sprocket question

[lumpy]

hey, i know it's probably a dumb question...
i have a 6 speed wheel - i am only going to use one of the spockets (eliminate the derailleur) is there a way to remove the unused sprockets or should i just keep them there? will i have to do anything special to get the chain aligned properly?
thanks

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

should be a way to take off the unwanted sprockets and replace them with spacers, thus putting the one sprocket you want to use in line with your front chain ring.

what brand/model of freewheel are you using?

 

[lumpy]

it's a huffy causeway cruiser.

 

[HotRodRob]

Heres what I did with one of mine. Bought a single gear kit and spun the cassette off. The spacers that come with it give you about an inch of play where you want the gear to be. Worked great. It also came with 2 cogs, a 16 tooth and a 18 tooth.

 

[Korporal]

If it's a freewheel hub, you could get a single speed freewheel.

 

[lumpy]

if i kept the complete gear magazine and shortened the chain - how much off center can the chain be and still be ok?

 

[Korporal]

The straighter, the more efficient. One sprocket "off" from straight lose too much efficiency.

 

[deorman]

If the chain line isn't pretty close, the chain will likely pop off at some point. Maybe right away, maybe halfway up the first hill. Previously, you would have had a derailleur feeding it onto the sprocket. :|

 

[UncleKudzu]

you want a pretty good chainline. i got lucky with taking the single-speed freewheel from a junked BMX bike and putting it on in place of the (removed) gear cluster of a multi-speed bike. no spacers or special track cogs - just the single freewheel cog off a $5.00 parts bike.

 

[Sinner4]

Here are a couple of BMX Cruiser Conversions I have done. They were the 5 speed cassette, pull off the gears, rearrange, grind off the unwanted teeth and your done. The pictures should explain what I'm up to. So in essence the the rear has a chain guard on each side of the chain, no problems so far. Basically I'm using the 3rd gear in the 2nd gear spot.

There were a couple problems finding the right make and model to use. Not all cassette's work the same. To pull the gears and spacers and to rearrange them so they would fit back on the hub, some worked and some didnt.

 

[UncleKudzu]

Here are a couple of BMX Cruiser Conversions I have done. They were the 5 speed cassette, pull off the gears, rearrange, grind off the unwanted teeth and your done. The pictures should explain what I'm up to.

that's an interesting solution! so basically, the other gears in the cluster are spacers for 3rd gear?

did you break up the cluster with two chainwhips, or what? if i understand this rightly, it may fall within narrow confines of my skill-set

 

[JohnnyGooseneck]

i yanked one off a cheapie wheel and it looked like the gears were held in with a large flat nut, much like how the chainring is held to the crank. it seemed simple. for those trying to break loose the cassette, i found that the hose connector for the wand of a power washer fits right in there ( the male line fitting). you can drop it in and still have some nut left to get a wrench on and turn. no special tool needed.

 

[JohnnyGooseneck]

i yanked one off a cheapie wheel and it looked like the gears were held in with a large flat nut, much like how the chainring is held to the crank. it seemed simple. for those trying to break loose the cassette, i found that the hose connector for the wand of a power washer fits right in there ( the male line fitting). you can drop it in and still have some nut left to get a wrench on and turn. no special tool needed.

 

[Sinner4]

Here are a couple of BMX Cruiser Conversions I have done. They were the 5 speed cassette, pull off the gears, rearrange, grind off the unwanted teeth and your done. The pictures should explain what I'm up to.

that's an interesting solution! so basically, the other gears in the cluster are spacers for 3rd gear?

did you break up the cluster with two chainwhips, or what? if i understand this rightly, it may fall within narrow confines of my skill-set

Ya you need a chain whip to disassemble. The gears that come off have a special notch in them that line up and lock onto the freehub. Some of the cassettes are perfect for this, where you can rearrange the cluster and some wont work. out of 6 or 7 I tore apart 3 worked just fine. I'll have to look and see what shimano cassettes worked.

On one that I took off, Falcon Taiwan 550 are printed on the cassette bearing cover

 

[JohnnyGooseneck]

ah. i forgot the chainwhip/ strap wrench thing too. i used an impact gun cause i could. there's no need for the whip when you use one of them!

 

[UncleKudzu]

Some of the cassettes are perfect for this, where you can rearrange the cluster and some wont work. out of 6 or 7 I tore apart 3 worked just fine. I'll have to look and see what shimano cassettes worked.

cool! yeah, i've got a pile o' wheels i can dig through to see what's there.

in the absence of an impact gun like JohnnyGooseneck's preferred method, i'll have access to a chain whip at the bike co-op next week and i'll see what i can see gotta love this solution - it's free, it works, and it's ratty!

 

[UncleKudzu]

They were the 5 speed cassette, pull off the gears, rearrange, grind off the unwanted teeth and your done.

well, i've broken down a six speed cassette and it looks like there's some latitude for choosing between 2 or 3 cogs for good alignment with the middle chainring up front.

it's a darned shame, though, that more weight couldn't be eliminated, considering that you're only using the one cog. those larger cogs are pretty heavy. you addressed that to a degree with grinding... maybe i'll try that.

still a great no-cost idea for reusing parts that were just sitting around.