Changing Front Chainring

[sarasotabill]

I have a Narrak E-Bike with a 40T front chainring. It is causing ghost peddling in when I am in PAS 2 and above and in 7th gear. I want to go to a 48T gear. Does anyone know if it is possible to change the chainring without removing the crank and if so, which chainring do I need to purchase. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Bill

 

[gromike]

I would just assume you would need to pull the crank, but maybe not. As it's a hub drive it shouldn't be a problem to change the chainring, and neither is removing the crank with the proper tool. You can try to remove the chainring as it sits.
Best to post pictures focused on the area of your concern. (btw: crank pullers aren't expensive.)

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I have a Narrak E-Bike with a 40T front chainring. It is causing ghost peddling in when I am in PAS 2 and above and in 7th gear. I want to go to a 48T gear. Does anyone know if it is possible to change the chainring without removing the crank and if so, which chainring do I need to purchase. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Bill

I've changed chainrings on 2 different bikes — one mid-drive, one hub-drive — and didn't have to touch the cranks. But I did have to match the bolt patterns on number of bolts and BCD (bolt circle diameter).

In your case, the clearances involved may limit max chainring size.

How about some photos to help us help you? There's a 2MB limit on file size.

 

[sarasotabill]

Sorry it has taken so long to get back to you all, but life has got in the way again. I discovered that the chainring is part of the crank. Sucks. So I have a new 170mm crank set ordered with a 52T Chainring. That will be a big jump, but I usually start in 5th gear and Pass 1, so I figure now I can use the lower gears. Florida where I live is flat. The biggest hills I have are ant hills. As of today, cranks are pulled and just waiting on the new ones to arrive on Friday. Will try and keep you posted. Thanks for being patient. Bill

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I wonder if such a big chainring would even fit your frame.

 

[sarasotabill]

Stefan, I don't see why it shouldn't, but I will find out tomorrow. This is a stock picture of the bike below.

Bill

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Stefan, I don't see why it shouldn't, but I will find out tomorrow. This is a stock picture of the bike below.

Bill
View attachment 206240

You might indeed not experience any issue. In many bikes, it is the chainstay that limits the chainring size. In yours, the chainstay terminates very early (behind the battery) which should give a generous clearance.

 

[sarasotabill]

I hope you are right. I’m just waiting on Amazon to make the delivery tomorrow. I haven’t worked on bicycles since my boys raced BMX 40+ years ago. That makes me really old.

 

[sarasotabill]

Success. It worked. The 52T Crank Set went on fine and all gears work well except 1st gear. It works, but it is hard to get into. When I get into 1st, the chain is barely scraping the nubs on the tire. In Sarasota Florida, I can get away without 1st gear. No hills here. I can now keep up with the bike in 3rd gear Pass 2 and have 4 gears to go. Pics below. Now if only the front suspension would move easier, I would be happy, but with the 20”x4” tires, who needs suspension for on road riding? Thanks to all who pitched it to help. The dog and I are ready to hit the Legacy Trail in the morning. Last two days before it hits the 30’s again here in the Gulf Coast of Florida.

 

[stompandgo]

Your shifting issue is probably caused by your chain being a few links short. That's what I see from this picture.

 

[sarasotabill]

Thanks Stompandgo, but like I said I will probably never go down into 1st gear and it goes right into 2nd with no issues. This far South in Florida is pretty flat. The only hills here in Sarasota are where the Legacy Trail crosses over major roads. We are pretty much at sea level here.

I did get out to the bank and back this morning and got up into 7th gear at Pass 4. No problem keeping up to speed at 28 MPH. Might have been able to go faster, but these old legs aren’t what they used to be. I’ll be pushing 80 this year.