Does new chainring require change of other parts?

Question

I'm thinking about changing my 2nd chanring to a smaller one (2 chanring setup). I hear most people recommend to change the chain when changing the cassette.

Hence my question: should I expect to change other parts (chain? other chainring? cassette?) if I change my 2nd chainring?

Thanks

Daniel R Hicks · Accepted Answer

It would be wise to check the chain wear with a chain "stretch" gauge and replace it if the chain is beyond 0.75 or 0.8.  Re the rear sprockets, they're only likely to be a problem if the current chain is worn beyond 1.0 stretch.

The other thing to worry about is whether the derailers can simply handle the difference.  The rear derailer has a "tooth range" in terms of the greatest difference between the sum of tooth counts of the largest sprocket pair and the smallest, and if that range is exceeded then the chain will either go slack on the smallest combo or become over-stretched on the largest.

Further, the front derailer has a limit to how great a tooth difference it can handle, and too much difference could result in the chain rubbing the derailer or iffy shifting.

But these problems are only likely if the difference in old and new ring diameters is substantial.

Benedikt Bauer · Answer

It depends on how worn out your old chainring and the other involved components (chain, cassette) are. If the chain and cassette are not that old that they would need to be replaced anyway, I would take the risk and change only the chainring first.

But there could be another thing that maybe needs to be changed: if you use a smaller chainring it may happen, that the chain will rub against the lower end of the dereilleur cache. Therefore it may be necessary to move the dereilleur a bit downwards on the frame.

juhist · Answer

I'm thinking about changing my 2nd chanring to a smaller one (2 chanring setup). I hear most people recommend to change the chain when changing the cassette.

The rule of thumb is: if you change a drivetrain part, anything in front of the changed part will work perfectly but anything in rear of the changed part may need to be replaced.
Examples:

New cassette: the old chain and chainrings work as they are in front of the changed component
New chain: the old chainrings work (as they are in front of the changed component) but cassette may need to be changed
New chainring: you may need to change the chain to a new component (as it's in the rear of the changed part), which in turn may necessitate changing the cassette too

Hence my question: should I expect to change other parts (chain? other chainring? cassette?) if I change my 2nd chainring?

Depending on how worn the chain is, it may or may not work.
If you don't need to change the chain there's no need to change the cassette. But if you needed to change the chain, this can in turn necessitate changing the cassette.
Whether or not the chain will work depends on how worn it is so it's impossible to say. It's wise to have a spare chain somewhere so you have a new chain if you need one. Similarly, it's wise to have a spare cassette too somewhere so you can install a new cassette right away.

Does new chainring require change of other parts?

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