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Thanks for the link! Gotta admit that I was hoping it was the same price as those really cheap 104bcd 4 bolt rings...
Fair point abut trying to keep it lightweight. I‘d keep the original paint, after all you seem to have a history with the bike and the imperfections add character blablabla etc. + it‘s a really nice shade of blue imo.
Sig_Arlecchino-
@Sig_Arlecchino indeed, sadly they're not super cheap :( I'd love to keep the original paint as it is honestly, but it really will need doing before long due to aforementioned rust. You can't see well but is concentrated around the underside of the bottom bracket and downtube bottle bosses. Argos did a beautiful job with another Dalesman, but definitely a departure from the original colour: https://www.facebook.com/240449079312854/posts/claud-butler-dalesman-531st-touring-frame-resprayed-in-sea-salt-bronze-with-cust/3393122927378771/. I really like the original blue as well and don't plan on making any radical changes.
Catriona
Thank you kindly @ectoplasmosis! That extra 4 teeth gets me several more gear inches at the low end, which I expect I will be thankful for when fully-loaded in the summer... Didn't much fancy the red spider on the Sunrace guys when I was hunting for bits but will keep the Deore in mind if I ever decide to swap it out :)
@jtfh thank you - yes, I think even with the third arm tool (or even 4 actual arms) it's a bit of a nightmare to get everything really tight in clearance and feeling good. As soon as the back wheel has to come out it's a pain as it's hard to get the rim back into the same exact spot under the tension of the chain - the joys of non-thru axles.
@Sig_Arlecchino Thank you! I'm going for a lightweight touring setup to be honest - I have a Tubus Fly black rack that hasn't been put on yet and an ass-saver for wet weather, but no plans for fenders. Link to chainring: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32993641100.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.dfe24c4dEGg9Wv