I have this old peugeot road bike (sorry for the bad picture), and i am thinking about restoring it with modern parts.I want to add a 7 (maybe 8 speed cassette) instead of the old 5 speed freewheel. I read online that some people had to change the rear width of the bike.Is this true and if so will it damage the bike, making it scrap?
by _Gekul_
4 Comments
I went from 6 to 7 without problems, dont know if 5 is different but I would not think it is.
8 and over requires widening the rear of the frame. I have never done that, but if made properly it would not damage the bike.
What you are referring to is “cold setting” the rear spacing (a.k.a. “over locknut distance” or O.L.D.). Older 10-speeds have an O.L.D. of 120mm. A modern road bike has 130, a mountain bike, 135. (There was also a brief period where 6- and 7-speed rear hubs were 126.) Going from 120 to 130 on a steel frame is generally feasible: see https://sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html.
I read somewhere that going up a speed generally is OK but more might be a problem. I think this is due to the wheel dish. You might just look for another set of wheels or even a donor bike with 7 speeds. You might need to cold set the frame spacing depending on the new wheel, which is not that hard.
Yes, from 7 to 8 you have to change the rear width. As this is a steel bikes it’s not a problem at all. Also, there’s a minimal chance your rear derailleur might not be able to serve the full range (unlikely), and if that’s already indexed shifting (can’t tell) that obviously would not work.