I’m looking to upgrade my Flaanimal 5.0 from 11 to 12-speed Shimano and while I’m doing that I’d like to swap out cranksets. I’m thinking of using the Praxis Zayante but have a question about chainline. Praxis has the road Zayante model (with a 45.5mm chainline) which seems to be what you spec on the Flaanimals, but they also have a GR model (with a 48mm chainline). Is the Flaanimal designed for a 45mm chainline and how close should I stay to that to minimize shifting issues? An added factor is that I want the ability to run a pretty small front chain ring at times for bikepacking and when I look for 34T direct-mount chain rings it’s hard to find options with a 6mm offset (3mm is more common) which is what I believe both the Road and Gravel Zayante cranksets use to get their spec’d chainlines. Thanks!
Colby,
The 48 chainline was developed for frames struggling to optimize for tire clearance, but we solved it without the need for a wider chainline, so it’s better to stick with the 45.5, especially if you’ll spend more time in your easier gears. A wider chainline will increase drivetrain noise / drag in the granny gear because your chain is going to be more “stretched” diagonally the wider you go, but it would still be functional and useable. So, there is no truly wrong answer, but 45.5 seems better.
Stephen