Should I get a new Cassette (Trek 4300) ???

I just bought a used Trek 4300 2004.

It had been sitting in a shed for 2 years and I got it for $125. It does has some surface rust I was able to mostly clean up. Original tires have plenty of tread. Some scratches.

I was able to take it for a good rock trail ride before purchasing and all seemed well execpt usual complaint of front derailer difficulty putting chain on top cog (expected).

During the cleaning I noticed one tooth on the second smallest cog of the cassette missing. Its a 11-32 SRAM PG830 8 - Speed.


Questions:

1)Would a SRAM 5.0 work.
2) Should I get the original ($20) or an alternate cassette (suggestions on a reliable one?).
3) How easy are these to remove and replace ; Is a chain whip really needed as opposed to the insert tool.?
4) Would I need a new chain and what type (model, brand recommended).. SRAM PC68?

My Chicago Schwin free wheel lasted 40 + years under heavy shifting. Whats happening to metalurgy these days.

If you didn't notice a problem when riding, I wouldn't bother.

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"All that we see and seem is but a dream, within a dream..."

Thanks guy.

I think what I should do is at least carry a chain tool in my backpack while offroad incase the cog causes a chain breakage. Ill look to replace the cassette at a leisurly pace then.

BTW. If only ONE cog is "bad" then you probably only need to replace the single cog ... I don't know how much it will cost you, but it shouldn't be more than $5 ... OR, find-a-friend who has some "extra" cogs in his/her toolbox.

Cogs are thinner than ones you will find on a vintage freewheel ... regardless, I've seen freewheels whose teeth were broken (I'm NOT sure how the abuse was rendered).

You generally DO need both the cassette tool + a chain whip to remove the cassette's lockring.

Carrying a chain tool is always a good idea ...

A tooth completely missing sounds strange to me. However, cassette cog teeth generally aren't all shaped exactly the same. They tend to have different shapes that are designed to improve shifting. Could this possibly be what you saw?

Im hoping so Retro. Its time to touch base with the LDS for the solutions above. The small area were I suspect the tooth is missing is rough to feel so I'm assuming a breakage of a tooth.

Ill check it out closer with an eyeloop soon.

Not uncommon for teeth to break off SRAM cassettes.

If you decided to replace the cassette, here is an online "How to":

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=48

I believe any 8 speed Sram or Shimano cassette will work.

You should also check your chain for wear. Scroll down to measuring for chain wear:

http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html#stretch

Thanks Chainstay.

Is there a quality 8-speed cassette anyone would recommend if I replace the whole cassette.

When you replace it, I would replace it with a Sram PG-850 cassette. It is one step up from your Sram pg-830 cassette, and they are plentiful and not too expensive. Paying more dollars for a higher cost one will mainly just save you a few grams of weight, which weight savings would make a meaningless difference in your performance and enjoyment of the bike.

If your chain is worn out at all according to Sheldon Brown measure method above, be sure to replace the chain too when you replace the cassette. Also, you can greatly extend the life of both your cassette and chain with regular cleaning and lubing of your chain and drive train. A cassette will generally last two or three chains. See Sheldon Brown for tips on cleaning your chain and drive train, or just do a search of the forums, or google "cleaning your bike."

At this point chaunstay Ive taken a lot of the bike apart and gave it a good cleaning new cables etc. The bike runs nice and now shifts nice in the parking lot.

Looking at the cassette, it appears the Crank large cog ring (Suntour XCC-T102 42/34/24) is more worn and its a possibility the previous owners has been breaking cassettes possibly due to changing them without a chain replacement or lots of shifting under load or tons of cross chaining under load.

I can get the 850 for $30 at the LBS (not bad) but also need to consider a front cog-set replacement also and chain. I may just ride it out until something more serious needs replacing and fix in the spring unless we have a mild winter.

I been told that repalcing just one cog is not an option.

Im in Middletown, CT by the way.