GEAR CLUSTER RECOMMENDATION

[Slave]

Hi fellow bike Fundi's. (Especially JB)

 

So now, thanks to some clever recommendations by some of you, I have snorted my handling problem with my Peugeot Rapport.

 

As an experiment, I want to change the rear wheel hub and gear cluster.

 

Without serious mods to the frame, what can I reasonably put in as a hub and gear cluster? (How many gears?)

 

How much would an 11 tooth gear help my top end from a 52 chain ring?

(The two I have in front are 52/42.)

 

Will I need to change my chain and chain ring?

 

Where would be a reasonably good place to source the bits I need at a reasonable price?

 

Is it important to go for the latest technology or does someone have any "older tech"  that is just gathering dust and needs a good home for it?

 

How often should one change / renew a chain?

 

I guess I have done pretty close to 4000 km on the bike since I got it about 6 years ago. What it did before that is anyone's guess.

[Gman1834]

From: https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=34968

[RodTi]

... thanks to some clever recommendations by some of you' date=' I have snorted my handling problem with my Peugeot Rapport.

 

 

[/quote']

 

 

... Geez!

 

Ok - which hubber has been passing on white-line advice again?

[Slave]

Why drink and drive when you can snort and fly?

 

Those lines of white are way cool man!

 

Life is too short to go without some good humour, date ugly women and drink light beer.

 

But I really need to snort out my bike so it's a bit more fun to ride.

[Johan Bornman]

 

As an experiment' date=' I want to change the rear wheel hub and gear cluster.

 

Without serious mods to the frame, what can I reasonably put in as a hub and gear cluster? (How many gears?)

[/quote']

 

You still haven't answered the question whether you have a 7-speed freewheel or freehub system on there. I assume it is a freewheel system which takes a screw-on cluster.

 

If you want to go from 7-speed to 8-speed you have to spread the rear drop-outs from its current 120mm to 130mm in order to cater for the 8 sprockets.

 

However, 8-speed was the least successful of all the freewheel systems since it left a large unsupported piece of axle on the right hand side of the bike with resultant axle breakages. Stick with 7-speed screw-on or convert to a freehub system. Freehubs use inboard bearings under the freehub body and elilminates the axle breaks.

 

 

 

 

How much would an 11 tooth gear help my top end from a 52 chain ring?

(The two I have in front are 52/42.)

 

 

Giant said it all. If you don't like tables' date=' take a spreadsheet and plot your gear options. Front sprocket divided by rear sprocket times 2085mm will give you the gear advancement in mm. You can then work out whether there is a big difference between 52 and 53, but I think the answer is obvious.

 

Will I need to change my chain and chain ring?

 

You only need to change your chain if you go 9-speed or above. You don't have to change your chainring to go 9-speed.

 

Where would be a reasonably good place to source the bits I need at a reasonable price?

 

Any bike shop close to you that doesn't deal exclusively with dikwiel bikes.

 

Is it important to go for the latest technology or does someone have any "older tech"  that is just gathering dust and needs a good home for it?

 

Stop begging' date=' spend the dosh or do with what you have.

 

 

How often should one change / renew a chain?

 

When it has elongated by 1%. This topic is covered here every forthnight with a great barney accompanying it. Search for 1%

 

[Wyatt Earp]

Stretch

 

http://www.answers.com/stretch

 

Elongate

 

http://www.answers.com/elongate

[Sean Badenhorst]

 

Stretch

 

http://www.answers.com/stretch

 

Elongate

 

http://www.answers.com/elongate

 

What? Are you implying that stretch and elongate mean the same thing?

 

 

 

 

[Wyatt Earp]

The definitions are mighty similiar.

[Slave]

JB. Thanks that was quite enlightning.

 

The current system I have is a six speed cassette. One on those that screws onto the hub.

 

To change that, I assume I would have to change the hub, which probably means that I will have to change the rim as well.

 

I guess you see right through me. I have been holding my hat on my hand. However, the idea is that if the modification can be done sucessfuly, then, yes,I will spend the cash and go with it as a permanent mod and buy a new hub, casette and rim.  

 

I just don't want to throw good money at something that could become a major disaster. In other words, the mod fails and I end up having to buy a new bike anyway.

 

I know that the current gearing is about 23 / 13 with its six speed casette. It was kindly donated by my neighbour and the wheel is older than the one I had which has a 24 14 casette. Even though the wheel I have is older, the gearing helps get a bit more speed and the teeth are at least in good nick.

 

I kind of wore out the smallest of my cogs on the 24 14 cluster and the wear is very evident, to the extent that sometimes the chain would slip on that gear if I applied any big pressure on pull away or to get speed up an incline.

 

AS regards chain wear. I will have to look into the links (no pun intended) and find out how to measure this. I guess it would not be a bad idea given that I have done a fair amount of mileage on the current one.  Sure won't hurt to put a new one on.

[Johan Bornman]

JB. Thanks that was quite enlightning.

 

The current system I have is a six speed cassette. One on those that screws onto the hub.

 

 

OK' date=' in that case it would be a freewheel system, not freehub and strictly speaking using a cluster, not a cassette.

 

QUOTE=Slave2Love']

 

To change that, I assume I would have to change the hub, which probably means that I will have to change the rim as well.

 

 

 

That's right. That's right. You can go from six-speed freewheel to 7-speed freewheel without bending open the frame. However, your problem is not one of finding a greater choice of gears but a smaller small sprocket so you have a higher gearing. IIRC, the screw-ons limited you to 13 as the smallest (it may be 12, but definitely not 11).

 

Further, freewheels are now extinct in South Africa. The only screw-on freewheel for 7-speed is made for crappy MTBs and the smallest sprocket on those is a 14, with the largest a ridiculous 32 or something like that.

 

The freewheels are totally extinct. Unless you can find one in an old-timer's garage, give up on the system or learn to spin faster.

 

You've run out of options. To go any further, you have to convert to a freehub system. Put a Wanted ad on the hub for a freehub 7-speed or 8-speed wheel. There must be plenty of them available now that most people have downgraded to 9 and 10-speed.

 

I won't bother having a new wheel built for that bike. You can get a secondhand bike cheaper than the cost of one new wheel.

 

Search the Hub for 1% - you'll find all the chain info you'll ever need in one of those threads. Look for the thread where Mampara posted a nice graphic on chain measurements.

 

 

 

 

[Slave]

Thanks JB.

 

You really are quite the fundi. I find your posts techinically good with generally easy-to-understand language / terminology and this helps a newby like myself.

 

One reason I mentioned the experimental phase of the project is that it will give me a bit more experience, as well as time to build up some knowledge, and a good foundation to attack my time limit for next years 94.7.

 

I did mention that I wanted to get under 3 hrs and to me that means I will be happy with 2 hr 59.

 

So, I plan to try out a few options (if possible) while I hunt for a reasonably bike to ride with more up-to-date tech.