Look, I want more gears 21 just isn't good enough, and I need the easier gears too to get up the big hills I just want like more gears, more gears in the rear would be good. What is this called when I get new gears in the back, are the gears in the back called the sprocket? Please reply.

gears in back are the cassette. If you want more gears you are probably going to have to get:

new shifters
new cassette
new front derailler(?? not sure)
new rear derailleur

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...TOKEN=68573572

^^^^ everything you need to upgrade to 9spd. I guess you don't need the new front derailleur.

You don't get any easier gears with a 8/9spd setup really... typically you get a 11 or 12t intstead of a 13/14t and a smoother range of gears (less gaps in the range) up to a 32 or 34t...

This is a good oppurtunity to work on your form rather then blame the bike.

yeah, but will a 9 speed casette fit on an 8 spd hub? I'm sure some of the newer hubs are compatible with both, but a lower end hub on a somewhat older bike may not be able to take a 9 speed casette, I would say.

A 9 speed cassette WILL fit a 9 speed hub. It will NOT fit a seven speed hub

I've always had trouble climbing. Spinning my legs like eggbeaters isn't my style. neither is wasting huge energy going up a hill. I need to get more strength.

hooligan - try standing up, works for me!

I think what was meant here is that 9spd cassettes fit on an 8 or 9spd hub, but 7spd you are up a creek since its narrower.

Like I said though, on a 9spd cassette you are only getting harder gears really.

Standing up still means spinning your feet like eggbeaters, and its still hard to pedal on harder gears especially wheny our going on a long ascent.

Yeah I was trying to respond to the quoted thread while not giving Mr. Tenpound any false hope.

I've got one problem, there are only 7 speeds in the rear. Will a 9 speed fit? Can I get an 8 speed?

Damn didn't you read ANYTHING in this thread? No and No See the above posts for why you can't

I seen a 20T chainring online, and was wondering how one of these would be fit to a crank set. Seems the spider would be too large around to fit the tiny sprocket.

I don't understand the thing abourt the creek. Will a 8 speed fit And if not why?

No, the width of the freehub (thing that the cassette slides onto) is different for 7 speed vs. 8/9. If you have an 8-speed then a 9-speed will work because the overall width of the cassette is the same with 8 and 9, just the spacing between is smaller.

Also, as you move up to 9 speed, the chain gets much thinner. As a result, your chainrings (front 3 rings) are too thick and the chain will not drop down between the teeth.

Also the width of the jockey pulleys (two little cogs on the rear derailleur) will cause the same problem and the cage holding them will be too wide and cause horrible shifting.

You'll need new shifters because a shifter is designed to pull the cable a proportionate amount to the width of the cassette so one shift at the shifter equals moving the rear derailleur enough to change one gear. Since the spacing is different your shifting would always be off.