Re: IRD Freewheels : Worth 3x the cost ??

russellseaton1 wrote:

Donald Gillies wrote:

Chalo writes:

If you were going to run a 9 or 10-speed cassette, it's still
comparable. So far, there has been no expansion of gearing range
offered by higher sprocket counts.

Is gearing range a problem? Is there a need to expand it? How much
lower of a low do you need than a 34 rear cog?

That, like everything, depends on the application. But there are
plenty of folks who would use wider ranging gearing and lower lows if
they were available. All the pedicabbers I know fall into that
category.

34 is available in
7-8-9-10 cassettes and/or freewheels.

I wasn't aware that 10 speed clusters were offered with larger
sprockets than 27t or whatever it is that Shimano and Campy see fit to
produce.

Its apparent you are arguing for a wider gear range just because
it can be done even though it has no purpose. And you condemn 9-10
speed cassettes for not doing something pointless. Bizarre.

There are identifiable, quantifiable benefits to wider gearing. Maybe
not for you, but for folks who actually use their bikes and trikes for
things. For cargo bikers, velomobilists, railbikers, and electric-
assist bikers, wider gearing is obviously useful-- that is, it will
allow them to do things that can't be done, or can't be done with a
reasonable and sustainable effort, with narrower gearing.

Having ten sprockets doesn't allow _anything_ that can't be done just
as well with seven sprockets in the same overall range (besides wreck
your rear wheel).

IRD makes a 10 speed cassette in 11-34(Shimano) and
11-32(Campagnolo). Seems pretty close to 11-34 9 speed.

Agreed. I didn't know about those things because the cassette hub
manufacturers don't offer them.

As for your
12-38 7 speed freewheel, who sells that today?

That was never an off-the-shelf option. You had to build them from
Suntour Winner Pro freewheels and a couple of loose sprockets. But
you could do it with readily available parts. I did it a couple of
times.

300+% range on the cluster. Not unless its for a special purpose
bike. Sounds like the marketing for the Rohloff hub. 500+% gear
range. Only problem is the huge jumps between gears to achieve that.

"Huge" 13% jumps, eh? You sound like my sister who is only
comfortable between 72 and 74 degrees.

Maybe good for special purpose bikes. But not for ordinary enjoyable
riding.

I look around and see that most of the people in my town doing
ordinary enjoyable riding are doing it on one-speed bikes-- fixies,
cruisers, SS conversions, BMX bikes, and purpose-built SS mountain
bikes. I guess that's sort of the same in principle as an ideal 10-
speed "straight block" of 13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13 gearing, with
nice tight 0% spacing between gears.

Most of the rest of them are using derailleur bikes with no more than
seven speeds on the cluster (because the bikes are old enough or cheap
enough that they never had more gears than that). If you ask them how
much they mind their "huge" jumps between gears, they won't know what
you're talking about. The only ones with bikes whose gears have no
"huge" jumps by your standards are the kit-wearing poseurs. And if
you want to talk to them, you'll have to look on one of a select few
roads around here on Sunday morning, chase after them, and stare down
their scowls.

The rest of the week, the streets belong to those who can't possibly
enjoy riding because their gears are too far apart. Their smiles must
be about something else.

Chalo
.

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