URGENT Bike question on rear Cassette - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Peyton300TD · #1 04-30-2003, 05:21 PM

hey, my rear wheel was ripped off my Trek 8900. Everything on this bike was Shimano XT and XTR. i am looking on ebay for a new XT cassette and I'm not sure what to look for.

will anything work as long as it is the correct 8speed?

do the number of teeth matter?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3605473149&category=42332

anyways please please please help if you know the answer!

thanks

eric

engatwork · #2 04-30-2003, 06:29 PM

Number of teeth do not matter. That will just change the ratio - how hard/easy it is to pedal.

73MB280SEL · #3 04-30-2003, 07:55 PM

Howdy,

I'm still riding on Shimano XT 8 speed cassettes on my Klein. I need to upgrade to 9 speed because the 8 speed parts are getting harder to find.

Anything should work, the only real limitation is the large cog. It can possibly run your deralier out of teeth capacity: That is, when you are in the small chainring and the small cassette gear the chain is too loose OR when you are in the large cassette and large chainring it is too tight/won't go. Not too likely with a mountain bike as the deraliers have more teeth capacity.

The one I have is an 11 tooth small cog and a 30 tooth large cog. They used to come in several sizes (11-30, 12-32, and some others), but the change was minimal.

To change it you will need the correct cassette tool and a chain whip ( and a big breaker bar to turn the cassette tool). These are on there TIGHT, if you've never changed one before. The Shimano cassete comes with a new lockring, so if you order that part, you should get everything you need.

When you change your cassette, you SHOULD replace your chain as well. It depends on how worn out your chain is, but if you have a worn out chain and put a new cassette on it, it will probably skip shift under power and accelerate the wear of the new cassette. You can have it checked with a chain checker or you can examine your old cassette to see how worn it is.

The easiest thing to do is take the new one to your local bike shop and have them put it on. They can also check the chain if you don't have a chain checker.

Shimano XT 8 spd stuff is probably the best bargain in mountainbiking. That deal on ebay is pretty darn good as I've paid 50 bucks for these.

EDIT: I'm taking that you DO have 8 speed stuff, the current standard in Shimano is 9 speed and the two are NOT compatible as far as I know. I believe the 9 speed chain is narrower and won't work with the 8 speed cassette.

Also, if you had a wheel ripped off in the sense that someone stole it, it is often easier to order a prebuilt wheel from one of the internet houses.

Sholin

Peyton300TD · #4 04-30-2003, 09:52 PM

sholin thanks a lot! do you wanna sell your old XT 8speed?

i missed the auction because im so scatterbrained.

yea.. my bike is in good shape, it's a Trek 8900 hartail.. all XT and XTR. i used to race it.

my friend just has a 1973 280SEL you may have been talking to him. jas2wa is his handle. it's a beautiful one and im very jealous now.

cheers

eric

BENZ-LGB · #5 05-01-2003, 12:21 AM

If they took out your entire rear wheel, then you will need both the wheel and the casette. If your previous casette was an 8-speed model, then you need to replace it with an 8 speed casette. First, your rear derailleur may not work with the 9 speed casette and, most importantly, your shifter is designed for an 8 speed casette (it probably has 8 clicks or stops). So if you put in a 9 speed casette, and not replace the shifter, you will only be able to use 8 gears.

If your bike had an 8 speed casette it will probably have enough room in the back to accomodate the 9 speed casette, but remember, you will need to change the chain and the shifter. On my Cannondale, I have XT shifter-brake handle combination. If you do not have separate brake levers/shifters, you will need to replace the whole unit.

I guess the point is that when you start to upgrade one component you may end up replacing a lot more than you had originally envisioned.

As far as the advice to replace the chain, I will go one further. Replace the chain after every season. Chains are cheap, but derailleurs and chain rings are expensive. A worn, dirty and gritty chain is death to those expense components. Replacing a chain is cheap insurance, sort of like changing the car's oil at regular intervals.

I've bought many components from www.wheelworld.com Their prices are great. I live fairly close to one of their stores, so that works well for me.

Good luck and happy riding

Peyton300TD · #6 05-01-2003, 12:27 AM

hey thanks a lot!

yea they stole my whole rear wheel. ive bought a replacement wheel, now i just need a tire and cassette. good advice on replacing the chain ill do that.

the bike cost $2,800 new, and this has already cost me more than your average mtn bike. that's what i get for buying 19lb mtn bike for racing.

i love it though.. it's such a thrill.

eric

73MB280SEL · #7 05-01-2003, 08:15 PM

Eric,

I'd sell it too you, but there are many internet parts houses that will sell you one pretty cheap. I bought a few for safe keeping a few years back thinking that once the Shimano 9 speed stuff is out they would stop making the 8 speed cassettes. This really hasn't turned out to be the case, you can get them for a pretty good price now. I saw this deal on the Performance Bike site for the chain and cassette:

Chain and Cassette

I used to have a Trek 970 steel bike that I loved. It had straight XT shifter/brake stuff on it, but was before the side pull/cross top brakes came out. That bike was stolen, so I bought a Klein Pulse Pro. It too is a nice bike, I've upgraded to XTR wheels, and SRAM ESP 9.0 twist shifters. I think I like twist shifting more than the old trigger shift, but I may convert back to XT "standard" trigger shift on my next go around. They changed the trigger mechanism on XTR this year. I haven't tried it yet, but I didn't like what I saw at the bike shop.

I think the 8 speed stuff is stronger than the 9 speed stuff. I know they were having chain breakage problems early on, but I think they have them solved now.

I have Campagnolo Chorus on my road bike. It's 9 speed and THAT is really getting hard to find. I hate to have to convert it to 10 speed, but I've only got one source for 9 speed cassettes and chains. The Campy cassettes don't seem to last very long (although I put alot more miles on the road bike), so I've been through about 1 per year. I've heard the Campy 10 speed stuff is an improvement, but they last even less time.

One thing that helped Campy just a year or so ago is that Shimano's patent on Hyperglide expired, so Campy is now able to sell their version. They call it Ultraglide. I had bad experiences with (older) Shimano road bike drivetrain parts, but that was quite a while back. If I redid my roadbike, I'd have to consider a Durace setup instead of a 10 speed Campy setup.

Sholin