Gear mods for using trailer?

Myclex2

Hi,
My bike's of the car booty type, an old bog standard Raliegh with
a current low gear ratio providing 28 gear inches. I'd like to get it closer to 20 so I can tow a trailer more easily. If possible I'd like one or two higher gears too.
There's currently a five speed 14-28 cassette at the back.
Would it normally be quite straight forward to replace the current 5 speed cassette with a Shimano 9 speed, 11-34, Hyper Glide MTB cassette, given that I'd need to upgrade the gear mech and shifter too?
TIA

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All the best,
Mycle

onbike 1939

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Myclex2</i>

Hi,
My bike's of the car booty type, an old bog standard Raliegh with
a current low gear ratio providing 28 gear inches. I'd like to get it closer to 20 so I can tow a trailer more easily. If possible I'd like one or two higher gears too.
There's currently a five speed 14-28 cassette at the back.
Would it normally be quite straight forward to replace the current 5 speed cassette with a Shimano 9 speed, 11-34, Hyper Glide MTB cassette, given that I'd need to upgrade the gear mech and shifter too?
TIA

--
All the best,
Mycle
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">


No, it's far from straightforward. To increase the 5 speed cassette (are you sure it's a cassette and not a freewheel?)to 9 speed means that the space between the dropouts has to be widened ie., "cold set" the chain stays to a wider space to take the wider cassette. In fact the cost of such a change may not be worth it with your bike.
If your bike has 5 sprockets at the back then I would guess that it's a double at the front and does not have triple chain-rings. The easiest way to go, if that is the case would be to change the inner ring for a smaller one which would give you a lower gear. Changing the cassette to 11-34 would also do the trick but, as you mention, it may mean that you have to replace the FD and the RD also. Altogether you may have to consider if spending a good amount of money is worth it on this bike. You may be better off looking for a cheap mountain/hybrid bike which already has the gear range you require.

Myclex2

Thanks for the advice onbike 1939. My bike has a 3 ring on the front. Maybe none standard 'cus I put it on myself. Not sure if it's a cassette or a freewheel. Must do more study on the subject. I appreciate what you say about buying a different bike but I do get attached to old bikes, especially the more I modify them. This might be one mod too far, as you suggest.

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All the best,
Mycle

hamstercp

I pull a trailer with 22/32/42 on the front and 11-28 on the back, which I estimate is around 20". Probably the easiest way is to swap the chainsets, get an MTB set and you should get a 22T inner.

"It must be true, I saw it on the Internet!"

Myclex2

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">hamster wrote:
I pull a trailer with 22/32/42 on the front and 11-28 on the back, which I estimate is around 20". Probably the easiest way is to swap the chainsets, get an MTB set and you should get a 22T inner.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Thanks, this is what I'd prefer to do, even if it means "cold setting". Some fairly easy methods for this procedure can be found on the Web.
--
All the best,
Mycle

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All the best,
Mycle

AndyGates

You'd need to bend your frame in order to fit a new chainset? I'm confused.

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<b>No longer looking for a pennyfarthing as I've got some powerbocks instead. Casualty here I come!</b>
It is by will alone I set my ride in motion.</font id="size1">

Myclex2

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"> Andy Gates wrote:
You'd need to bend your frame in order to fit a new chainset? I'm confused.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

I'd prefer not to but if I must, as a previous poster suggested I might, then according to *some* web pages, a lever made from a piece of 3x2 an a bit of string will help to do the trick.

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All the best,
Mycle