Freehubs, cassettes and spacers!

[HovR]

Hey guys,

So I'm considering upgrading my Peugeot's wheel set from the cheap threaded hub wheel set I'm using at the moment - I'm liking the look of the Shimano RS31 wheel set (unless anyone has any other recommendations?) however due to limited budget I won't be upgrading from DT friction shifting just yet. For this reason I'm considering using an 8 speed cassette, as I've heard friction shifting with 9 and 10 speed can be finnicky!

The issue is, having never owned a freehub bike, and only having limited experience working on them, I'm thoroughly confused when it comes to cassettes and spacers. Do I need a spacer for this setup, and if so what size?

Cheers!

 

[oldstrath]

Don't know, but I use 9-speed rear with friction DT shifters and have no problem at all with shifting. Just need to be precise with it.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

An 8/9 speed freehub will take an 8 speed cassette without needing a spacer. The bigger issue is the distance between the dropouts - a road type freehub is 130mm over the locknuts. Your current setup is probably going to be 126mm over locknuts unless it's a later model or you've already modified it for a wheel with wider spacing.

 

[HovR]

An 8/9 speed freehub will take an 8 speed cassette without needing a spacer. The bigger issue is the distance between the dropouts - a road type freehub is 130mm over the locknuts. Your current setup is probably going to be 126mm over locknuts unless it's a later model or you've already modified it for a wheel with wider spacing.

Cheers for the replies! I forgot to mention that the previous owner of the frame altered the rear dropouts to 130mm OLD, so I should be fine in that respect.

To clarify, a 8 speed cassette should just drop right on this wheel set?

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Cheers for the replies! I forgot to mention that the previous owner of the frame altered the rear dropouts to 130mm OLD, so I should be fine in that respect.

To clarify, a 8 speed cassette should just drop right on this wheel set?

Oh, I may have got this wrong:

Have looked up the spec of these wheels and they are stated to be 11 speed compatible, not just 8/9/10 speed. Doing a search for further info suggests that a spacer will be required to fit an 8 speed cassette, which appears to be supplied with the wheelset. It might be worth asking the question of the supplier to confirm.