# Upgrading Cassette



## bfldworker (Jul 5, 2015)

I am still quite new to hands on mechanical work on bikes in general. I am currently in the middle of doing a complete overhaul of my bike (lubing, replacing worn out parts, etc, etc) and upgrading some parts as well. 

One of the pieces I am replacing is the rear cassette. The bike currently has a 7 speed cassette and I saw that there are 10 and 11 speed cassette.

The question is what advantages are their to upgrading to a 10 or 11 cassette from a 7 speed one.


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## apuking (Mar 3, 2015)

I think for that you would need a new wheel first as for Shimano 8,9,10and 11 speed share the same hub but 7 is of a different diameter.
also if you change to more gears you will also need a Shifter and derailleur with the same amount of speeds as the cassette.
Im assuming if your bike is a 7-speed its probably not a high-end bike so its probably not very cost effective to upgrade here.
Ride what you have now and when you start biking more and getting more into it, get a new and better bike.


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## falconpunch79 (May 30, 2012)

10-11 speed drivetrains will have smaller jumps between gear ratios, assuming you have the same range in gears. That said, 10-11 gear cassettes tend to have more options with gearing. You will need to change out the derailleur, shifter and chain (possibly cable and housing as well). The wheel may need to be dished, depending on the width of the new cassette. All of this assumes your bike has a freewheel and not a freehub, which I think some 7 speeds have.

I recently made this switch on my wife's bike. The low-end 7 speed drivetrain never stayed in tune, so we swapped the whole thing out for Deore (shifters, derailleurs, cassette/crankset). If you don't have any issues, I wouldn't bother with it. I paid $200 for parts and did the work myself, but I imagine it could get costly if you pay someone. My wife loves her bike fit, and she doesn't abuse bikes so we felt the investment was sound, since a Deore drivetrain will likely last her decades if we take care of it. But if you're mountain biking, I'd just save up for the next bike


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## bfldworker (Jul 5, 2015)

apuking said:


> I think for that you would need a new wheel first as for Shimano 8,9,10and 11 speed share the same hub but 7 is of a different diameter.
> also if you change to more gears you will also need a Shifter and derailleur with the same amount of speeds as the cassette.
> Im assuming if your bike is a 7-speed its probably not a high-end bike so its probably not very cost effective to upgrade here.
> Ride what you have now and when you start biking more and getting more into it, get a new and better bike.


This bike is 17 years old. 1998 Jamis Dakar Sport. First "Shop quality" bike I bought. I have kept up on the bike since day one. And this bike and I have a lot of fun history. I don't want to scrap her because of age. She wasn't a high end bike. But she is sound and true.


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## elcaro1101 (Sep 1, 2011)

Being attached to your bike unheard of on the forums, but you also don't need to "scrap" it to get something new. Technology has come so far in the bike world that for a similar bike to yours, you will spend about $250 at WalMart.

To upgrade isn't just changing the number of gears on the rear wheel. You will need a wheel with freehub for 9/10/11 speeds, derailleurs front and rear, new cables and housing, shifters front and rear, new chain, new cassette, and all the tooling to change the parts if you plan on doing it yourself. This means the old style tooling to remove the parts you have on there now, and new tooling to put on the new parts depending on your choices.

If you have a giant wad of cash you feel like throwing at a project, go for it, but you would be better off putting that money towards a new bike. Just lean that bike against the garage wall, and taking it out when you are feeling nostalgic.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

This thread's making my head hurt a little.

OP, I'm not a bike catalog, but I was curious enough to look up your bike. Definitely better than Walmart quality. Better components, nicer steel in the frame, freehub rear wheel. You won't get those at Walmart.

For me, more cogs are usually a "have my cake and eat it too" proposition. I like having a fair amount of range, especially for a bike I ride off road or commute on. I like having small steps between gears, especially on a bike I ride athletically. With 10 cogs, I can have both. While diameter has nothing to do with it, one of the above posters was correct in saying you probably can't do that with your current rear wheel. IME, older bikes are best maintained period or I end up opening up a Pandora's Box of compatibility problems.

So my suggestion would be that as long as all you need are wear parts, you keep it seven speed. If you need a new rear wheel anyway, wtf, get one that's 8/9/10 compatible. With a spacer, you can still run seven speed cassettes until you're ready to do a bigger project. Your current derailleur should handle nine speed if it's in good shape but Shimano broke compatibility at ten. Honestly, ten suffers badly from diminishing returns anyway.


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## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

^ i agree

it's way better than a Walmart quality bike

if you decide to do it, go with 9 speed. cheaper parts with the same range as 10 sp.


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## elcaro1101 (Sep 1, 2011)

My point was the movement of technology, I am in no way down talking the OPs bike.

Look here: 29" Mongoose Ledge 3.5 Men's Mountain Bike, White/Red - Walmart.com

Every technology on the OPs bike, plus some for less than $250.


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## phlegm (Jul 13, 2006)

I think the gist - and everyone seems to agree - is that it isn't worth forcing an upgrade on the bike. Should something break, then you might replace with newer, but it will start to get expensive relative to the value of the bike. 

Sentimental value may alter that equation.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

bfldworker said:


> This bike is 17 years old. 1998 Jamis Dakar Sport. First "Shop quality" bike I bought. I have kept up on the bike since day one. And this bike and I have a lot of fun history. I don't want to scrap her because of age. She wasn't a high end bike. But she is sound and true.


17 year old bike with 7spd? Rear hub spacing will probably not match current bikes.

Sheldon Brown's site says it's theoretically possible. But that's a rabbit hole you do NOT want to enter if you're new to working on bikes.

Shimano and Shimano-compatible 7-speed cassettes

Do not pass go. Do not upgrade this bike. Keep it as a 7spd.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

I'd likely just stick with 7 speed also. Not much bang for the buck going up to 8 or 9 from there. 

No comparison to a Walmart bike quality-wise. The Wally World bike might use some of the same words in it's description, but that's where the similarity ends.

I wouldn't go taking every thing written in this thread as gospel as far as mechanical advice goes either - there's some questionable/unclear advice in a couple of the posts above (Andrew is right on tho).


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## Joules (Oct 12, 2005)

Harold said:


> 17 year old bike with 7spd? Rear hub spacing will probably not match current bikes.


false. In 1998 135mm spacing was standard on mountain bikes. 7 speed started showing up in the late 80s, 135mm mtb and 130mm road spacing came with it. That was before there was an internet for everyone to complain about new standards.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

On a "keep it stock" front, if your current system is just old and used, which is a good thing, replace the chain and cassette. I'm assuming it's a freehub/cassette setup, and not a freewheel setup. Shimano makes a 7-speed cassette that's something like 11-28T for $15. Grab a KMC 7/8 speed chain for another $10 and go to town. Tools you'll need are a chain breaker, chain whip wrench, and a cassette removal tool. If it's a freewheel, you'll need a freewheel tool (need to look up which one you'll need or just have the LBS do it for $5) and a chainbreaker. 

Might need to change the front chainrings too, and possibly the bottom bracket.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Joules said:


> false. In 1998 135mm spacing was standard on mountain bikes. 7 speed started showing up in the late 80s, 135mm mtb and 130mm road spacing came with it. That was before there was an internet for everyone to complain about new standards.


my first mtb was 8spd in the late 90's, so 7spd predates me.

According to Sheldon Brown's page I linked above (which was mum on hub spacing), the freehub body IS different, though. You would still have to muck around with the wheel to make an upgrade work.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

I actually have an old 7-speed freehub wheel at home. the freehub is shorter, and you cannot fit an 8/9/10 speed cassette on it. The width is still 135mm though. 

When they went 8-speed, they shifted the spoke flange in one gear's width and used a longer freehub. When disc came about, the shifted the non-drive side flange in and told you to use higher spoke tension, but less spokes, and then you tore spokes through the rims. Manufacturers then recommended we buy new wheels. It's almost like they planned it.


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## bfldworker (Jul 5, 2015)

Harold said:


> my first mtb was 8spd in the late 90's, so 7spd predates me.


I feel ancient now. J/K


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## bfldworker (Jul 5, 2015)

Ok, I was hoping it was possible. I started looking at the prices for a new parts to do this. I could go cheap, but I have learned through my experience repairing computers that going cheap isn't always the best option. Getting parts that won't crap out after 1000 miles to upgrade this would cost me a little over half the price of a new quality bike.

@AndrwSwitch Sorry about making your head hurt.

Thanks everyone


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

^^^
It wasn't you that made my head hurt. 

My advice is to keep this project in the back of your mind and if/when you need a new rear hub anyway, get one that will take a 8/9/10 cassette. They're easier to find lately anyway.


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