Cassette question

[pubrunner]

My bike currently has 700C x23 wheels/tyres, Campagnolo gear changers on downtube, Campagnolo front derailleur, old Compagnolo Nuovo Record rear derailleur, 5 speed screw in cassette.

Could a cassette with 6 or 7 gears be fitted to replace the 5 speed on that wheel?

If I were to buy a replacement rear wheel which already had a 7 speed screw in cassette, would my rear derailleur still operate effectively ?

Thank you for your replies !!! (and patience!!!)

 

[Chrisz]

Are your levers friction or index? If they are friction then you should (with a little fiddling) be able to get them to play with each other ok.

If they are index then probably not.

 

[e-rider]

it sounds like you have an old frame which will have a narrower spacing between the dropouts (narrower than modern road frames which are 130mm) this will make buying a replacement wheel complicated.

 

[PpPete]

If a steel frame it can always be spread to take modern axle. Sheldon gives instructions.
You won't be able to put a cassette straight on a wheel designed for a screw on freewheel

 

[swee'pea99]

Basically, the answer to your question is yes - and it's really worth doing.

Five gears gives you one low that you seldom use, one high ditto, and three for 95% of your riding, with quite big gaps between. With seven, you have five 'middle gears', typically with two-tooth rather than four-tooth gaps, which gives you a much more flexible and smooth progression through that mid-range where you do most of your riding.

Now, two things: first, if you replace your 5-speed block with a 7-speed, there's fiddly work to be done. It's perfectly doable, but you'll need to be fairly confident and competent at diy. Basically, you need to shift the cones on the axle, and 're-dish' the wheel. A new wheel with a 7-speed already fitted saves you that hassle.

Second, your nuovo record (a 24-carat classic, in passing, and one of the nicest bits of design + engineering ever to grace a bike) will need adjusting, to cover the wider range. Look for two little screws: one to limit how low it will go, t'other how high. Both will need unscrewing, to increase the range.

Oh, one other: as mentioned above, your frame will be too narrow for the wheel with the wider block. People will tell you you need to 'cold set' it - ie, bend (or get someone else to bend) the rear triangle so it's wider, for the wider wheel. It's not so. You can bend it yourself as you put the wheel in the frame. It's a bit of a bugger, and you need to apply a bit of welly, but it's not so bad.

Go for it. You'll never regret it.

 

[swee'pea99]

You won't be able to put a cassette straight on a wheel designed for a screw on freewheel

Quite true. People use the term 'cassette' when what they mean is freewheel. Cassettes (as on all modern bikes) slot on; freewheels (on old bikes like yours) screw on.

 

[pubrunner]

[quote name='swee'pea99']Quite true. People use the term 'cassette' when what they mean is freewheel. Cassettes (as on all modern bikes) slot on; freewheels (on old bikes like yours) screw on.[/quote]

Suddenly, I understand !!! Both of my bikes have freewheels, NOT cassettes - many thanks for clarifying that for me !!!

Many thanks to everyone for the replies !

 

[pubrunner]

Are your levers friction or index? If they are friction then you should (with a little fiddling) be able to get them to play with each other ok.

If they are index then probably not.

Due to the age of them, I assume that my levers are friction.

Thanks for your reply !

 

[swee'pea99]

Friction means they don't 'click' into each gear. Yours almost certainly are friction.