AustinBike Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 Now that I have my singlespeed rear wheel sorted out I am thinking about replacing the crankset. Currently the bike has an FSA Comet crankset and I find that over time the crank arms tend to loosen up, at one point I even had one fall off mid-ride because I was not paying attention (urban, not trails, but concrete still hurts.) I need a 36T for the front and all of my rings are BCD 104 and those are getting hard to find these days. I like the Shimano cranks because they use side bolts to hold the arm in place instead of a single front-end bolt. I have tried blue locktite and that works for a while, but I am guessing that my crank arm is just worn out after 10,000+ miles. The Shimano ZEE FC-M640 looks like exactly what I need (36T, $99, 68/73BB), but it says for 10-speed chains only. I could put a 10-speed chain on, but the 8 and 9-speed chains are more durable. If I remember correctly, the chain pitch (distance between pins) is the same, but is there a particular reason that I should only use a 10-speed chain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mack_turtle Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 If you're using a single rear cog, just about any chain will work. The admonition to only use ten speed chains is for shifting and chain retention. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mack_turtle Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 (edited) The Zee crankset is burly, heavy, and not expensive. Are the SLX 675 series still floating around? Those would probably be lighter at least. I really wanted to stick with 104 rings but recently got a RF Aeffect set that uses cinch direct-mount chainrings. No regrets. Edited February 6, 2020 by mack_turtle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 8-9 will work on 10 speed. 10 speed ring has narrower teeth. 10 speed chain on 8-9 ring probably not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_papa_nuts Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 26 minutes ago, Chief said: 8-9 will work on 10 speed. 10 speed ring has narrower teeth. 10 speed chain on 8-9 ring probably not. I actually used a 10 speed chain on my '91 Trek when I converted it to a 1x7. It was a stamped steel, Biopace, ring though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4fun Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 I think your question been answered, but for what it's worth, I run a single speed chain on an 11speed crankset with no issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinBike Posted February 6, 2020 Author Share Posted February 6, 2020 1 hour ago, mack_turtle said: The Zee crankset is burly, heavy, and not expensive. Are the SLX 675 series still floating around? Those would probably be lighter at least. I really wanted to stick with 104 rings but recently got a RF Aeffect set that uses cinch direct-mount chainrings. No regrets. Yeah, you can still find the SLX 675's, but the Zee comes with the ring and a BB for $99. The 675's are about $95 with no BB and (apparently) no ring. So the extra weight of the Zee gives me an extra BB and a new ring - for less money. It's primarily a cost thing because this is my commuter/bar bike. Primarily ridden on the streets and on the hike and bike trail. If I were worried about climbing over technical features I'd be a little more concerned about component weight. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notyal Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 I would think that the wider chain would make the N/W teeth less effective, but your SS tensioner should take care of any concerns about dropping the chain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinBike Posted February 6, 2020 Author Share Posted February 6, 2020 Just now, notyal said: I would think that the wider chain would make the N/W teeth less effective, but your SS tensioner should take care of any concerns about dropping the chain. Sliding dropouts, no tensioner needed. 8-speed is not recommended for N/W but I know for a fact that it works because I had to run that as I was going through the whole debug on the creak. Normally use a 9-speed and that works on N/W chains. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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