Shimanos

[Bigbee]

It seems that Shimano pretty much have all the business for e-bike gears.I remember reading some thing about gears on here,Ive searched but cant find it.Some one was upgrading their Wisper gears or using the same gears that Wisper use to upgrade another make?Most of the cheaper bikes seem to use Tourney.Theres several other models of Shimano's,I dont know the price difference, quality,or performance.Would Tourney be ok for me,Im not a big cyclist( ie miles,not body!).Would I notice the difference between any of the gears?What is the difference in models?Lastly a 32 cog is a lower gear than 28,yes?does it make much difference?Sorry for the questions but Ive seen a bike I may get this Weekend for the missus

 

[Mussels]

I have changed my Wisper gears but I'm not the only one.
Your general questions about gears are probably explained by Sheldon Brown.
By Shimano I guess you are referring to the freewheel at the back, I have recently changed mine to a Suntours freewheel and noticed why I shouldn't have. Shimano have designed a removal tool which is better than most others, It fits very well and can take the high force needed to undo the thread. My Sun Tours freewheel has a couple of small lugs recessed into the freewheel which will be nowhere as easy to remove.

 

[Vikki]

I may not get my facts absolutely bang on here as it was more decades ago than I care to remember but in my day as a young girl all my brother and his mates would talk about was what gears were best on their bikes - Simplex (American?) or Campagnollo (Italian). I had Simplex on my bike and that was as far as my thoughts went on the matter, it changed my gears so what did I care But the guys had their camps and each was truly entrenched in it. I wonder if my bro' still remembers that? He was will into Simplex.

Apols in advance for incorrect spelling of Campagnollo if it is incorrect.

Best regards.

Vikki.

 

[Bigbee]

Hi

Why did you change your gears?By Shimano Im referring to the bit that hangs down from the back wheel and has Shimano written on it.Plus the gear changers on the handlebars.

I have changed my Wisper gears but I'm not the only one.
Your general questions about gears are probably explained by Sheldon Brown.
By Shimano I guess you are referring to the freewheel at the back, I have recently changed mine to a Suntours freewheel and noticed why I shouldn't have. Shimano have designed a removal tool which is better than most others, It fits very well and can take the high force needed to undo the thread. My Sun Tours freewheel has a couple of small lugs recessed into the freewheel which will be nowhere as easy to remove.

 

[Mussels]

Hi

Why did you change your gears?By Shimano Im referring to the bit that hangs down from the back wheel and has Shimano written on it.Plus the gear changers on the handlebars.

The hanging down bit is the derailer (or derailleur or rear mech) and does the gear changing.
I changed my chainring firstly to lower the overall gearing and make riding up hills easier.
I changed the chainring, chain and freewheel recently because it had all worn out. I also stripped the cage on the rear mech to clean and regrease, I didn't need to replace the whole thing.
I get the feeling you want to change something about your bike, there may be more than one way of doing it.

 

[murphy61]

My first bike had Sturmey Archer gears. I was reminded of them the other day when my new 18 tooth sprocket arrived from 50 cycles- it was made by Sturmey Archer. They have a fascinating historical section on their website:

Sturmey Archer

 

[Lloyd_50cycles]

Shimano are the biggest player in the gear industry. Other good brands out there are Sram and Campag. Campag are better known for their road groupsets. Sram operates on a different ratio of cable pull, so compatibility is a bit of an issue.

With regards to upgrades you can upgrade your gears and still keep a Shimano system. It's easiest. By the sounds of it you have a freewheel system. This means your rear cogs have the freewheeling mechanism in them, and the whole assembly screws on to the rear hub.

The "upgrade" is to change to a cassette style hub. Meaning the freewheeling bit is contained in a sealed "freehub". These last longer, and are replaceable when they wear out.

Generally these are 7spd and above, and freewheels are 7spd and below. If you upgrade though you are looking at changing the shifter, rear hub, cassette and chain. More than likely the chainrings also. It is a pricy upgrade, but will offer you a slightly better gear range, smoother + quicker shifting, and a lighter system. One downside is that narrower chains (as found on 8,9+10spd systems) do tend to wear quicker.

This is one reason why I am a fan of the Shimano hub gears, they have the benefits of a wide gear range, but running a thicker, single speed chain they last much longer.

If you are looking to upgrade a derallieur system though, you can't go far wrong with Shimano deore 9spd. It tends to be the benchmark for quality derallieur systems. If you want to really spend some money, it is worth looking at Shimano XT equiptment. The Sram equivalent is x7 and x9, the main difference being that Sram equiptment feels a bit more "chunky" I find. The gear shift has a bit more of an industrial feel to it(due to the 1:1 cable pull ratio). Some like it, some hate it. A bit like Marmite I guess.Only Marmite won't do your gears any good.

 

[flecc]

Lloyd's excellent advice is for normal rear wheels of course. If you were also contemplating upgrading the Wisper gears, it's rear motor can only use a multi-sprocket freewheel and not a cassette.

And yes, a 32 tooth rear sprocket is a lower gear than a 28 tooth one.
.

 

[Lloyd_50cycles]

Ah I see, in that case there is still a great little upgrade you could do. Sunrace (part of Sturmey Archer in Holland) make a screw on 9spd freewheel. It is specially upgraded for use with electric motors, and is extra durable. It means that you could run Shimano 9spd shifters and rear mech.

I have actually just ordered one myself for a special little "project" I'm building here...... So will be able to tell you if they're any good soon!

 

[Mussels]

And yes, a 32 tooth rear sprocket is a lower gear than a 28 tooth one.

I wasn't sure which cog he was talking about, a 32 tooth chainring is a higher gear than a 28 tooth one. The confusion is why I prompted Bigbee for his intentions.

 

[Bigbee]

Blummy Lloyd,you've fried me brain!

I havent got a bike to upgrade.Ive seen an unbranded bike for sale locally which appears to have good components.Its got Tourney gears which are their lowest spec/quality by all accounts.I just wondered if a novice like me would notice the difference between these and more expensive parts?

 

[Bigbee]

I wasn't sure which cog he was talking about, a 32 tooth chainring is a higher gear than a 28 tooth one. The confusion is why I prompted Bigbee for his intentions.

Mussells I havent got a clue what Im doing! Chain ring is the one by the pedals,I read about that earlier.Any one fancy being the first in my bike repair shop?

 

[Bigbee]

whoops! posted twice,medication time.......................

 

[Mussels]

Mussells I havent got a clue what Im doing! Chain ring is the one by the pedals,I read about that earlier.Any one fancy being the first in my bike repair shop?

Ah, I'm pretty new to all this so can't give an opinion comparing systems, I would be wary of unbranded ebikes though.

 

[flecc]

Blummy Lloyd,you've fried me brain!

I havent got a bike to upgrade.Ive seen an unbranded bike for sale locally which appears to have good components.Its got Tourney gears which are their lowest spec/quality by all accounts.I just wondered if a novice like me would notice the difference between these and more expensive parts?

I doubt you would notice much difference of any importance. The more expensive sets can give the smoother slicker gear changing that can be important in competitive riding and long distance riding, and the better components would stand up to heavy use, wearing better.

But for average intermittent use, the Tourney and similar will be perfectly adequate.
.

 

[Danny-K]

Lastly a 32 cog is a lower gear than 28,yes?does it make much difference?Sorry for the questions but Ive seen a bike I may get this Weekend for the missus

As you've gathered by now Bigbee, a 32 rear sprocket will deliver an easier gear to push than a 28 toothed sprocket. How much easier? Well not by a terrific amount - but certainly enough to notice the reduced effort.

Usually, the answer is given in inches to help compare further. Presupposing the chainwheel is similar toothed to that of the Wisper you mentioned at 48 teeth, then a 32 sprocket would fall to an 'easier' 39 inches
- down from the previous 45 inches of the 28 sprocket. A reduction of 6 inches.

Without a motor, and in a very hilly area, 39 inches would not really be low enough IMO. But with an e-motor it should suffice easily.

If you're interested further in gear inches here's the UK's CTC gear chart page, it's preset for the 26 inch mtb wheel with average tyre widths and cranks likely to be found on e-bikes. (Displayed in a spreadsheet) -

http://www.ctc.org.uk/resources/About_the_Bike/GEARTABL.XLS