Freewheel or Cassette?
03-23-10 | 11:56 AM
#1
Thread Starter
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Joined: Mar 2010
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Freewheel or Cassette?
You may or may not have seen that I posted a thread up a few days ago asking whether it was worth building up a Dawes Sterling I'd gotten my hands on or not. Well I've decided that I will and what I'm about to start is with the drivetrain. I want to get a new cassette but I'm not sure if it is a cassette or a freewheel... and Sheldon Brown has made sure I don't go and waste money on the wrong one before I'm sure. So do any of you guys know which it will be?
I had a look and I think that it I can see the splines on the lockring, and they turn with the sprockets when spun backwards (so it would be a cassette yeah?).... but.... it only has 6 sprockets so I wasn't sure (as from what I've read this seems quite few for a cassette).
Any ideas guy?
Rob.
I had a look and I think that it I can see the splines on the lockring, and they turn with the sprockets when spun backwards (so it would be a cassette yeah?).... but.... it only has 6 sprockets so I wasn't sure (as from what I've read this seems quite few for a cassette).
Any ideas guy?
Rob.
Last edited by jh08rk; 03-23-10 at 12:07 PM.
03-23-10 | 12:44 PM
#3
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 2,025
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From: Boston area
Bikes: 1984 Bridgestone 400 1985Univega nouevo sport 650b conversion 1993b'stone RBT 1985 Schwinn Tempo
The sort answer is no. Cassettes come in all different combinations and widths. If you post a bicture, someone would be able to help.
03-23-10 | 02:02 PM
#4
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 12,948
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From: England
Freehubs with splined freewheels require lockings to keep the sprockets in place. The lockring has a splined inner hole (as does a freewheel) but also some rotation instructions such as
lock-->
Freewheels have no instructions and no separate lockring.
lock-->
Freewheels have no instructions and no separate lockring.
03-23-10 | 03:35 PM
#5
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,521
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From: Montreal
Bikes: Peugeot Hybrid, Minelli Hybrid
Shimano Uniglide cassettes came in 6 speeds. These had identical splines all around, so to put a modern cassette on you would also have to get a new freehub body. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/k7.html
03-29-10 | 08:04 AM
#8
weirdo
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,962
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From: Reno, NV
Um... if it`s a casette freehub with 6 sprockets, it`s probably a Uniglide, as Andrew P mentioned, and will require some surgery to fit an XT 7 to 9 speed cassette. Not to be offensive, but if you don`t even know whether you have a freewheel or a casette on your hands, you`re going to need some help for that. There`s also the possibility that it`s a Suntour or some other type that will never accept a cassette. You might as well bring it to a bike shop now and have the mechanics check it out and explain your options. If I were you, and really wanted to get more gears on that bike, I`d probably just go the easy route and replace the rear wheel with a newer one.
