Shimano Mega-Range rear cassette?

[Paul Bruneau]

Hi all-

I was in Target last night and I was looking at the bikes while my wife shopped for...whatever she
shops for.

anyway, on one of those green Eddie Bauer cruiser bikes, it had a shimano rear cassette that was
labelled a "Mega Range". It was a seven speed cassette, where the smallest 6 gear wheels looked like
a regular cassette, but the 7th one (the lowest gear) was extra giant in size, having 34 teeth.
There was only a single sprocket in the front.

Has anyone seen anything like this on a bent? It seems like the ultimate granny for those nasty
hills, but the component quality of this bike was marginal at best, so maybe it's trash.

Anyone?

 

[Mikael Seierup]

"Paul Bruneau" skrev...
> Has anyone seen anything like this on a bent? It seems like the ultimate granny for those nasty
> hills, but the component quality of this bike was marginal at best, so maybe it's trash.

I'm running one on my TE-clone with a Shimano Sora 52-42-30 up front. I must admit I mostly use it
as a last resort on nasty hills. Otherwise I rarely get lower than the 26 tooth before downshifting
in front. I normally use the 52 front and only plonk down to 42 for hills. 30 for nasty short steep
grades ... (and we do have those).

Also using Nexave rollerbrakes and they are great.

Not sure I will put a Megarange back on for next replacement. Not really needed.

http://photos.yahoo.com/briangoebbels Pics of TE after upgrade in "recumbents"-folder.

Mikael

 

[Dave Kee]

Paul Bruneau <[email protected]> wrote: Has anyone seen anything like this on a bent? It seems
like the ultimate granny for those nasty hills, but the component quality of this bike was marginal
at best, so maybe it's trash.

They are available in 7,8, and 9 speeds and up to XT in quality. See
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/k7.html. I have one on my VR-40 matched with a 24 tooth granny
and when you need it, it's there!

 

[Cletus D . Lee]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> Hi all-
>
> I was in Target last night and I was looking at the bikes while my wife shopped for...whatever she
> shops for.
>
> anyway, on one of those green Eddie Bauer cruiser bikes, it had a shimano rear cassette that was
> labelled a "Mega Range". It was a seven speed cassette, where the smallest 6 gear wheels looked
> like a regular cassette, but the 7th one (the lowest gear) was extra giant in size, having 34
> teeth. There was only a single sprocket in the front.
>
> Has anyone seen anything like this on a bent? It seems like the ultimate granny for those nasty
> hills, but the component quality of this bike was marginal at best, so maybe it's trash.

I've been running a 9 speed one on my Voyager for about a year and I have a SRAM 11-34 equivalent on
my Bachetta Giro. The Large cassette is always a 34, but the gap between it and the next gear is
less on a 9 speed and more pronounced on a 7-8 speed. The Shimano are often seen on as OEM on many
quality MTBs.
--
Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager http://www.clee.org
- Bellaire, TX USA -

 

[Dave Larrington]

I'm using a seven-speed 14-34 screw-on version on my upright. It only gets used around town these
days, so I haven't yet needed the 34, but it's nice to know it's there - I imagine it could come in
handy should I be towing a heavily-laden BoB. The remaining six gears are nice and close.

Dave Larrington - http://legslarry.crosswinds.net/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

 

[Mark Stonich]

Paul Bruneau <[email protected]> >
> anyway, on one of those green Eddie Bauer cruiser bikes, it had a shimano rear cassette that was
> labelled a "Mega Range". It was a seven speed cassette, where the smallest 6 gear wheels looked
> like a regular cassette, but the 7th one (the lowest gear) was extra giant in size, having 34
> teeth. There was only a single sprocket in the front.
>
> Has anyone seen anything like this on a bent? It seems like the ultimate granny for those nasty
> hills, but the component quality of this bike was marginal at best, so maybe it's trash.

Let me admit that I need and regularly use the 34t on my MegaRange cassette.

The 26-34 shift was a bit annoying on a 2 wheeler, but now I've got it on my trike, where I hardly
notice it. The ratios on my 8 speed are the same as a 9 speed 11-34 with the 30 missing. (Cletus,
is your 9 speed actually labeled MegaRange?) The screw on 6 and 7 speed have a 24-34 jump which
does seem a bit silly. Looks like a normal freewheel sitting in a pie tin.

I think they are an excellent choice for a single chainring "Cruiser"

> but the component quality of this bike was marginal at best, so maybe it's trash.

While I don't always like the ratio selection on Shimano cassettes, (I'd really love a 12-30 9
speed) they all work flawlessly and take a long time to wear out.

BTW Cletus, I see that you have both the Shimano and SRAM 11-34 9 speed cassettes. On paper, I think
I'd like the ratios of the SRAM better. Which do you prefer on the road?

 

[Paul Bruneau]

Thanks everyone for the input. It seems like this cassette is a way to get the same low-end that is
available on a 9-speed cassette in a 7-speed cassette.

I can see that is seems like a great thing on a cruiser, but could be troublesome on a bike with 3
sprockets up front..."watch that last step, it's a doozy!"

 

[Dave Larrington]

I'm not Cletus, but I recently switched my Speedmachine from SRAM 11-34 to Shimano 12-34 as:

1. The only time I reached top gear was when the rear gear cable broke, and
2. the percentage jumps seemed more friendly with the Shimano.

The change was combined with a lowering of the chainring sizes. I cannot for the life of me remember
why I opted for the SRAM in the first place...

Dave Larrington - http://legslarry.crosswinds.net/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

 

[Tom Sherman]

Paul Bruneau wrote:
>
> Hi all-
>
> I was in Target last night and I was looking at the bikes while my wife shopped for...whatever she
> shops for.
>
> anyway, on one of those green Eddie Bauer cruiser bikes, it had a shimano rear cassette that was
> labelled a "Mega Range". It was a seven speed cassette, where the smallest 6 gear wheels looked
> like a regular cassette, but the 7th one (the lowest gear) was extra giant in size, having 34
> teeth. There was only a single sprocket in the front.
>
> Has anyone seen anything like this on a bent? It seems like the ultimate granny for those nasty
> hills, but the component quality of this bike was marginal at best, so maybe it's trash.
>
> Anyone?

I have a 9-speed 11-34T Shimano XT Megarange cassette on my Sunset, and the low gear is very useful
for very steep hills in SW Wisconsin, not to mention the near 20% grade a few blocks from where I
live. The shifting quality is excellent with an Shimano XTR derailleur and SRAM Plasma shifters,
though the very short rear chainline and only having to deal with one drive cog (the 20T on the
step-up jackshaft) certainly has a lot to do with shifting quality.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side) RANS "Wavewind" and Rocket, Earth Cycles Sunset and
Dragonflyer

 

[Bentheadswb]

I use an 11-34T 8-speed Megarange on my SWB bent and it works well. At first, I thought the 26T to
34T downshift would be rough, my XT had no problems with it. Rolling around off-road with a 700C
rear wheel demands the need for a low-low "bail out" gear. It has been 10 months with the megarange
and I have not had any problems.

John H N TX

 

[Geob]

> They are available in 7,8, and 9 speeds and up to XT in quality. See
> http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/k7.html. I have one on my VR-40 matched with a 24 tooth granny
> and when you need it, it's there!

I crashed my VR-40 and trashed the crank and chainrings. I replaced them with Cannondale CODA mtn
bike cranks and chainrings geared much lower. Like 44-34-22 I think. And I have a 32 in the rear.
And since my engine isn't highly tuned and may not have an admirable hp/weight ratio, I use every
bit of this gearing and am glad I have
it. Maybe next year it will run better since I have been blowing the carbon out of it with good
results.. it idles lower and seems to have more power and range.