[sirbikesalot]

I am mounting Shimano chainings to a Race Face Atlas crank, along with an E-13 DRS chainguide. The inner and middle Shimano chainrings are 24 and 36 teeth, respectively. They were the only rings I could find in the these sizes, which is what I wanted to run instead of the stock RF rings.

First, the middle ring would not fit because RF added raised guides on the crank for their rings which interfere with any other manufacturers' rings (probably done on purpose). I solved this problem by filing them down.

Next issue, the inner ring could not be oriented the right way because it made the chainring spacing too close, so I had to flip it around and use 2mm chainring spacers in the countersunk holes of the ring. That gave me the proper spacing.

So I thought everthing was good...until I went to mount the crankarm. Now the chainring bolt heads hit the E-13 plate before the crank bottomed out on the spindle. Great.

So I added another 1mm spacer on the spindle and a 2.5mm spacer between the bb cup and E-13 plate, which seems to work.

My question is (finally): Is having the chainguide plate AND a 2.5mm spacer between the bb shell and external cup too much? In other words, are there sufficient threads engaged to not worry about the potential for stripping the bb? RF instructions shows only up to one on each side being used for a 73mm bb shell width.

I really want this to work. The alternative is to look for another 24 tooth inner chainring which I seem to have a hard time finding. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ebxtreme]

Sounds like you're close

What about Salsa chainrings? They've got 24 T chainrings, but i don't know if they'd work any better than the Shimano or if you'd be in the same situation.

As far as the spacing, I don't know how many threads you'll have left on the other side, but I'd also be concerned about how that spacer will affect your chainline.

Best of luck on this one.....

Chers,
EBX

24 T Salsa chainrings:

4 bolt
http://store.airbomb.com/Itemdesc.asp?ic=CR3651

5 bolt
http://store.airbomb.com/Itemdesc.asp?ic=CR4350

 

[cactuscorn]

this looks interesting. now im no expert on the combo yer runnin but if what im seein is right theres a substancial offset to that inner ring. maybe try a older lx/xt 110mm bc ring from the late 90's with no offset to cure the ring bolt to guide issue and what must be a poor chainline and ft der placement.

im not a big fan of the somewhat extreme spacing yer doin on the b/bkt. its gonna really mess up a already hosed chainline and der allignment not to mention the crazy crank offset problem you must be havin. and then theres the stiffness and engagment thing of the b/bkt as you mentioned. looks like yer tryin to do somethin this was never designed for.

ill offer ya this advice sir. put the cranks, b/bkt and rings together as designed, THEN install yer drs to fit. if anything needs to be modified, its the guide and im not quite convinced thats the case yet. my guess is ya have the wrong ring rofile and yer screwed till ya fix that. or i could be wrong. keep us posted on yer progress pal. and congrats on gettin the frame. nice choice.

 

[A MAN CALLED HORSE]

You could use the RF Diabolus bottom bracket- it has cups that are deeper and will give you more thread engagement... if thats all you need.

 

[e<i>o]

4th down and long with the Shimano rings.............send in the punt team.

Blackspire makes rings in the size you want and I have had no problems with e13/RF crank/Blackspire ring combos on 3 different bikes.

 

[Paul5s]

I've run this set up on my RFX in the past and the instructions for the DRS don't offer much help if you are new to chainguides like I was. RF make 24 + 36T rings in 4 bolt which will work much better than your current set up with the DRS with no fit issues. I think it's the Shimano rings which are different to everybody elses too, not the other way around as there are fit issues with XT HTII cranks and non Shimano rings.

My set up used the DRS plate with one thin 1mm spacer clamped between the BB and frame. With the RF rings fitted, 24/36 BTW, to the cranks I had no other clearance issues when fitting the cranks. The inner ring and bolts sit close to the inner plate but did not catch. The only issue I had when using the DRS was keeping the bearings intact in wet conditions in the UK.

Hope this is useful to you

 

[guitarhero]

It's the Atlas

I had exactly the same clearance issue with the e13DRS, Atlas crankset and RF rings. I switched the crankset to Saint. Problem solved.

 

[t66]

Sounds like the Raceface cranks are the problem. Try a pair of HONES (or any of the Hollowtech II). I'm running E-13 with 36 Vuelta and 22 Shimano. No problems.

 

[sirbikesalot]

Good suggestions from everyone, thanks. I'm going to try to get hold of a Blackspire 24T and see if that works. Notice the Shimano inner ring is offset and thicker which appears to be causing the clearance problem. However, even with a thinner no-offset ring I might still have clearance issues (2.5mm is a lot to make up by just switching to a different chainring!). At that point I'll either find the deeper Diabolus cups as suggested (with the resulting screwed up chainline) or just punt and get Shimano cranks. Damn, I really liked the RF cranks too

 

[jncarpenter]

or just punt and get Shimano cranks. Damn, I really liked the RF cranks too

...remember, inside of the 2 minute warning all play reviews are controlled by the booth (have you called Jonas @ E13/ Evil yet? NO? I would definitely make this your first priority).

 

[tscheezy]

The chainring spacing issue seems kinda insane. If you could turn the 24t ring around in the correct direction, it seems the bolts would nestle down into the countersunk holes and give you some clearance which would allow you to run less bb cup spacers. Are you dead set on a 24t? Why not pop the stock 22t back on there and see how things build up? You would only have to use one cog different in the back to achieve the same gearing. Is it the jump from 22t to 36t when shifting in front which bugs you? Maybe it would work ok. Try setting it up that way for a while and if it is not to your satisfaction, then you can spend more money.

I have not heard of many people having fun setting up RF cranks with chainguides. I sent my DRS to CrashtheDOG and the southern UT delegation, otherwise I could experiement around a little for you. Good luck.

 

[cactuscorn]

man, i wonder what kinda trouble im gonna have puttin a guide on my '02 frx w/ 952 xtr's. any suggestions? sorry for the hijack but since were on the topic and all.......

 

[sirbikesalot]

Turning it around makes the chainring spacing too narrow. I suppose it would work considering I run a SRAM gripshift and can fine tune the front derailleur. For now I popped the 22t back on and it fits fine.

BTW, the cranks are a b!tch to get on. The tolerance is so unforgiving I can't get them all the way on. I feel like I'm about to strip the bolt. When I take the arm off I can see some Aluminum scraped off along with the anodization. Jeez!

The chainring spacing issue seems kinda insane. If you could turn the 24t ring around in the correct direction, it seems the bolts would nestle down into the countersunk holes and give you some clearance which would allow you to run less bb cup spacers. Are you dead set on a 24t? Why not pop the stock 22t back on there and see how things build up? You would only have to use one cog different in the back to achieve the same gearing. Is it the jump from 22t to 36t when shifting in front which bugs you? Maybe it would work ok. Try setting it up that way for a while and if it is not to your satisfaction, then you can spend more money.

I have not heard of many people having fun setting up RF cranks with chainguides. I sent my DRS to CrashtheDOG and the southern UT delegation, otherwise I could experiement around a little for you. Good luck.

 

[dyst0pia]

This is a side-note since I know absolutely nothing about chainguides.

You must be really worried about scratching the frame, eh? I just noticed the lizard-skin and all the electrical tape. Are you planning on leaving all of that on? Or is it just temporary while you throw all the parts on the frame?

 

[tscheezy]

Just ditch the RF cranks. They are too cranky to work with. I am going to mess with my 5-Spot today a little, switching some stuff around. I'll try to put my MRP LRP arm under my Truvativ GXP bb cups and see if the GXP offers enough lateral movement to accomodate the thickness of the LRP arm. If so, it would definitely work with the DRS since that plate is thinner. The GXP cranks do not rely on ANY bearing preload mechanism the way the RF and Shimanos do. I don't know the long term durabilty of the system yet, but the design and function are excellent so far.

 

[tscheezy]

Update: the MRP LRP arm does NOT work with the Stylo GXP cranks. The LRP's mounting plate is too thick and the crank ends up binding before the crank is snugged tight. The Heim arm works the with GXP no problem, and has with every other crank/bb I have tried. The Heim arm is the only one I can recommend without reservation.

 

[cactuscorn]

id forgotten you mentioned the heim in yer other thread. ive been lookin for that thing since without any luck but a google shows bti has em. thanx for the reminder cheese.

 

[sirbikesalot]

The wrap on the downtube is temporary. I got a little carried away with the electrical tape.

Electrical tape is your friend.

This is a side-note since I know absolutely nothing about chainguides.

You must be really worried about scratching the frame, eh? I just noticed the lizard-skin and all the electrical tape. Are you planning on leaving all of that on? Or is it just temporary while you throw all the parts on the frame?