Originally Posted by
alcjphil
I am afraid that this isn't a realistic plan. 9 speed cassettes require a different hub than the 7 speed freewheel you have now. You will need to replace pretty much all of the drivetrain components including the rear wheel. That would mean new derailleurs, shifters, rear wheel, chain, cassette and possibly the crank as well.
EDIT: your bike has a freewheel. It is not a cassette. The type of bearings your bike has are termed "cup and cone", very common of bikes in this price range. The bottom bracket spindle may also use this same type of bearings. This is very standard for a bike like yours, nothing non standard about it
This may be an option in the future. The frame is pretty decent. I did have to do some welding to add some metal to the rear tab where the B screw touches the frame. There was not enough metal for the B screw to seat against the stop and the screw was sliding down. It is great now.
Changing the wheel isn't something I want to do at this time. If I do in the future I will go with a rear disc setup. The mounting points are already there on the rear of the frame but not on the front fork. I am happy with the new Shimano rim brakes I bought since the springs were broken on the cheap ones that came with it.
Currently, I have a new crankest on order to replace the bent one. I ordered a decent one in the same configuration. Hopefully, the bottom bracket isn't bent but I will get a new one if it is. If I decide to continue upgrading this eventually I will end up with a decent bike. I like to have projects but this will cost more in the long run so I don't want to do much more than make it rideable for me until Winter.
Thanks,
Aaron