Short cranks & 11-40 cassette fitted to ICE trike

[DGG1941]

Just fitted 152mm cranks to my ICE Explorer in order to give my knees a longer lease of life. And as that has increased the low gearing my about 10%, I also swapped the 9 speed 12-36 cassette for a Sunrace 11-40. The short cranks came via ICE along with a new bottom bracket, which unfortunately is of the square taper type rather than the self extracting variety which I had begun to enjoy. Fitting the new cranks was an easy and fairly quick job, as was the fitting of the new cassette.

So I now have a 20 tooth Mountain Goat chainwheel on the front and the 40 on the back giving me a really nice low gear - offset somewhat by the 26" rear wheel. The trike has e-assist so that gearing doesn't get a lot of use but having had to haul a Kettwiesel with a non-functioning electric motor up some Surrey hills, there is no way I am moving away from the lowest gear I can find!

Experience so far is good: the Sunrace cassette changes crisply and the short cranks have increased by ability to spin from 90 to around 100. That said, it doesn't feel particularly different in other ways so need some tour mileage before I will know the long term effects.

[UpWrong]

Isn't the Sunrace a 10 speed cassette, and if so did you change the derailleur or shifter?

[DGG1941]

No, the Sunrace is a 9 speed and the Deore derailleur managed it without problem. It was the only 9 speed with a 40 tooth cassette I could find. Here's the link to the cassette on Amazon. The 11 tooth cog at the other end gives me a higher gear than the 12 that I had before but that is of little importance to me given the way I ride.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N39NZ3F/ ... TE_3p_dp_1