I did - the tip of one of the star ratchets cracked off and broken-off tip held the star mechanism faces apart, causing me to fall flat on my face in traffic. The effect was similar to snapping a chain. It doesn't seem a common mode of failure, and that freewheel always had a slightly unusual noise (sort of an unstable buzz) when rolling.
Thanks for the info. Sounds like it's worth the punt.I did - the tip of one of the star ratchets cracked off and broken-off tip held the star mechanism faces apart, causing me to fall flat on my face in traffic. The effect was similar to snapping a chain. It doesn't seem a common mode of failure, and that freewheel always had a slightly unusual noise (sort of an unstable buzz) when rolling.
Context: bike was a much-abused singlespeed commuter doing 2hrs per day every day, and I weighed about 110kg, so a gentler life might well never uncover an issue.
I got my last set from bike24 in Germany. Was ordering other bits and bundled in the shipping. About $80 from memory;Where are you guys sourcing your ratchet upgrade kits? I've got the stock 18t on some dt350 hubs and would like to upgrade. eBay is either really expensive for genuine, or super cheap for the knock offs.
https://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;product=214277;menu=1000,2,98;page=149I got my last set from bike24 in Germany. Was ordering other bits and bundled in the shipping. About $80 from memory;
If you do trials, possibly. The other key application is as a bell substitute for commuting, nothing like causing wandering tourists to leap out of the way of the approaching bandsaw quite like those high-tooth-count ratchets. Certainly beats lamely binging away with a bell.So I did the trick of slowly rotating my wheel forward and counting the clicks. Seems I have 34T.
Is the consensus that an upgrade to 54T isn't really worth it?
A lot, almost every ride. I can definitely feel the slight lag between putting the power down and the engagement. Seems more prominent since installing the oval front ring too. i think it's worth a shot if I can get a good deal somewhere.How often do you do technical climbs? and how important is it to you?
Since you're already on 36, there's better stuff out there you can spend the $135 on.
I think that's a good reason too. My local can get quite busy on weekends with n00bs, so it always helps to let them hear you approaching.If you do trials, possibly. The other key application is as a bell substitute for commuting, nothing like causing wandering tourists to leap out of the way of the approaching bandsaw quite like those high-tooth-count ratchets. Certainly beats lamely binging away with a bell.
I ride home over the Pyrmont bridge every day, playing slalom with the tourists wandering around like sick cows. At least noobs can be persuaded to pull over if they hear you coming.I think that's a good reason too. My local can get quite busy on weekends with n00bs, so it always helps to let them hear you approaching.