race was more of a sure thing … like keeping the front derailleur in the first place would have been. As indicated, things worked out fine in the end. Lesson learned with minimal consequence! So I didn’t beat JP. That wasn’t gonna happen anyway.
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My brother and I both did this (as well as removing the front brake) in our first triathlon almost 15 years ago. At the start of the course there were 2 large speedbumps, and he lost his chain, while I did not. I beat him by 4 seconds that day (he is older, and at that moment, very unhappy!), but we both set AG records, so no hard feelings I hope. He now owns the coffee shop that I frequent every day, so maybe the poison is just working slower than he planned.
Chris
Psycholist,
Hey Bob, I thought you of all people would have enough on the bike experience to have trained your right foot to be able to pick up your chain on the outside of the chainring with your toe and set it back on the chainring.
Now I suppose it could have come off in the inside and then you would be screwed.
Now the question for anyone else is did the time you saved by riding lighter (without the FD) enable you to make up the time you lost to stop and put your chain back on?
I’m just betting the FD stays on all the time now. Oh well, lesson learned.
Reaching down and fumbling with a chain while rolling forward sounds like a risky proposition
It is, especially when you’re using your Hooker ‘aero-or-die’ bars for the first time. But see, I had just moved my team in the Brazosport triathlon relay (which was swim-run-run-bike) into first place when I lost my chain crossing some railroad tracks, and was quickly running out of distance in which to recover the lead. So, I took a deep breath, told myself to be calm, and managed reseat the chain on the chainring on my first attempt. 