Help setting up my Azzurri Pista

[BriP]

Hey all, new on the boards. just bought an Azzurri Pista (2011) and it comes with 3/32 running gear. currently 42/15, which i feel is super short and i want a bigger chainring/smaller cog.

Previous owner put a 1/8 chain on there for some reason. I also have a spare 14T cog (1/8) from my previous build that i never installed.

So now my question - should I switch to ALL 1/8 gear (i.e. buy a 1/8 chainring, probably a 44T),

OR get a 3/32 chain, and buy the larger chainring in 3/32.

i guess im asking about pros vs cons in each situation. I thought all FG bikes ran 1/8 so I dont know why this bike has 3/32 equipment (and it comes stock like that).

THanks!

[Derny Driver]

3/32 is slightly problematic in that its a bit harder to find track chainrings in that size. Supposedly a 3/32 setup is lighter than the equivalent in 1/8. I would switch to 1/8 for convenience. I buy 144BCD 1/8 chainrings second hand from the keirin sellers on Ebay, roughly $30- $40 each delivered. You will need a 49, 50, 51 and 14 and 15 tooth cogs to cover all bases. What sort of racing will you be doing? 44 - 14 is a still very small gear (84.9) most training is on 87-88 outdoor and you will need 90+ inches indoor.
To sum up:
3/32 PRO lightness, CONS expensive and hard to find. Cant borrow cogs or chainrings cos everyone else runs 1/8
1/8 PRO stronger, cheaper, more accessible ...CON marginally heavier.

[BriP]

Thanks for the great summary Derny. Yea I do feel the ratio is way short as well, i'll look into a setup that gets me to the 87-88 range. this bike is mostly for road/training use. cheers

[Derny Driver]

For road riding fixie style your 44-14 would be okay. You can use a 1/8 chain on a 3/32 chainring but should have a 1/8 rear cog on a 1/8 chain. So just buy a $12 14 tooth 1/8 cog and you are sweet for road or even training by yourself on an outdoor velodrome.
We use the following combinations:
49-15 outdoor velodrome group training including motorpacing.
50-15 or 51-15 outdoor velodrome racing carnivals, depending on event and track.
49-14 or 50-14 indoor velodrome racing, points races, scratch races.
51-14 for pursuits if the rider is strong, otherwise 50-14
Good luck. Some great track carnivals later in the year, an Azzuri Pista is too good a bike to just train on.

[BriP]

thanks Derny, I just threw on my 14t 1/8 cog, and will look into getting a bunch of chainrings. haha i'll look into competing when im more confident about my strength=)