Frequently Asked
Questions - Mountain Tamer
Mountain
Tamer Triple Istruzioni Dettagliate di Installazione
SELECTION
Q.
Which Mountain Tamer Adapter should I
use?
A. Use the Mountain Tamer Triple when you want:
- a triple
chaining smaller than 24 teeth
- four
chainrings
and your triple chainring will be 26 teeth or greater
- to
experiment
with a triple or quad setup
A. Use a
Mountain Tamer Quad Plus when you want:
- four
chainrings
and your triple chainring will be less than 26 teeth
- four
chainrings
and ease of chaining the size of the triple chainring
- four
chainrings
with the quad being 16 teeth (16 tooth chainrings are sold out)
- five
chainrings
(requires a modified front derailleur and long chainline)
A. Use a Mountain Tamer Quad when
you want:
- the
lightest
possible quad setup
- four
chainrings
with the quad being 16 teeth
INSTALLATION
Q. How can I tell if my spindle is long
enough for 4 chainrings?
Q. How can I tell what length spindle I have now?
A. Go to
Sheldon Brown's incredible site and check out his Bottom Bracket Size Database.
Q.
How can I move the crankarm over to accommodate 4 chainrings?
Q. My crank doesn't have spacers.
What can I do?
A. You can cut the bosses off. Here's how.
Q. How do the chainrings attach to the Mountain Tamer Adapter.
A. The chainrings slide onto splines like they do on a cassette.
A wave spring maintains tightness and the retainer locks it all
together.

Q. I'm not comfortable cutting
the bosses. Can you cut them
for me?
A. Yes. The fee for this service is $30 plus shipping
costs. Carbon fiber cranks add $40.
Q. I have carbon fiber cranks.
How do I cut the bosses on
them?
A. Do not modifiy any carbon fiber component unless you have
experience working with carbon fiber. Inhalation of carbon fiber dust
can have serious health risks.
Q. I want to run a very wide
range on my chainrings.
How do
you get the front derailleur to handle that?
A.
Here's
how to
do it.
Q. How do you install the retainer on the adapter
A. Here's
a video showing the procedure. (1.5 Mb)
Q.
How do you remove the retainer from the adapter
A. Here's
a video showing the procedure. (497 Kb)
COMPATIBILITY
Cranks-Chainrings
Q. My
crank has
4 arms instead of 5. Can I adapt to a lower gear?
A. No,
the
Mountain Tamer adapters mate only to the 5 arm-74mm bolt circle.
Q.
I
have a
Shimano XTR-M950 Crankset with a 4 arm spider. Is it possible to
change it to a 5 arm spider?
A.
Yes. There
were
several 5 arm spiders made with 74mm bolt circle available for various
cranks with removable spiders. Check for availablity.
Q. My
triple
chainring is 22 teeth. Can I get a lower gear?
A. If
your
crankarm spider has 4 arms, that is as low as you can go. If it
has 5 arms and a 58mm bolt circle you can go down to 20 teeth.
If your cassette does not
already have a large cog of 34 teeth,
you can change the cassette. Some are now made with 36 teeth.
Q. Will
the
Mountain Tamer adapters work with my Rotor Cranks?
A. No,
the
Rotor Cranks have a 4 bolt pattern
Q. Can I
use
cogs from a Shimano cassette on you adapters?
A.
No.
The splined cogs are Suntour 'A' freewheel cogs. The threaded
cogs are Maillard 700 freewheel cogs. Neither is in current
production.
If you find anyone who has the
'A' cogs, let me know.
Q. I see
you
have run out of some of the chainring sizes. Will they be
available in the future?
A. I may
produce the 17 tooth splined rings at some time in the future.
Q. Which position holds the 'A' cog on the Suntour Freewheels?
A. The two largest positions.
Q. Which freewheels used 'A' cogs?
A. Suntour Winner, New Winner, Winner Pro, Perfect.
Q. How do I get the cogs off of the freewheel.
A. Using a pair of chain whips or a chain whip and a sprocket
vise
untread the smaller cogs (CCW). The larger cogs are splined and just
slide off.
Q. I would like to run a 16 tooth quad with a 52 or larger outer
chainring. Will the derailleurs handle that?
A. You will have to modify the derailleurs. Click to see how.
Q. Can I remove my outer chainring a use the quad chainring as a
triple?
A. Yes. You will still need to move the crankset over
~1/4"
(6.3mm)
Q. What is the smallest chainring I can put in the middle
position on a 74/110mm BCD crankset?
A. 34 teeth
Q.
What
is the smallest chainring I can put in the middle position on a
74/130mm BCD crankset?
A. 38 teeth
Q. Can you supply cranksets with a 74mm BCD?
A. My suppliers no longer carry any cranks with
74/110mm BCD.
Check with Andel Enterprise Co. Ltd. http://www.andel.com.tw/ for 74mm
BCD cranks. They also have
an eBay store.
Search
on eBay. 'crank
74' usually gets some hits.
Q.
Why can't I use the 16T chainring with the Mountain Tamer Triple?
A. The 16T chainring has an
intergal spacer, It will not fit in the space of the other
chainrings.
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Q.
What is the inside diameter of the adapters?
A. The inside diameter of the adapters is 1.830"
Q.
What is the outside diameter of the small
chainrings?
A. The outside diameter of the chainrings:
16 - 2.710"
17 - 2.860"
18 - 3.015"
19 - 3.150"
20 - 3.350"
21 - 3.490"
22 - 3.645"
24 - 3.980"
Bottom
Brackets - Spindles
Q. I have
a
Fisher mtb with an oversized bottom bracket. Will the Mountain
Tamer
adapters fit over it?
A.
Yes.
The inside diameter of the adapters is 46.5mm (1.830")
Q. My
bottom
bracket has a locknut on the right side. What is the inside
diameter of the adapters?
A. The
inside
diameter of the adapters is 46.5mm (1.830") Be sure to allow some
clearance for mud, etc.
Q. My
bottom
bracket has outboard bearings on the right side. What is the
inside
diameter of the adapters?
A. The
inside
diameter of the adapters is 46.5mm (1.830") Be sure to allow some
clearance for mud, etc.
Q. Can I
replace my cartridge type bottom bracket with the old type spindle with
ball cups?
A. Yes.
Q. What are standard bottom bracket shell widths.?
A. Standard bottom bracket shell widths are 68, 70, and
73mm. Most mountain bikes are 68mm, though some are 73mm. Road bikes
are usually 70mm.
Q. What does the spindle or bottom bracket length refer to?
A. The length is the distance of the spindle measured
from end to end in mm. Some spindles have studs instead of bolts.
They
are measured from the end of the interface surface, not the end of the
studs. In most cases, one side is longer than the other.
Q. What does 1.37" x 24 tpi means on the bottom
bracket?
A. 1.37" diameter - 24 threads per
inch
Q. I need a longer spindle. My bottom bracket
shell is 68mm. Can I use a 73mm bottom bracket and spacers.
A. Yes. Just make sure you have enough threads
engaged.
Q. I can't get the bottom bracket cup on the
chainring side to come loose. What do I do?
A. The right hand cup has left hand threads. Turn
clockwise to loosen the right-hand cup.
Q. How can I tell if I have a square taper spindle?
A. Remove the dust cap and bolt from one of the
crankarms. You will be able to see the end of the spindle. Retorque the
bolt when finished.
Q. Are bottom bracket spindles or BB cartridges
symetrical?
A. No. They are longer on the right side (crank side)
than the left.
Q. What are the bottom bracket interface designations?
A.
JIS: square 2 deg. taper
ISIS: 10 spline taper - 16mm deep
HT2: Shimano Hollowtech-II integrated spindle with outboard
bearings
OL5: 8 spline 5mm deep - Shimano Octalink (105,DuraAce, Ultegra,
XTR)
OL9: 8 spline 9mm deep - Shimano Octalink (Deore, LX, XT)
Note: older Shimano Deore, LX, and XT cranks used JIS
SP8: 8 spline on CrMo cranks
SP8: 10 spline on CrMo cranks
SP8: 36 spline on CrMo cranks
SP8: 48 spline on CrMo cranks
PS: Truvativ PowerSpline
Howitzer: Truvative
MegaExo: Full Speed Ahead
Shifters
Q. Will
the
Mountain Tamer Triple work with my indexed shifters?
A. Yes,
the
chainring will be in the same position.
Q. Can I
run
four chainrings with my Rapid-Fire shifters?
A.
No, unless you add a device such as the 'GIZMO' once sold by Sidetrak which gives you a high
range/low range capability.
Q. Will
Grip
Shifters work with four chain rings?
A. Yes,
as long
as they are not indexed.
Derailleurs
Q. Will
my
front derailleurs handle four chainrings?
A. Yes,
though
it is important that the crankset be position correctly for it.
Q. I want
to go
to the quad setup with a 16 tooth chainring. Will my rear
derailleur be able to handle the chain wrap?
A.
Yes,
keeping in mind you should not use the quad chainring with the
smallest cogs on your cassette.
Q. I would like to run five chainrings. Will I have to
modify the derailleur?
A. It's highly probably. I'm willing to help you with the
details.
Other
Q. Will
my
9 speed or 10 speed chain work?
A. Yes
Q. Can I
use
the Mountain Tamer adapters in conjunction with an internal hub?
A. Yes,
with a
caution. Some hub manufacturers specify a minimum recommend
chainring. If you're not real strong you may get by going
smaller. If you want to do this, contact me for more
advice. I have quite a bit of experience in this area.
Q. Can I
use
the Mountain Tamer Plus with five chainrings with 10 cogs on a 14 speed
Rohloff hub?
A.
Theoretically, with some serious modifications like a custom
frame and a modified cassette, I don't see why not. Of course,
you
would void the warranty on the hub. ...hmm 700
speeds. Are you trying to get into Ripley's?
Q. Ok. So
what's the most gears you've seen?
A. I
built a
bike with 120 speeds back around 1964. It used 4 chainrings with
6 cogs on a Strumey Archer 5-speed hub. At that time, 6 cog
freewheels where rare, as were triple chainrings. The bike had a
gear about every 2" and a range from 10" to 156". I rode it 5000
miles before the frame failed.
USAGE
Q. How
much
difference does one tooth make on the chainring?
A. Roughly, each tooth difference below 20 teeth equals one
gear. From 20 to 28 teeth, 2 teeth equals a gear.
Q. How many of the cogs on the cassette can I expect to use,
practically, with the quad chainring?
A. This will depend upon several factors: chainring size,
cassette size, chainstay length, chainline, and chainwrap of the
rear derailleur. Typically the gear ratios will start to overlap
around the 4th cog. You can expect to use 3 to 5 of the largest
cogs on the cassette with most setups, more with a long chainline if
you can wrap the chain.
Q. Will I be able to balance with such a low gear?
A. Of
course. You will actually be going about the same speed you where
before. The difference is that you will be able to spin faster,
which is much more efficient.
Q. When I
climb
really steep stuff, my front wheel comes off the ground. What
should I do?
A.
Drop
your shoulders.
Q. Where
should
I be on the saddle on really step climbs?
A.
Position
yourself over the saddle such that your weight is driving through the
ground contact point of the rear wheel or as close to it as possible.
Q. How
steep
can I climb with such low gears?
A.
Anything you
have the guts to stay on the bike. I have climbed stuff on slick
rock where I was standing up with my chest against the
handlebars. The thought of breaking a chain was very distracting.
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Q. How can I
tell if my
spindle is long enough for 4 chainrings?
- Shift the front
derailleur to the triple position.
- Measure the
distance
between the inner arm of the derailleur and the seat tube (or
equivalent)
- If you have 8mm
(.310")
or more, your spindle is long enough.
- If not, subtract
the
measurement from 8mm.
- This is the minimum
amount the
crankarm needs to be moved to the right.
- You also need 9mm
space
between the chainstay and the triple at the diameter of the quad.
- Also check the
distance
between the chain and the tire when shifted into the lowest gear.
- You can go to Sheldon
Brown's
incredible website and check out his Bottom
Bracket Size Database
to find what length spindle you have now.
Q. How can I move the crankarm
over to
accommodate 4 chainrings?
A. Some spindles are adjustable. Simply adjust as needed.
If the distance needed is less than 3-4mm
- Measure the
distance
between the left chainstay and the crankarm (in the 3:00 position
facing it)
- If there is enough
room,
the bottom bracket can be shifted over by using spacers between the
right BB cup and the BB shell.
If
those methods won't do it, a
longer spindle or bottom bracket cartridge is required.
Remember, typically, but not always, half of the additional
length is added to each side.
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