10 speed question

[Thxcuz]

I'm replacing the friction shifters on an old bike. I put the front shifter on and it works but when the shifter is closer to me it's on the large chain ring, when its away from me it's on the small chain ring. Is this right? It seems backwards to me. But it works so maybe that's right. I'm confused.

 

[Wildcat]

That's right.

 

[Thxcuz]

Funny, the left side shifter on my (what used to be a)mountain bike is just the opposite.

 

[Thxcuz]

My next question....can I replace the 5 speed free wheel with a 6 or 7 speed one? Also do I want something like a 14 - 34 range? It's a little hilly around these parts. Would a wider range be better for a city bike in a hilly area?

 

[Wildcat]

My Raleigh has 7 cogs on it now, making it a 14 speed, but it doesn't have as low as a gear from when it was a 10 speed. The cluster's cogs aren't as wide ranged, meaning the amount of difference between gears. The old one had a bigger cog for low. so, it depends on the number of teeth on each cog on the cluster. You can get clusters for about 20 bucks at your local bike shop. If you have yours to compare, that will work best, count the teeth on the 5 cogs. If you need more hill climbing ability, get one that has more teeth on the lower gear, and vice versa.

Since your shifters are friction, and not synced for 5 speeds, you have to feel for the gears. That's good, you can get a cluster with more cogs, giving you more choice of gearing, for hilly and city at the same time.

 

[Thxcuz]

Would this work?

I like the granny gear in the back. Can I easily switch out the chainring to a tripple? I'm guessing I really don't need all those extra speeds but if I can do it easily, why the heck not.
I am really liking the friction shifters. They feel very smooth.

 

[Thxcuz]

I got a 6 speed free wheel today and installed it. The chain rubbed against stuff so I put some washers between the wheel and the frame.