Smaller cassettes

[duggymag]

Hi there.
I have been thinking of making my cassette smaller from a 9 speed to a 5 or 6 speed. But firstly I’d just like to ask around for what combination of different sized gears people are running and that find that work really well ?

Also like to ask, if it is even possible anymore to get cassettes that are not connected to one another? (Example of connected: Sram PG970)
Cheers guys

 

[Sean]

What do you mean connected PG970 duggy? There should be a long threaded bolt running through all the cogs and spacers which you can undo to disassemble it.

 

[duggymag]

Sorry Sean, what I mean is say gear 1 through to gear 4-5 on the Sram PG970 are connected together as one contraption, then the remanding gears are all separated. What im looking for is a cassette that has its gears all separated so that I can achieve my 'custom' cassette
Dose this make sense?

 

[a-line]

So you want to do what i've done to mine? Why didn't you ask me.... A SRAM PG970 (the downhill version with red spacers) is all seperate spacers to the cogs, this is what im using(11-26). I took off the top 2 and bottom 2. The reason i have done this is because it allows me to get a near straight chain line through the 3 gears i use the most without having any drag through the chain device.

 

[duggymag]

Yeah Mark, pretty much. It was after I saw yours that I realized different things about my gear changing and other things along those lines, and I thought yeah might consider taking some out.

Oh sorry there mark, I meant to say the PG980. Also your running 5 speed yeah? And what did you do with your limit screws, or did you take them out and go down to the local bolt bloke to match the thread but a longer screw?

 

[a-line]

Yeah running 5 speed. I haven't got a longer screw yet, too lazy haha. Which is why im running 1 gear higher that i never use, just incase i upshift too high it wont drop off. I should have like 5 spare cassettes in the garage that are all useable that you can make something up if you want.

 

[duggymag]

Yeah fair enough then, but I might see if I can locate a longer screw, might aswell.
yeah that would be great mark. But with the 5 speed your running, are those gears from the 9 speed PG970?
Because soon I was going to replace my cassette and chain and if I could grab the spear cassettes you have and make what you have and try it out, then if im happy with it then ill just get a new PG970 and make my custom cassette.

 

[a-line]

Yeah all off a PG970. I look tomorrow and count what im using and make up something the same

 

[duggymag]

That would be awesome mate. thanks for that. and would you have any spear gear spacers lieing around aswelll ??

 

[jamie]

I removed the top 3 off the 970 cluster, running a 36th on the front. and modified the 11 tooth cog to allow it to move inboard to get a better chain alignment, and used longer screws to keep it all working sweet (I think they are 4mm x1 about 25mm long) LBS had the spacers.
keep us posted