Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

Chainstay Survey (opinions wanted)

5K views 18 replies 17 participants last post by  D.F.L. 
#1 · (Edited)
I'd like to hear from Pros, Hobbyists, and dreamers, alike.

Imagine chainstays with great tire clearance. They do everything you want them to do and they don't cause you grief during the build. Now...

If those stays were 22.2, round, and tapered, would you use them?

Most folks use oval stays for better tire clearance, and we're used to the aesthetic of those 26-30mm tall tubes. They make the chainstays look beefier, but their slim minor axis isn't the best for lateral stiffness. They're fine, but a tube that had a wider horizontal axis, like 22.2, would have slightly greater lateral stiffness.

Would the slimmer look be a turn-off?

Would available options be a downside? (TT has 2, Deda 2, nothing from Reynolds (ROR, only), Nova shows 3 options.)

Do you rely on pre-bent stays? If you can't put a single bend in them, would you pass, opting for pre-bent oval stays?

I'm trying to make a decision here that might benefit other builders. Any input you can give would be great.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Well I am with you, I love round chainstays as I feel they are stiffer in the lateral plane.

Hey man I will buy them but can you create a chainstay that will give the clearance that people want while not creating chainring clearance problems as well?

If you can get around the design hurdles I am in.
 
#3 ·
+1

If there's some clever way to get good tire/ring clearance for the usual suspects/short chainstay bikes, count me in. Like Dave, I love to see new projects succeed and keep steel fresh and relevant.

For what it's worth, bending round tubes is pretty easy for most serious amateurs and pros, so I'm imagining the stay could be straight to start out. I do like the taper at the dropout end for attaching things without giant hoods, though.

Tell us more. If it makes any sense at all, I'll buy a box just on general principle.

-Walt

dbohemian said:
Well I am with you, I love round chainstays as I feel they are stiffer in the lateral plane.

Hey man I will buy them but can you create a chainstay that will give the clearance that people want while not creating chainring clearance problems as well?

If you can get around the design hurdles I am in.
 
#4 ·
I would try them out if I thought I could get the clearances I need without tons of manipulation on my part. If they worked I would use them more. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around how you could get this from round chainstays though. Care to shed some light, or is this a project that you want to keep under wraps for now?
 
#8 ·
My Arete model has single bend ø22.2, albeit with long 29er stays at 450mm. It's unbelievable how they ride - if you think oval stays are 'stiff enough', build a frame with 22.2 stays and report back. They rool.

For me, the perfect 29er stay is a double butted .8/.6 ø22.2 tube, with a single 16º bend. At the bend, some sort of really nice fluid dimple to get the cross-section down to 17-18mm or so (without increasing the vertical axis). A 150mm taper down to ø18 would mean shedding some weight by moving to the Paragon Mini Wrights.

Unbent, you could use it for 'Cross.

Bent 10º you could use it for 26ers.


That's my Perfect Chainstay, for what it's worth. :thumbsup:
 
#12 ·
I'm curious to see how the clearance issue will be solved with short-CS 29ers. I would love to use a round CS. I would even be open to use a one-sided yoke to allow round stays.

As a hobbiest, I'd be good for a few sets/yr...not a huge amount.

B
 
#13 ·
It's worth noting...

That there are lots of 22.2 round/tapered chainstays already available.

I assume there is something special about this new project, but if all you want is some 22.2 stays - every manufacturer makes them.

-Walt

cataño said:
Dave Kirk uses stays similar to what Thylacine describes above. They're custom drawn by reynolds out of 631 - 22.2mm at the BB, taper down to 15mm at the DO. He gives a great explanation of the design in his Smoked Out thread on velocipedesalon.
 
#14 ·
I can't add any working experience as I've yet to build a frame yet but I can contribute some details from my custom hardtail.

Chris Daily, maker of Smorgasbord Cycles (out of Hershey, PA), used Reynolds 853 tubing for the front triangle, round Reynolds 725 in his continuous yoked rear end, and finished with 4130 Breeze-in drop outs. The upper stay is the same diameter all the way around and the chain stays taper. I did run into a chain ring (48, 34, 22 tooth) clearance issue, I had to use a 132.5 bottom bracket, but that was more to do with my choice to run a Cook Brothers crank. I knew they tended to "snug" up tightly on the square taper, so it took a few tries to get the needed clearance.

I uploaded a few pics, one is Chris making the loop stay for the yoked rear end, another is a shot of the rear of my SMOR for an idea of clearance (I can run a 2.4 WTB tire), and the last is a profile shot so you can see the rear end.

-D-
 

Attachments

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top