Changing gearing on 20yo bike

[ghostgum]

My wife's bike is a Malvern Star from about 1984.
Steel frame, steel wheels, alloy pedals and handlebars.
The bike is light in comparison to my old Peugeot UE8.
The 12-speed gearing is Ok for the flat bayside suburb
where she grew up, but the gears don't go low enough
for the steep hills around home, especially with
the baby on the child seat.
The gears are 14-28 on the back, and 40/52 on the front.

What are the options for changing the gearing?
Would this bike use a cluster or cassette?
Can you buy new clusters?
Can you change some cogs on a cluster?

 

[Marx SS]

I can't offer much, except that maybe that a change in rear cluster may include a new chain & front chainwheels to avoid the mismatch of running new cluster on an old chain & getting the chain jumping.
This would drive up the cost of just chainging the cluster ($40 for a 6speeder???) to over $120 for a new chain & chainwheels of a basic spec.

 

[DeF]

ghostgum wrote:
> My wife's bike is a Malvern Star from about 1984.
> Steel frame, steel wheels, alloy pedals and handlebars.
> The bike is light in comparison to my old Peugeot UE8.
> The 12-speed gearing is Ok for the flat bayside suburb
> where she grew up, but the gears don't go low enough
> for the steep hills around home, especially with
> the baby on the child seat.
> The gears are 14-28 on the back, and 40/52 on the front.
>
> What are the options for changing the gearing?
> Would this bike use a cluster or cassette?
> Can you buy new clusters?
> Can you change some cogs on a cluster?
>
>

All the answers are at sheldonbrown.com.
From 1984 6sp cluster, I'd say it's a screw on.
Getting lower gears means getting larger cogs on the
back (unlike that you can change cogs on the existing
cluster, and likely to be uneconomical if you can).
To get more gears, the easiest route maybe to put a
triple chainring on the front although that will likely
involve a new rear derailleur and possibly front as well.

I've got a bike from 1981 which was set up for touring. It's
a struggle to upgrade/replace components now as the rest of
the world has moved on. I'm flirting with the idea of replacing
the entire groupset with a 27sp set up which would be around $1000.

Hope this is some help.

Cheers,
DeF


--
e-mail: [email protected]
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[Donga]

I've just upgraded the gearing on a steel bike built in 1985 (5 speed I
think). I put on an Ultegra 9 speed group set that I'd taken off
another bike. It went on fine, with two exceptions. First I had to
spread the rear-end to take the wider axle - I found an article on the
web on how to do this and it was easy enough. Then I had to get a
longer chain, because the chainstays on the old bike were long. Oh, and
I needed new cables that were longer. Job done!

An alternative to a triple set is the new compact chainsets - two
chainrings, but a smaller spider so they fit a smaller inner ring than
the conventional spider can.

 

[dej]

"ghostgum" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> My wife's bike is a Malvern Star from about 1984.
> Steel frame, steel wheels, alloy pedals and handlebars.
> The bike is light in comparison to my old Peugeot UE8.
> The 12-speed gearing is Ok for the flat bayside suburb
> where she grew up, but the gears don't go low enough
> for the steep hills around home, especially with
> the baby on the child seat.
> The gears are 14-28 on the back, and 40/52 on the front.
>
> What are the options for changing the gearing?
> Would this bike use a cluster or cassette?
> Can you buy new clusters?
> Can you change some cogs on a cluster?
>
>
> --
> ghostgum
>
perhaps you can try a compact chainset with 34/50 chainrings?

 

[Resound]

"DeF" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> ghostgum wrote:
>> My wife's bike is a Malvern Star from about 1984.
>> Steel frame, steel wheels, alloy pedals and handlebars.
>> The bike is light in comparison to my old Peugeot UE8.
>> The 12-speed gearing is Ok for the flat bayside suburb
>> where she grew up, but the gears don't go low enough
>> for the steep hills around home, especially with
>> the baby on the child seat.
>> The gears are 14-28 on the back, and 40/52 on the front.
>>
>> What are the options for changing the gearing?
>> Would this bike use a cluster or cassette?
>> Can you buy new clusters?
>> Can you change some cogs on a cluster?
>>
>>
I'd be contemplating a 38T chainring as a replacement, but if it's like the
groupset on my old Malvern Star, the chainrings are riveted in place. Look
at replacement cranksets on Ebay. Possibly a triple with a new front
derailleur is the way to go.

 

[Terry Collins]

ghostgum wrote:
> My wife's bike is a Malvern Star from about 1984.
> Steel frame, steel wheels, alloy pedals and handlebars.
> The bike is light in comparison to my old Peugeot UE8.
> The 12-speed gearing is Ok for the flat bayside suburb
> where she grew up, but the gears don't go low enough
> for the steep hills around home, especially with
> the baby on the child seat.
> The gears are 14-28 on the back, and 40/52 on the front.
>
> What are the options for changing the gearing?

My first suggestion would be to look at adding a decent triple to the front.

> Would this bike use a cluster or cassette?

Most likely cluster

> Can you buy new clusters?
Yes.

The problem with new clusters is that you may need a longer chain and
rear deraileur with a longer arm and then there is the question of the
mounting arm. Recently been there and done that.

There are MTB clusters that have one super large read cog, then normal
14-28, but I prefer a more uniform 14-36.

Also, it is mostly likely your 14-28 is only 5 cogs and you will find
everything else is 7,8, 9 speed. I preferred to look around for a 6 cog
cluster when I changed mine, rather than also having to change chain and
possible wheels (dishing)


> Can you change some cogs on a cluster?

Yes, but highly unlikely that you will be able to get them.

Planning on doing this yourself or getting the LBS to do it?

 

[L'acrobat]

"DeF" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

>
> I've got a bike from 1981 which was set up for touring. It's
> a struggle to upgrade/replace components now as the rest of
> the world has moved on. I'm flirting with the idea of replacing
> the entire groupset with a 27sp set up which would be around $1000.

You might want to look at a Rohlof hub, I've heard a lot of good things
about them (particularly for touring) and it would not cost a lot more than
the upgrade you are looking at.

 

[Bleve]

ghostgum wrote:
> My wife's bike is a Malvern Star from about 1984.
> Steel frame, steel wheels, alloy pedals and handlebars.
> The bike is light in comparison to my old Peugeot UE8.
> The 12-speed gearing is Ok for the flat bayside suburb
> where she grew up, but the gears don't go low enough
> for the steep hills around home, especially with
> the baby on the child seat.
> The gears are 14-28 on the back, and 40/52 on the front.
>
> What are the options for changing the gearing?
> Would this bike use a cluster or cassette?
> Can you buy new clusters?
> Can you change some cogs on a cluster?

All your questions have been answered already in this thread, but
no-one seems to have made the obvious suggestion. A new bike,
something like a good hybrid or a low-end MTB will set you back around
$500. This will have alloy rims (so the brakes work in the wet!),
enough gear ratios to climb a brick wall, new everything etc. It *may*
work out better to get a new one rather than update an oldie. I'd
certainly suggest having a look at new bikes that may be suitable.

 

[ghostgum]

ghostgum wrote:
All your questions have been answered already in this thread, but
no-one seems to have made the obvious suggestion. A new bike,
something like a good hybrid or a low-end MTB will set you back around
$500. This will have alloy rims (so the brakes work in the wet!),
enough gear ratios to climb a brick wall, new everything etc. It *may*
work out better to get a new one rather than update an oldie. I'd
certainly suggest having a look at new bikes that may be suitable.

Thanks everyone for the answers and suggestions.

In cross country skiing, the description was "enough grip to climb
a tree". I suspect mountain bikes are more likely to be used for
climbing trees than brick walls I also expect hiting a tree
on a mountain bike is about as painful as hitting it while skiing.

A new bike was my original idea, but my wife prefers the upright riding
position of her current bike, with the old ladies style handlebars.
So I thought I would ask about what could be done to her
current bike. Given the answers above, it looks like first idea is
to take the bike to the bike shop and ask whether it would be
practical to replace the crankset with a triple. Also to see what
bikes are around that would allow for a more upright position,
perhaps by raising the headstem and selecting handlebars that
aren't as flat as usual. Not what you would call trendy, but
that wouldn't worry her [1]. It will probably end up being a search
for a suitably dimensioned frame. It isn't expected to get a
huge amount of riding - hopefully it will get used at least once
a week.

[1] Neither of us are trendy. Current helmets are still hard shells
from the 1980s. I'm currently looking to see what I can get that
is lighter but still bright yellow and reflective at night. I don't
see many other riders on mountain bikes wearing old helmets.

 

[Resound]

"ghostgum" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Bleve Wrote:
>> ghostgum wrote:
>> All your questions have been answered already in this thread, but
>> no-one seems to have made the obvious suggestion. A new bike,
>> something like a good hybrid or a low-end MTB will set you back
>> around
>> $500. This will have alloy rims (so the brakes work in the wet!),
>> enough gear ratios to climb a brick wall, new everything etc. It
>> *may*
>> work out better to get a new one rather than update an oldie. I'd
>> certainly suggest having a look at new bikes that may be suitable.
>> Thanks everyone for the answers and suggestions.
>
> In cross country skiing, the description was "enough grip to climb
> a tree". I suspect mountain bikes are more likely to be used for
> climbing trees than brick walls I also expect hiting a tree
> on a mountain bike is about as painful as hitting it while skiing.
>
> A new bike was my original idea, but my wife prefers the upright
> riding
> position of her current bike, with the old ladies style handlebars.
> So I thought I would ask about what could be done to her
> current bike. Given the answers above, it looks like first idea is
> to take the bike to the bike shop and ask whether it would be
> practical to replace the crankset with a triple. Also to see what
> bikes are around that would allow for a more upright position,
> perhaps by raising the headstem and selecting handlebars that
> aren't as flat as usual. Not what you would call trendy, but
> that wouldn't worry her [1]. It will probably end up being a search
> for a suitably dimensioned frame. It isn't expected to get a
> huge amount of riding - hopefully it will get used at least once
> a week.
>
> [1] Neither of us are trendy. Current helmets are still hard shells
>
> from the 1980s. I'm currently looking to see what I can get that
> is lighter but still bright yellow and reflective at night. I don't
> see many other riders on mountain bikes wearing old helmets.
>
>
> --
> ghostgum
>

New helmets are well worthwhile simply for the comfort factor. The old
"North Road bend" handlebars are still available and are dirt cheap. They'll
give any bike a more upright riding position. One of my LBSs said they can
get them for about $10. I may use a pair inverted for the next fixie.

 

[L'acrobat]

"ghostgum" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

>
> [1] Neither of us are trendy. Current helmets are still hard shells
>
> from the 1980s. I'm currently looking to see what I can get that
> is lighter but still bright yellow and reflective at night. I don't
> see many other riders on mountain bikes wearing old helmets.
>

Its time to get rid of your old helmets - they have a 'crash by' date, over
time they become less effective.

Having done a 'write the helmet off' crash, I really appreciated the fact
that the helmet I wore was 1 month old, having just updated my 15 year old
(and probably useless) helmet.

 

[Zebee Johnstone]

In aus.bicycle on Sat, 29 Oct 2005 23:18:22 GMT
L'acrobat <husky.65@delete_me.bigpond.com> wrote:
>
> "ghostgum" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>
>> [1] Neither of us are trendy. Current helmets are still hard shells
>>
>> from the 1980s. I'm currently looking to see what I can get that
>> is lighter but still bright yellow and reflective at night. I don't
>> see many other riders on mountain bikes wearing old helmets.
>>
>
> Its time to get rid of your old helmets - they have a 'crash by' date, over
> time they become less effective.

I wouldn't be too sure of that.

Recently (as in this year) the bod in charge of testing motorcycle
helmets for Australian standards tested a range of old AS-compliant
motorcycle helmets. I think the oldest was 12 years old.

They all passed.

I believe they were an assortment of used and no longer wanted, not ones
off the back shelf.

That said, I suspect that helmet tech has advanced over time, so that a
new helmet is almost certainly going to be lighter and more comfortable,
meaning more pleasant to wear.

It isn't clear that it will be more protective though. As far as
motorcycle helmets go, the horrifically expensive ones don't seem to
do any better in the tests than the cheap ones - they do seem to last
longer before becoming shabby and have better fittings and finish.

Zebee

 

[Bleve]

ghostgum wrote:

> In cross country skiing, the description was "enough grip to climb
> a tree".


mmm, skins


> I suspect mountain bikes are more likely to be used for
> climbing trees than brick walls I also expect hiting a tree
> on a mountain bike is about as painful as hitting it while skiing.
>
> A new bike was my original idea, but my wife prefers the upright
> riding
> position of her current bike, with the old ladies style handlebars.
> So I thought I would ask about what could be done to her
> current bike. Given the answers above, it looks like first idea is
> to take the bike to the bike shop and ask whether it would be
> practical to replace the crankset with a triple. Also to see what
> bikes are around that would allow for a more upright position,
> perhaps by raising the headstem and selecting handlebars that
> aren't as flat as usual. Not what you would call trendy, but
> that wouldn't worry her [1]. It will probably end up being a search
> for a suitably dimensioned frame. It isn't expected to get a
> huge amount of riding - hopefully it will get used at least once
> a week.

A lot of hybrids are very much sit up and beg, and for around $500 you
may even get a suspension seatpost and front suspension these days.
Have a look around...


> [1] Neither of us are trendy. Current helmets are still hard shells
>
> from the 1980s. I'm currently looking to see what I can get that
> is lighter but still bright yellow and reflective at night. I don't
> see many other riders on mountain bikes wearing old helmets.

Ditch those helmets, *now*

Seriously, not only will they have almost zero protection (which, at
least in theory, is why we have to wear them!) modern helmets are
infinatly more comfortable. And yes, you can get yellow helmets and
some of them have reflective tape on them.


>
>
> --
> ghostgum

 

[Bleve]

Zebee Johnstone wrote:

> It isn't clear that it will be more protective though. As far as
> motorcycle helmets go, the horrifically expensive ones don't seem to
> do any better in the tests than the cheap ones - they do seem to last
> longer before becoming shabby and have better fittings and finish.

Horribly expensive motorbike helmets are lighter and have fancy
graphics - horribly expensive bicycle helmets have better restraining
systems (straps!) much better ventilation and are generally much more
comfortable.

 

[L'acrobat]

"dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

>> Given that motorcycle helmets are made to an entirely different
>> Australian standard and usually are not made of polystyrene foam, its
>> hard to see any relevance to bicycle helmets here.
>>
>>
>>
>>
> Hmmmm all mine seem to be. Of course their are only about 6 in the
> place.. probly not significant statisticly.

Your motorcycle helmets (AS 1698) are all made to the Australian standard
for bicycle helmets (AS 2063)?

The vendor not only saw you coming, he sent a cab to pick you up.

 

[DaveB]

L'acrobat wrote:
> "dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>
>>>Given that motorcycle helmets are made to an entirely different
>>>Australian standard and usually are not made of polystyrene foam, its
>>>hard to see any relevance to bicycle helmets here.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>Hmmmm all mine seem to be. Of course their are only about 6 in the
>>place.. probly not significant statisticly.
>
>
> Your motorcycle helmets (AS 1698) are all made to the Australian standard
> for bicycle helmets (AS 2063)?
>
> The vendor not only saw you coming, he sent a cab to pick you up.
>
>

I miss DRS, at least he kept L'acrobat occupied in his quest for the
eternal argument.

DaveB

 

[dave]

L'acrobat wrote:
> "dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>
>>>Given that motorcycle helmets are made to an entirely different
>>>Australian standard and usually are not made of polystyrene foam, its
>>>hard to see any relevance to bicycle helmets here.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>Hmmmm all mine seem to be. Of course their are only about 6 in the
>>place.. probly not significant statisticly.
>
>
> Your motorcycle helmets (AS 1698) are all made to the Australian standard
> for bicycle helmets (AS 2063)?
No they are all made largely of polestyrene foam. With a fibreglass or
thermoplastic cover.

xWhat are yours made of prey tell?


> The vendor not only saw you coming, he sent a cab to pick you up.

Charming. I used to drive cabs. Teaches you how to judge a person in
a hurry.

Funny when I look at these helmets they all seem to meet the appropriote
snell standard. The snell standard as I am sure you know exceeds the
australian standard. Hmmm they seem to have a sticker for that too.


Not that any of that means they will save your life of course.. One does
what one can

 

[dave]

DaveB wrote:
> L'acrobat wrote:
>
>> "dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>
>>
>>>> Given that motorcycle helmets are made to an entirely different
>>>> Australian standard and usually are not made of polystyrene foam,
>>>> its hard to see any relevance to bicycle helmets here.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> Hmmmm all mine seem to be. Of course their are only about 6 in the
>>> place.. probly not significant statisticly.
>>
>>
>>
>> Your motorcycle helmets (AS 1698) are all made to the Australian
>> standard for bicycle helmets (AS 2063)?
>>
>> The vendor not only saw you coming, he sent a cab to pick you up.
>>
>
> I miss DRS, at least he kept L'acrobat occupied in his quest for the
> eternal argument.
>
> DaveB

Wonder if Mr acrobat has actually a motorcycle licence

 

[L'acrobat]

"dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> L'acrobat wrote:
>> "dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>
>>
>>>>Given that motorcycle helmets are made to an entirely different
>>>>Australian standard and usually are not made of polystyrene foam, its
>>>>hard to see any relevance to bicycle helmets here.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>Hmmmm all mine seem to be. Of course their are only about 6 in the
>>>place.. probly not significant statisticly.
>>
>>
>> Your motorcycle helmets (AS 1698) are all made to the Australian standard
>> for bicycle helmets (AS 2063)?
> No they are all made largely of polestyrene foam. With a fibreglass or
> thermoplastic cover.
>
> xWhat are yours made of prey tell?
>
>
>> The vendor not only saw you coming, he sent a cab to pick you up.
>
> Charming. I used to drive cabs. Teaches you how to judge a person in a
> hurry.
>
> Funny when I look at these helmets they all seem to meet the appropriote
> snell standard. The snell standard as I am sure you know exceeds the
> australian standard. Hmmm they seem to have a sticker for that too.

and has nothing to do with bike helmets, do you have a point?