# what derailleurs for commuting?



## scwolf (Mar 27, 2007)

I'm building up an old touring bike frame to be my commuter. Any suggestions for rear derailleur + crankset combo? I would like to keep this commuter as light as possible because I might have to carry it around as part of my commute.


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

scwolf said:


> I'm building up an old touring bike frame to be my commuter. Any suggestions for rear derailleur + crankset combo? I would like to keep this commuter as light as possible because I might have to carry it around as part of my commute.



Anything 105 or higher from shimano would be fine for commuting. I recommend bar ends or STI shifters so you keep your hands on the bars. Depending on your setup and the commute route, a double crankset would be fine. My current commute has a few short hills but nothing epic. I use a 39/48 chainring combo on an mid 90's dura ace crankset. If you check eBay, IME it is rare to see a lower end crankset. You don't need to spend alot unless you want bling. It just holds chainrings. If you are looking for a wider gear range, you could run a deore XT or LX rear derailleur with a nine speed setup using nine speed STI levers. As far as weight, the components aren't going to make much difference. Wheels, frame/fork, and the stuff you carry will make the biggest difference. I use campy but I am a snob. 

I'll give you the same advice that I give everyone: Spend money on lights, durable tires, and a reliable drivetrain. Everything else is filler.


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## joey1 (Jan 2, 2007)

What he said.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

None of the above.

You want light? You want durable? You want a commuter?

Fix that thing.


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## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

I run a hand-me-down Ultegra in friction mode on mine--- works with all of my wheels... and a random Stronglight crank arm with a non-matching generic left arm--- for a truly budget crankset setup- with only one ring (don't laugh, it saves weight, weenie).



bigbill said:


> Anything 105 or higher from shimano would be fine for commuting. I recommend bar ends or STI shifters so you keep your hands on the bars. Depending on your setup and the commute route, a double crankset would be fine. My current commute has a few short hills but nothing epic. I use a 39/48 chainring combo on an mid 90's dura ace crankset. If you check eBay, IME it is rare to see a lower end crankset. You don't need to spend alot unless you want bling. It just holds chainrings. If you are looking for a wider gear range, you could run a deore XT or LX rear derailleur with a nine speed setup using nine speed STI levers. As far as weight, the components aren't going to make much difference. Wheels, frame/fork, and the stuff you carry will make the biggest difference. I use campy but I am a snob.
> 
> I'll give you the same advice that I give everyone: Spend money on lights, durable tires, and a reliable drivetrain. Everything else is filler.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*Second that.*



MB1 said:


> None of the above.
> You want light? You want durable? You want a commuter?
> Fix that thing.


What he said. FG = low maintenance, light weight, simplicity. If your commute isn't too hilly, you should consider it. the bike sounds perfect for fixing. My commuter is an old Atala touring bike (probably mid-60's vintage), turned fixie.

If the FG thing is unappealing, try SS. 

If your commute is too hilly for that, well, never mind. As for derailleurs, etc., I'd pay little attention to weight, and more to durability and cheap replacement cost. A commuter needs to be able to take a beating.


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## scwolf (Mar 27, 2007)

Great suggestion guys, thanks. I like the lack of component bling, makes it less thief worthy. Is a fixed-gear light because it lacks a large rear hub? 

How much lighter would it be if I just kept the rear 8 speed hub but a single crank ring? 

Fortunately, my commute isn't hilly, but I have never ridden a fixed gear (maybe a single speed conversion first), so now I have to decide the best/most comfortable F/R gear combo. Hmmmm... Any suggestions as to gear combos and lightweight FG brands (crankset, BB, rear hubs) I should be looking at on Ebay?


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

scwolf said:


> Is a fixed-gear light because it lacks a large rear hub?
> 
> How much lighter would it be if I just kept the rear 8 speed hub but a single crank ring?
> 
> Any suggestions as to gear combos and lightweight FG brands (crankset, BB, rear hubs) I should be looking at on Ebay?


1) Fixed/SS is lighter because you do away with the following parts: rear casette, both deraillers w/ associated cables and housing, one(or two if a triple) front chainrings, shorter chain. Probably a 2-3 lb savings in general over a geared bike depending on components.

2) Losing the front derailler w/ associated cable/ housing and chain ring would save probably .75-1 lb or so.

3) My recommendation is to start with a SS and gear it to "reasonably" climb the steepest hill along your route yet not spin out too much on the flats, you can coast when you spin out on the downhills. With a fixed you would gear more to not spin out on the steepest/longest descent (no coasting) and then tough it out a bit more on the climbs.

Gearing is a very personal choice that will spark many debates. My advice is ride what works for you and don't get too caught up in what other people ride. I ride 57 gear inches (38 front/18 rear for my bike and tire size) on my SS commuter with some moderate climbs and some dirt roads. For flatter pavement you'd probably want to start around 70-75 gear inches. Google "Sheldon Brown" and then look at online gear caclulator and fixed/singlespeed specifically on that site for a much better explanation of gearing and fixed/SS riding and parts/conversions.

Hope this helps some.

singlecross


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*FG weight, etc.*

FG is light because it lacks the following:
-front der.
-rear der
-shift levers
-rear brake caliper
-cabling for above
-one chainring
-9 (or 8, or 7) additional cogs.
-freehub mechanism 

These make quite a difference, so the weight of the remaining components becomes less significant. If you go SS, you probably want 2 brakes, so you save a little less.

As for choosing a gear, you can test. If you have multi-gear bike now, try riding your route several times, both ways, in a single gear. Try to find one that works comfortably for the whole ride -- try not to coast, so you get some feel for spinning the fixed gear at a high speed on the faster sections.

Does the bike have a crankset now? You might be able to do the conversion by buying nothing more than a rear hub. How old is the bike? If it has a thread-on freewheel you might be able to convert for the cost of a FG cog or SS freewheel -- about 25 bucks.

Read Sheldon: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harart-fixed.html


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*15 pounds*



JCavilia said:


> FG is light because it lacks the following:
> -front der.
> -rear der
> -shift levers
> ...


Yes, my Bianchi Pista, a nothing special steel frame, with some better components and wheels, is right at 15 pounds. Feels great.

I commuted on a fixed for a while, and I found that with lots of stop/start intersections, no hills, my knees began bothering me. Part of that was the lack of discipline not to race the cars and sprint from every intersection, though. 

A 20 pound multispeed bike will be easier on your body than a 15 pound fixed bike, in my opinion. The extra weight of carrying it around I don't think would be the priority.

Not saying you shouldn't go fixed, but make sure you can handle it. Oh, and singlespeed won't help compared to fixed. Still have just one speed.


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

if you must have multi-gears and your terrain is not super hilly, consider a 1x8 or1x9 with friction shifters...


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## scwolf (Mar 27, 2007)

I'm thinking of 1x8 for simplicity but with flexibility. Strangely enough, the single speed crankset/hub combos are about the same weight as their compact crank bretheren. I'm not saving too much in weight, but I am saving in simplicity of design. I guess I can always just remove the front Der. and ride a larger inside ring. Too Ghetto?


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## Soma? Yes Soma! (Feb 11, 2007)

I recycled an old Deore DX crank from a long gone MTB and removed the inner ring. I bought used 105 deraillers off ebay (saw a front one go for $.99 the other day). They are both doing good service on my commuter/main road bike. I could easily go down to one 38 or 40 chainring, but the crank already had a 46/36 on it and I don't see a need to spend the money. I am going with an 8 speed 11-28 cassette in back. 8 speed cassettes and chains are cheaper and come in fine ratios still.


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## Spinfinity (Feb 3, 2004)

*mtb cassette with 42 - 46 tooth chain ring*

Gets you a pretty wide range of gears. Not much sense to me to put a derailleur and cassette on a bike and not get as much help as you need.

fwiw - I prefer commuting fixed, and prefer mtb cassettes with doubles over triples and road cassettes on my geared bikes.


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## Kung Fu Felice (Apr 17, 2007)

Great idea on the MTB chain ring - 42 would be perfect for a commuter. So can MTB rings and cassettes be used with road parts, like Shimano 105 crank and rear Der.?


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## kiwisimon (Oct 30, 2002)

MB1 said:


> None of the above.
> 
> You want light? You want durable? You want a commuter?
> 
> Fix that thing.



Forget the fix but definitely go single.


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