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Upgrades for Cannondale Bad Boy

9K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  goldtop 
#1 ·
I booked my Cannondale Bad Boy in for a service at my lbs and was advised I need a new chain, cassette and middle chainring. I bought the bike new 2 years ago and the original setup is Shimano Alivio level which I always intended to upgrade as things wore out, so it seems like the perfect time. I could use some advice regarding this.....my lbs are pretty good, but I'd like to go in with a little prior knowledge to make sure I get it right.

My current cassette is 8 speed 11-32 with 48-38-26 rings but I find the granny ring a bit too short and hardly use it. My crank length is 175. My commute is pretty flat but my leisure rides can be quite hilly, so I'd like to keep a triple set but feel I could better optimise this for my needs.

So to summarise, some recommendations for decent quality kit and with more suitable ratios please. I originally posted this over at the post your Bad Boy thread but had no replies, so maybe this is a more appropriate place.
 
#2 ·
Yep, your Bad Boy isn't a MTB and you are commuting on it. Not really MTBR material, but I'll give you hand. :)

First of all, the drivetrain does not wear out at the same interval, so you've either gone way too long with something worn out, or perhaps the shop is trying to make sure everything is new and fresh so that it works well. If you uploaded some decent pics of the cassette and chainrings that would help.

It is normal to rarely use a granny ring of a triple on the road given you have a 11-32 cassette.

Anyway, I would just use a KMC 8 speed chain, Shimano 8 speed cassette and Shimano chainring. That is easy enough and there is no real reason to upgrade. It takes some special tools to remove and install all of that, so if you were planning to DIY then budget for the tools as well. Otherwise, just let the shop go to town.

In the future, keep the chain lubed and watch for wear on the cassette and for chain stretch. The cassette will probably wear out first and you can usually get 2-3 cassettes out of a single chain.
 
#3 ·
Hmmm....sounds like I need to take more care of my drivetrain. I tend to just hose it down, wipe, lube and then wipe off excess. My lbs remarked that there was far too much lube on there so maybe that mixed with dirt build up caused the wear. Time to get some degreaser and do it properly :)

Thanks for the reassurance regards replacement parts too...sounds like a direct replacement then. Regards doing it myself, my lbs only charge for the parts as fitting is within the cost of their standard service which is also very reasonable.
 
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