Crank Options for Gravel Bike. Chainring Hot-swapping.

[jwin]

I'm looking for options on my gravel bike to make the gearing more versatile for both commuting and in the mountains.

Right now I'm running a 36 x 10-42, but I'd like to go up to a 42 x 11-42 on a second wheelset I just picked up for city rides where I don't need the granny gear and would prefer the closer spacing.

Originally, I wanted to use Wolftooth's CAMO system, but it only goes up to 38t which won't cut it.

The second thought I've had was to use Easton's Cinch system, bu that is a bit more involved.

Maybe I'm overthinking it and I should just use a 110 BCD spider and swap out chainrings, but I hate how annoying chainring bolts are!

What say you Paceline? Am I missing a more elegant solution here?

[thirdgenbird]

Am I missing a more elegant solution here?

A front derailleur


Edit:
All snark aside, my really quick comparison shows a 46/30 crankset with an 11-34 cassette has more range and tighter spacing than either setup you are suggesting combined. It is late so I may have an error.
https://www.gear-calculator.com/?GR=DERS&KB=36&RZ=10,12,14,16,18,21,24,28,32,36,42&UF=2185&TF=90&SL=2.6&UN=MPH&DV=speed&GR2=DERS&KB2=30,46&RZ2=11,13,15,17,19,21,23,25,27,30,34&UF2=2185

[oldpotatoe]

A front derailleur


Edit:
All snark aside, my really quick comparison shows a 46/30 crankset with an 11-34 cassette has more range and tighter spacing than either setup you are suggesting combined. It is late so I may have an error.
https://www.gear-calculator.com/?GR=DERS&KB=36&RZ=10,12,14,16,18,21,24,28,32,36,42&UF=2185&TF=90&SL=2.6&UN=MPH&DV=speed&GR2=DERS&KB2=30,46&RZ2=11,13,15,17,19,21,23,25,27,30,34&UF2=2185
make the gearing more versatile for both commuting and in the mountains.

What he said...lots of upsides, few downsides when compared to swapping CRs, particularly if your ride is a 'mixed surface and places' ride.

Without this turning into a front der ya or nyet thread..I don't really see the issue with front ders. They work great, give SCADS of versatility, extra weight even with a shifter VERY low...WY cheaper to swap a cogset rather than a CR...

I see 'some' frames with mega fat tires have issues with front der clearance but..w/o that issue..front ders, all of them, work grreat.

[robertbb]

+1

Front derailleurs work pretty well :)

[owly]

I hate how annoying chainring bolts are!

I'm going to take a wild guess here with thinking you're talking about the slotted at one end / hex other end type bolts?

If so, you can get hex at both ends which makes things way easier.

[Black Dog]

I'm going to take a wild guess here with thinking you're talking about the slotted at one end / hex other end type bolts?

If so, you can get hex at both ends which makes things way easier.

There is also a simple and cheap tool that holds the slots to prevent spinning.

[Jaybee]

If you can, it seems like front shifting is the way to go.

If you cannot or do not want to, then the direct mount system like Cinch is probably the easiest way to swap. I swap between 28t and 24t on my fatbike summer/winter and it never takes more than 5-10 minutes with Cinch. Much better than dealing with 4 fiddly chainring bolts.

[Spdntrxi]

If you can, it seems like front shifting is the way to go.

If you cannot or do not want to, then the direct mount system like Cinch is probably the easiest way to swap. I swap between 28t and 24t on my fatbike summer/winter and it never takes more than 5-10 minutes with Cinch. Much better than dealing with 4 fiddly chainring bolts.

I also use the Easton cinch and swap between 38/40/42 for the front chainrings.

the rear I swap 9-46 and 10-42

[jwin]

Ok thanks all for the feedback. I agree that front shifting is the way to go, but I'm running a Force 1 groupset and need to make it through the end of the year with just this bike in the road/gravel quiver. Not quite ready to buy a new groupset yet to go to 2x.

[thirdgenbird]

You could always try a trade. 1x is great for some applications.