eightdip

i bought a 30t sproket (macneil) for my bike and the freewheel is still the same as it was for my 39t sproket and i have to pedal really fast. Do i have to buy a smaller freewheel or what and if so, do i need a freewheel removal tool?

CMcMahon

Well, basically you're an idiot for buying a sprocket that is too small for any freewheel.

eightdip

its not too small for any freewheel, apparently a 11t freewheel will fit it

FuzzyRyder

11 t freewheels don't exsist. You need to buy a cassette hub and get an 11t driver for it.

eightdip

what is a driver?

Brian

A fancy name for a cog.

CMcMahon

No, a driver is a single machined piece, whereas a cog is just a ring with teeth, and is locked into place with a lockring.

Brian

Functionally, what is the difference?

CMcMahon

The benefit of a driver is for freestyle riders: they require almost no maintenence; you put it on there, and you never have to tighten it or anything.

The benefit of having cogs is for racers, so that they can very quickly swap their gears; basically, it's the same idea as having a spider up front.

eightdip

that sounds good, how much?

CMcMahon

You'll need about $175 for a decent new back wheel, minimum. About $100 for just the hub, spokes, and driver if you know how to lace a wheel to you old rim, which I'm fairly certain that you're not capable of doing.

eightdip

ive seen a alex supra g rim with an eastern 11t casette driver and spokes for (im not sure about dollars, im from england) 70 pounds

eightdip

is that good?

CMcMahon

No, not really.

edit: Although, I'm sure that it'll be fine for the average nibbler.

eightdip

whats that supposed to mean?

CMcMahon

Ask Jeeves.

eightdip

good one

bmichaelx

Hahaha, that's great.

racersk66

I saw a commercial about ol' jeeves today.

enormungus

he doesnt need an entirely new wheel. he can just switch out the hubs and keep the same rim.

CMcMahon

Ahem.

hypersnazz

Cassettes with separate cogs and lockrings still have drivers (just like freecoasters), that's the part that the cog slides onto. one-piece machined cog/drivers came into being because teeny tiny nibbler gears up front mean even teenier rear cogs and the drivers for existing cassettes wouldn't take 9t cogs...the driver is physically larger than the cog would have to be. One-piece units are a workaround so companies didn't have to invent a smaller driver standard or heaven forbid a new cassette. The other issue was durability...racers usually don't run compact sprockets, which means the cogs are larger, thicker and wear longer. The fewer teeth you got wrapped around a standard sized driver body, the thinner that cog gets and the more likely you are to wear it out or snap it.

Brian

Thanks Snazzy. That's why my cruiser came with 39/16. Saving weight would only result in compromised reliability. I broke a chain once already while racing. Don't need any more broken drivetrain components.

enormungus

sorry Beerman, i missed that.

hypersnazz

And you're not saving *that much* weight with compact gearing...a handful of grams at best. Flatlanders were the first to demand tiny gears 'cause it kept their sh*t small and out of the way. Street and park riders jumped the bandwagon for that reason, and additionally because a smaller sprocket is harder to bend laterally when you smash it against concrete ledges or steel coping.