Bicycle Mechanics - Newbie needs some help. Derailer/Rim

Guys, I just started road riding with a group from work. I really like it alot. During our ride yesterday, my derailer flipped up over my rear cassette, and bent. Im looking to get a new one. My rear cassette, is a 5 speed, and the derailer, has the cable running into about even with the upper idler sprocket. The bike is a Schwinn Sprint. Im thinking, is it possible to buy a wheelset with maybe 8 gears, and a derailer to match? Sorry, for my inexperence, but Im trying to learn.

Not an expert but you might have a problem with the spacing between the dropouts (the little tabs your hub goes through). I think the 5spds might have 120mm whereas newer road bikes will have 126mm/130mm for 7-10spds or 135mm for MTBs.

Also, you may have a freewheel vrs a freehub and a cassette which may cause more problems or be more costly to change.

Might want to just try to find a 5-spd der and replace it, assuming the der hanger isn't bent or if it is fixable.

Anyway, like I said, I'm not an expert but I think if you can find a replacement der. I'd go for it and save your $$ for a new bike for down the road...

Jay

If you are serious about riding, this might be your excuse to buy a new (or newer) bike. Going from your 5 speed fricton shifters to 9 speed indexed & integrated shifters, and from tank to a lighter weight steel, or any other frame material for that matter, will make your rides even that much more enjoyable.

DEMON

Thanks for the advice guys. Maybe I will look around at the LBS this week and see what I like, and what fits. I have no intentions of trying to guess my size and buy something off of Ebay. It is getting close to winter here in the Mid-America, maybe I can find a good deal locally. One of the guys I rode with picked up a Trek from the local bike shop that someone had left there for repairs and never came back. The shop held it for a year, sent two registered letters, then sold it to my friend.
Thanks again...

I guess it depends on how much you want to spend. Jay is right in that you will most likely have a spacing issue if you try to put more gears in there. However, if you have friction shifters (ones that don't go "click"), as I'm sure you do, you can get any derailer and just play with the limit screws to make it work on 5 gears. Just be a little careful, I don't know anything about the Schwinn Sprint, but my brother has an old Schwinn and it seems the hanger for the rear derailer is a bit wired and we had to get creative - which is never good.

I also have to agree with Demon. Bike parts are stupid expensive and once they start breaking it just gets pointless to spend the money to replace them. Unless you have an attachment to the bike, just donate to a local bike charity and get a new one. I spent a year trying to keep an older bike going and I finally just said, "screw it" and got a fixie.

What you are trying to do is possible. Dropout spacing can be "cold set" on steel bike. Check this site as well as www. sheldonbrown.com. There are some very practical advices on this topic.

Depending on the year of the bike it may not have a built in derailleur hanger. Chances are it has a bolt on hanger. If this is the case you can buy a new derailleur for $15 or so. Do not spend any more money than that on your Schwinn. Its not worth it. I've seen used bikes in second hand stores and LBS's with 7 or 8 speeds and indexed shifting for less than $100.