B-b-b-b-b-b-bicicle Rider
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Racine WI
Posts: 749
Bikes: 1997, stumpjumper S-works hardtail, Medici, Giant Perigee(track dropouts and fixed gear), Columbia twosome, schwinn twinn, '67 raleigh 5 speed internal hub, Old triumph 3 speed, old BSA 3-speed, schwinn Racer 2spd kickback, Broken raysport criteriu
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Pests explaination is great, but I'm even a tad overwhelmed by it. I think the original post needs a simpler version.
Freehub is the part on more modern bikes that ratchets and therefore allows you to pedal when you want and coast when you want.
Cassettes slide over the freehub, they are the actual gears with the teeth that the chain catches onto. So long as the freehub is long enough or you make some sort of sleeve that slides over the freehub, you can theoretically change your number of gears by just manufacturing different spacing between your cogs to make them closer or farther apart to squeeze in more or take out a few cogs.
FREEWHEEL: On older multi speed bikes the freehub and the cassette were inseperable, if you replaced one you replaced the other. I think the max # of gears i've ever seen on a freewheels was 5 different cogs. This is basically what BMX bikes have, but with only 1 gear back there.
Fixed Gear: the one gear is fixed to the hub, it will not allow you to coast, you cannot coast, you must always pedal your legs unless you're trying to stop the bike or it is already stopped. If the wheel is spining, so are your pedals. Advantage? forwards or backwards are both A-Okay.