I’ve gone 1/8 pitch
During the week, I fitted a new chain. Essentially a new drive train. I moved from 3/32 to 1/8. Why should that be significant? Well, I have been thinking about it for aesthetic reasons but have been delaying. I suppose I like to ponder things, as I did about going fixed in the first place. I pondered that for about 2 years or so.
Sheldon Brown says that there is actually no performance gain between 3/32 and 1/8 but others disagree. He says that 3/32 chains tend to be made for geared bikes so they can stand a not so perfect chainline and are more widely available. He also said that 1/8 chains tend to be noisier. But it was a few comments written in an ebay auction that really caught my attention.
The auction stated that one could use a 1/8 chain and 1/8 sprocket and continue to use the 3/32 chainring to save costs. And clearly stated that there would be a performance gain. That the percentage of force delivered to the pedals transferred into motion would be greater. Meaning that there would be greater efficiency. This convinced me to give it a go. I was due for a new chain anyway and I had a 1/8 sprocket sitting in my bike tools box ready to shake off the dust.
And the result? Success. There is certainly far greater power, although that may be just from having a new chain. It certainly isn’t any louder. It’s a bit easier on the hills and the pedalling action seems to be smoother too. I got up to 30mph going down Forest Hill, where my top speed is usually 27mph. The other performance gain is in the slowing down. Greater power can be delivered to the pedals in that direction too without much strain on the knees.
So far I have only mentioned function. But what about form? Oh yeah, baby. It looks cool. Chunky and meaty and like a great beast. It certainly enhanced the look of the bike as a whole and I think I’ll be forking out for that 1/8 chainring before too long.