Grinding my Gears

 

Been a while since I posted anything.  Still really waiting on parts and things. 

I've received a few incidentals, like a saddle, and some valves and cables, tools, etc., and I may do a post on all those at once, once I get it all.

But today I received my groupset.  If you don't know cycling terms, and I didn't not that long ago, the groupset is essentially the drive train of the bike.  Sometimes it includes the brakes as well, as they connect to the same levers, but you can buy the pieces separately.  

This set contains a 50x34 crankset and bottom bracket, an 11x34 cassette, rear and front derailleurs, and the gear/brake levers and shift cables.

One thing I only found out recently is that shift cables and brake cables aren't the same thing, and are different sizes, so I found that interesting.  I have brake cables as well, with my incidental things, including housing, which I'll explain more then too.

The crankset is by a brand called Senicx, of which I really have no knowledge, but my YouTube research seems to indicate is decent. The rest is from Sensah, which apparently is made up of ex SRAM engineers, and uses SRAM style shifting, which I've never used, vs Shimano which I am familiar with.

The major difference, at least to a beginner like me, is that Shimano has 2 separate levers for moving gears up and down, whereas SRAM has one lever which uses a long click vs a short click for up vs down. This article can explain it better than I.

if you're curious, the 50x34 crankset term refers to the number of teeth on each chain ring.  There are a number of different sizes you can get, with 50x34 known as a compact crankset (click the link above for more) and considered better for hills, which I like in my neighbourhood.

The 11x34 cassette means the smallest cog has 11 teeth, and the largest has 34. The more teeth on the larger cog means an easier gearing ratio in the lowest gear, with 34 or even 36 being better for hills (better is a subjective term, but it's better for me).

The downside of this cassette vs, say a 12x25, is that the gear "spacing" is less smooth, meaning the difference in resistance as you change can be a more or less per gear change.  I only have experience with an 11x34, so have nothing to compare it to me, but other than occasionally, I really don't notice any huge difference.  Maybe someday I'll try a different cassette and chainring and get a feel for it. One great thing about this whole build thing is that it will give me confidence to try new things and swap things around.

Next I need to get my handlebars (yes, the first set didn't work), and headset bearings, and my wheels.  Then I'll be close to ready to start I think!