Maximum drop between large/outer and small/inner cog that shifts well consistently (in friction)

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Patrick Moore

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Feb 7, 2026, 8:24:10 PM (5 days ago) Feb 7
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I’m mentally toying with rebuilding my lovely Roadeo with silver and friction parts  instead of the industrial-looking (but seamlessly working) Ultegra 8000 11-sp group.

This group includes a 50/34 double. I think of switching it to a 50 + something smaller than 34. Do any of you have a 20-tooth gap between big and small rings? What front derailleur? How does it work?

I’d center the big ring so that the drivetrain is a 1X + occasional use granny. I’d use the 50 with all 11 cogs, cruising gears would be the middle 5 cogs in the big ring, and I’d use the granny only for very steep hills.

Would this work? Things to be wary of?

Thanks.

BIG RING CENTERED
27.3" wheel
 5030
1498 
1591 
168551
178048
187646
197243
206841
216539
235936
275130
324326

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Patrick Moore
Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum
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Steve

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Feb 9, 2026, 9:44:43 AM (3 days ago) Feb 9
to RBW Owners Bunch
Patrick, I've run a 50-44-24 triple (non-ramped rings) with a 1990 Deore LX 3x FD without any issues, though it did prefer a crisp upshift. The original small chainring was a 28t, so I may - or may not - have been exceeding Shimano's spec for the FD. 

I don't recall if you're using 'brifters' on your Roadeo, so I should mention that the bike was setup with friction shifting.

Steve in AVL

Steve

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Feb 9, 2026, 9:49:36 AM (3 days ago) Feb 9
to RBW Owners Bunch
--- Just adding that I think offsetting the chain line a bit to favor the big ring is a smart approach. 
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