[Spirito]

I see Harris Cylery offer some unique range shimano 9 speed cassette's ... http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/k7.html#9

How hard would this be to do myself? Looking for something in the ballpark of 14-28 to work with 9 speed shimano.

Otherwise I could go the Miche route but haven't read many positive reviews with many suggesting sub standard performance.

I have already had a look at a 14-25 and a 12-27 and see not much option to amalgamate with the cogs available on those. I've only ever had one cassette opted bike before and that had loose cogs if I recall (campy). Prior to that I've lived in an ignorant world with freewheels and cog boards.

I don't wanna sound like a retro-grouch but I find this cassette business boring ... I don't mind buying from Harris but I'm in Oz and I'd like to know if I can have a crack at it locally as shipping one cassette from Boston to Australia seems silly (think how many beers the postage cost would otherwise buy ).

What say ye?

 

[foz]

I don't know if it's possible with 9 speed shimano, but if the lower-end cassettes come with loose cogs then that would be the way to go. I remember years ago (when I used 7 and 8 speed shimano), that most of the cogs were held together with 3 bolts or rivets that were easily removed to leave the loose sprockets.
You could try a mavic cassette. They come with loose sprockets and spacers for shimano and campy 9 and 10 (at least, they did a couple of years ago!). The shifting was fine, and price was OK too. They come with a shimano spline pattern.
FWIW, campy veloce cassettes come with loose sprockets.

 

[schimanski]

It's doable and especially on Shimano 9spd. Shimano uses two types of clusters on their cassettes, others can't be taken apart and are on a carrier and others are regular cogs bolted together with small bolts. Or you can simply use the clusters you want. Just make sure you get the correct cassettes for your mix so that it can be done.

 

[Dave Hickey]

I've converted a mountain bike cassette in order to get a 28t max

Check out 8 speed cassettes in 14-32... remove the last cog and run 7speed with a spacer... That's what I'm using on my Panasonic...it's largest cog is 28t.

You could do the same thing with a 9 speed cassette..Run it as 8 cogs(w/9 speed spacing) and a spacer..


you set the limit screw on the derailleur and don't use the extra "click"

 

[Spirito]

thanks for the info and help guys !!! :thumbsup:

i have some more to think about now ... crazy ass me is thinking about throwing a spanner in the works and 650b'ing it which would suitably shorten the gearing a tad ...

 

[satanas]

Shimano do an HG-50 9 speed in 14-25. This has loose cogs and is available here in Oz. You will need to leave out one of the cogs - maybe the 18T? - and find a 28T somewhere. The cheapest source for the 28T cog is to remove it from an old MTB cassette, but it may be possible to obtain one from Shimano Oz. Note that shifting across the gap where the cog is removed will most likely be less than 100% smooth. Also, it may help to file off the large spline on the 28T cog and rotate it until the ramps line up better with the 25T, but shifting across >2T gaps is usually fine anyway. Good luck. PS: there is also an Ultegra 14-25 but this has cogs on alu carriers and so should be avoided.

 

[schimanski]

Note that shifting across the gap where the cog is removed will most likely be less than 100% smooth. Also, it may help to file off the large spline on the 28T cog and rotate it until the ramps line up better with the 25T, but shifting across >2T gaps is usually fine anyway.

I've been wondering about those ramps myself. Obviously the cogs don't line up as they do in a cassette you can buy. I've seen no change in shifting no matter how awfully the ramps mismatch and this has been a genuine surprise to me. I was waiting for lousy shifting and haven't gotten it. Have done several mixed cassettes depending on what I need. Heck, I even had a BBB 25t cog on a 12-21 Ultegra when I couldn't find a Shimano one as the biggest cog and it worked perfectly. So are the ramps just a gimmick or have I been lucky?

 

[Spirito]

Shimano do an HG-50 9 speed in 14-25. This has loose cogs and is available here in Oz. You will need to leave out one of the cogs - maybe the 18T? - and find a 28T somewhere. The cheapest source for the 28T cog is to remove it from an old MTB cassette, but it may be possible to obtain one from Shimano Oz. Note that shifting across the gap where the cog is removed will most likely be less than 100% smooth. Also, it may help to file off the large spline on the 28T cog and rotate it until the ramps line up better with the 25T, but shifting across >2T gaps is usually fine anyway. Good luck. PS: there is also an Ultegra 14-25 but this has cogs on alu carriers and so should be avoided.

that's what I thought of doing ... but alas :cryin:

 

[Al1943]

It's easily done. I've built both 13-28 and 14-28 9-speed Shimano cassettes for my wife. I bought first position cogs and a single 28, from Sheldon Brown, RIP (Harris Cyclery). If you start with a standard Ultegra (or other) 12-25 just add remove what you're not going to use and add the 28 on the backside. You'll have an extra spacer from the middle to put between the 25 and 28. Shifting performance will not be a problem.

Al

 

[ericm979]

I've also built a 9sp 13-28... take a 12-25, solo 28t cog, and an outer 13t cog. Put the 28t cog on the hub, a spacer, then the 12-25 minus the 12 and 13, then the outer 13t cog.

Doesn't work with 10sp though- the 10sp inner cog is dished. And you'd better have a steel or Ti freehub body. The 28t cog will eat an aluminum freehub.

 

[Spirito]

It's easily done. I've built both 13-28 and 14-28 9-speed Shimano cassettes for my wife. I bought first position cogs and a single 28, from Sheldon Brown, RIP (Harris Cyclery). If you start with a standard Ultegra (or other) 12-25 just add remove what you're not going to use and add the 28 on the backside. You'll have an extra spacer from the middle to put between the 25 and 28. Shifting performance will not be a problem.

Al

thanks Al ... the penny has dropped :thumbsup:

 

[Spirito]

I've also built a 9sp 13-28... take a 12-25, solo 28t cog, and an outer 13t cog. Put the 28t cog on the hub, a spacer, then the 12-25 minus the 12 and 13, then the outer 13t cog.

Doesn't work with 10sp though- the 10sp inner cog is dished. And you'd better have a steel or Ti freehub body. The 28t cog will eat an aluminum freehub.

grazie mille professore ... and thanks for the tip regarding the freehub .. I hadn't considered that and now understand their design methodolgy a lot better.

beauty :thumbsup:

 

[satanas]

that's what I thought of doing ... but alas :cryin:

The sprockets are either bolted or riveted together. Either undo the bolts from the rear of the cassette with a 2mm allen key or grind off the rivet heads then punch the rivets out. Easily fixed!