Hey, I’ve recently got this old road bike and I am looking to switch the 5 gear casette for a 7-8 gears to have better (easier) climbing gears. Ideally keeping the derailleur and the friction downtube shifters. How can I go about this? I can measure whatever is neccessary. In future I will try to replace the handlebars and brake levers for drop bars when I can locate an almunium bar because ideally this bike will be silver and yellow. Thanks!
by yellowbikeowner
3 Comments
That derailleur should take up to a maximum of 28 teeth in the back. Looks like you have a freewheel on there though, not a cassette. If it’s a 5 speed currently, then you might have 120mm spacing in the back. When you take the rear wheel out, what’s the distance between the inside faces of the dropouts?
5 speed: 120mm
6/7 speed: 126mm
8+ speed: 130 or 135mm
It looks like a freewheel, not a cassette and the spec for your derailleur probably limits you to quite a tight range of gears.
Easier may be to look at the chainrings/chainset and see if you use the top gears and consider smaller ones to lower the overall gears
Don’t bother.