Originally Posted by
Garcon
Hi, is it a structurally sound thing to do to replace my bicycle's rear gear cassette with a physically smaller one
Well, there are a bunch of things that has to be compatible, but apart from that, switching cassettes are done all the time.
Originally Posted by
Garcon
..so I can pedal faster?
If you want to
pump your legs faster, you'll want a
bigger cassette(more teeth on each sprocket), not a smaller one. If you want to
go faster, look at
the engine and the rest of the set up first.(tires, riding position...)
Most bikes will happily let a decently fit rider hit 25 MPH / 40 KMH without any tweaks to the gearing. Are you really going that fast? for extended times? frequently?
Originally Posted by
Garcon
Or would I risk collapsing some structures on the bicycle?
if it's a compatible part, and you do the job right - no.
Originally Posted by
Garcon
... If this is ok, what tools would I need and how do I go about picking a cassette from the myriad of brands
No way to tell w/o knowing a lot more about what's on the bike today.