DMZ
Devout Dirtbag
Hi all - just looking for some advice and creative/technical thought from the wise council of RetroBikeland. Although I've built from scratch I'm no expert on hardware, and my first (and almost completely still original) Kona Hahanna is needing some renewing. I would ideally like to replace like with like, but of course am struggling to find identical NOS.
I need to replace the smallest rear ring and probably the front large ring, since these two have been almost exclusively used and the chain is very much on the way out.
However it's made me think about assembling anther bike at the same time, to a similar spec, as I find it very well perfoming and practical, but again, can't find NOS to build identical, and am not sure which the best equivalent drivetrain would be that would offer the same performance, robustness and longevity. Though it is again a point of note that on the road (and a few park forays), the most I have ever used is the large and medium front ring, and almost always only the smalled rear ring. Although I could feasibly build a single speed as per this pattern of usage, such is the condition and territory of the roads, paths and parks I ride across (Cambridge) that I find a MTB the more practical beast - certainly I'd opt for ruggedness over speed, as realistically it's not a place where one rides fast without having to come to a stop pretty quickly.. it's one giant obstacle course of bikes, people and cars, and 'interesting' road surfaces and terrains...I really enjoy the kona as it's light, strong, fast, responsive, and I always go back to it. The only mod I've done is to give it drop bars as they are more comfy, and narrower.
So here is what my '93 Hahanna has at present (just copied from everything stamped on it and counted teeth):
FD & RD: Shimano Altus A20 (A10 cranks)
Rear cassette (not sure what to refer to it as): Hyperglide 30/28/23/20/17/15/13 (they say things like 'G-30T RM' on them)
Front rings: Shimano SG-X 46/36/26
Chain: CN-UG50 Narrow
They key question is how to renew my work rings, and creative/technical opinions on putting together a new bike with a similar vibe in terms of the hardware. Same frame of course, I am of course the 14" Hahanna obsessive..
I need to replace the smallest rear ring and probably the front large ring, since these two have been almost exclusively used and the chain is very much on the way out.
However it's made me think about assembling anther bike at the same time, to a similar spec, as I find it very well perfoming and practical, but again, can't find NOS to build identical, and am not sure which the best equivalent drivetrain would be that would offer the same performance, robustness and longevity. Though it is again a point of note that on the road (and a few park forays), the most I have ever used is the large and medium front ring, and almost always only the smalled rear ring. Although I could feasibly build a single speed as per this pattern of usage, such is the condition and territory of the roads, paths and parks I ride across (Cambridge) that I find a MTB the more practical beast - certainly I'd opt for ruggedness over speed, as realistically it's not a place where one rides fast without having to come to a stop pretty quickly.. it's one giant obstacle course of bikes, people and cars, and 'interesting' road surfaces and terrains...I really enjoy the kona as it's light, strong, fast, responsive, and I always go back to it. The only mod I've done is to give it drop bars as they are more comfy, and narrower.
So here is what my '93 Hahanna has at present (just copied from everything stamped on it and counted teeth):
FD & RD: Shimano Altus A20 (A10 cranks)
Rear cassette (not sure what to refer to it as): Hyperglide 30/28/23/20/17/15/13 (they say things like 'G-30T RM' on them)
Front rings: Shimano SG-X 46/36/26
Chain: CN-UG50 Narrow
They key question is how to renew my work rings, and creative/technical opinions on putting together a new bike with a similar vibe in terms of the hardware. Same frame of course, I am of course the 14" Hahanna obsessive..
