Originally Posted by
JohnDThompson
If you're concerned with losing high gears by switching to a 48T chainring, your best bet is to use a cassette hub in the rear. Freewheels with 12T small cogs are rare, and 11T cogs nonexistent.
That is my main concern--preserving my gear ratio. I like what I've got now and don't want to go backward. But I also don't want to continue sacrificing pants to bike chain grease, so a full chainguard is a must.
Originally Posted by
CliffordK
I've got a DNP Epoch freewheel on my cargo bike (2 or 3 years now). I don't have a lot of miles on it, but many of those that it has done are HARD miles. So far no issues with it. The only note is that it is slightly wider than other similar freewheels (more spacing on the back side).
A cassette would mean building a new wheel. You'd have to decide what dropout spacing you want (126 vs 130). 7 speed cassettes are a little rare, but I think still being produced.
On one bike, I have 9 speed, 126mm spacing, all using an off-center rear rim.
Maybe I'll try the Epoch out. How noisy is yours? My current freewheel barely makes a sound.
I've seen several 7 speed cassettes in production that will do (12-28). I wish they had a six. I just don't use that many gears. I'm usually either in the highest gear or the lowest and only use one or two in between (usually when I'm transitioning back to the highest) (we have a lot of steep hills and a lot of flat spaces where I live).
Originally Posted by
davidad
Yeah. That would put me down to 99" and change for the highest gear, which is lower than what I have now, unfortunately.
Originally Posted by
Barabaika
Your bike has a 5-speed freewheel. It means that your rear frame spacing is 120mm. You have to respace the rear triangle wider to 126mm in order to install a 6-speed freewheel.
If you want a cassette, you have to respace to 130mm and build a new wheel.
I think you can open your 5-speed freewheel and change individual cogs to your liking.
How easy is that to do? And does shimano make a 12 or 11T cog I can sub in? I like my current freewheel and would keep it if it were an option. And as I said above, I don't need that many gears. A 10 speed suits me just fine.