Noob Mechanic: Re 7 spd FWheel and Derailleur Compatibility

Howdy.

I've decided to use my ~1992 Bianchi Boardwalk as a science project/med
school cadaver for learning bike mechanics, focusing on expanding the
current gear range (27 - 93, give or take). Current setup:
- Suntour Powering chainring, 48-38-28
- Shimano MF-HG37 freewheel cluster, 14-16-18-20-22-24-28
- Derailleurs unknown. All identifying markings wiped out.

Questions:

1) Are the Shimano line of MegaRange 7-speed freewheel clusters shown at
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/freewheels.html#7 compatible with my
current setup? I'm particularly interested in the 11-34, as I have some fair
hills where I live.
2) Can anyone give me a clue as to what derailleurs would be compatible with
either my current or propsed setup? Obviously, I know they have to be
7-speed compatible. I note that Shimano makes a Megarange line of
7-speed Deore rear derailleurs, so I assume (correctly?) these would work.
What other compat. issues should I be looking at?
3) Am I going to need a special puller to work on the freewheel?

Sorry if bozoid questions. Thanks.


--
Peter

xkred27 wrote:

I've decided to use my ~1992 Bianchi Boardwalk as a science project/med
school cadaver for learning bike mechanics, focusing on expanding the
current gear range (27 - 93, give or take). Current setup:
- Suntour Powering chainring, 48-38-28
- Shimano MF-HG37 freewheel cluster, 14-16-18-20-22-24-28
- Derailleurs unknown. All identifying markings wiped out.

Questions:

1) Are the Shimano line of MegaRange 7-speed freewheel clusters shown at
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/freewheels.html#7 compatible with my
current setup? I'm particularly interested in the 11-34, as I have some fair
hills where I live.

Yes.

2) Can anyone give me a clue as to what derailleurs would be compatible with
either my current or propsed setup? Obviously, I know they have to be
7-speed compatible.

All derailers made in the last couple of decades are 7-speed compatible.

To handle the 34 tooth sprocket, you need a model with a long ("SGS")
cage. There's a good chance that your present one will work, I'd advise
trying it before spending money on a new derailer.

I note that Shimano makes a Megarange line of
7-speed Deore rear derailleurs, so I assume (correctly?) these would work.
What other compat. issues should I be looking at?

That's it.

3) Am I going to need a special puller to work on the freewheel?

Yes. Not all that special, actually, it's the most common type.

The Park FR-1 shown at
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/tools.html#freewheel would be the correct
unit.

Sheldon "Megarange" Brown
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| "The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a |
| thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that |
| cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be |
| impossible to get at or repair." - Douglas Adams, RIP - HHGTTG |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

xkred27 wrote:

I've decided to use my ~1992 Bianchi Boardwalk as a science project/med
school cadaver for learning bike mechanics, focusing on expanding the
current gear range (27 - 93, give or take). Current setup:
- Suntour Powering chainring, 48-38-28
- Shimano MF-HG37 freewheel cluster, 14-16-18-20-22-24-28
- Derailleurs unknown. All identifying markings wiped out.

Questions:

1) Are the Shimano line of MegaRange 7-speed freewheel clusters shown at
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/freewheels.html#7 compatible with my
current setup? I'm particularly interested in the 11-34, as I have some fair
hills where I live.

Yes.

2) Can anyone give me a clue as to what derailleurs would be compatible with
either my current or propsed setup? Obviously, I know they have to be
7-speed compatible.

All derailers made in the last couple of decades are 7-speed compatible.

To handle the 34 tooth sprocket, you need a model with a long ("SGS")
cage. There's a good chance that your present one will work, I'd advise
trying it before spending money on a new derailer.

I note that Shimano makes a Megarange line of
7-speed Deore rear derailleurs, so I assume (correctly?) these would work.
What other compat. issues should I be looking at?

That's it.

3) Am I going to need a special puller to work on the freewheel?

Yes. Not all that special, actually, it's the most common type.

The Park FR-1 shown at
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/tools.html#freewheel would be the correct
unit.

Sheldon "Megarange" Brown
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| "The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a |
| thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that |
| cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be |
| impossible to get at or repair." - Douglas Adams, RIP - HHGTTG |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

Sheldon Brown wrote:
Sheldon "Megarange" Brown



Thanks very much!

Peter



--

Sheldon Brown wrote:
Sheldon "Megarange" Brown



Thanks very much!

Peter



--

xkred27 wrote:
Howdy.

I've decided to use my ~1992 Bianchi Boardwalk as a science project/med
school cadaver for learning bike mechanics, focusing on expanding the
current gear range (27 - 93, give or take). Current setup:
- Suntour Powering chainring, 48-38-28
- Shimano MF-HG37 freewheel cluster, 14-16-18-20-22-24-28
- Derailleurs unknown. All identifying markings wiped out.

Are the shifters made by Shimano? If so, then you're set with all of
Sheldon's answers.

If the shifters are non-Shimano, you might encounter compatibility
issues if you want to retain indexed shifting. Non-indexed shifting will
work fine with "unmatched" components.

--
Dave, who has Suntour 7-spd shifters from that era
dvt at psu dot edu

xkred27 wrote:
Howdy.

I've decided to use my ~1992 Bianchi Boardwalk as a science project/med
school cadaver for learning bike mechanics, focusing on expanding the
current gear range (27 - 93, give or take). Current setup:
- Suntour Powering chainring, 48-38-28
- Shimano MF-HG37 freewheel cluster, 14-16-18-20-22-24-28
- Derailleurs unknown. All identifying markings wiped out.

Are the shifters made by Shimano? If so, then you're set with all of
Sheldon's answers.

If the shifters are non-Shimano, you might encounter compatibility
issues if you want to retain indexed shifting. Non-indexed shifting will
work fine with "unmatched" components.

--
Dave, who has Suntour 7-spd shifters from that era
dvt at psu dot edu

"dvt" wrote in message
...

Are the shifters made by Shimano? If so, then you're set with all of
Sheldon's answers.

If the shifters are non-Shimano, you might encounter compatibility
issues if you want to retain indexed shifting. Non-indexed shifting will
work fine with "unmatched" components.

--
Dave, who has Suntour 7-spd shifters from that era
dvt at psu dot edu

Dave,

Thanks for the heads-up. I actually ordered a pair of Shimano STX/Alivio
SL-MC40 RapidFire pods from Sheldon's site, as a nice-to-have upgrade, so I
hope these match up OK. And indeed the current shifters are Suntour X-press
Accushift(rear, indexed, 7-speed), Suntour X-press PowerControl (front), so
maybe swapping shifters is more necessity than nice-to-have.

Peter

Anti-spam:
a) Remove NS_
b) Replace 108 with cds1

"dvt" wrote in message
...

Are the shifters made by Shimano? If so, then you're set with all of
Sheldon's answers.

If the shifters are non-Shimano, you might encounter compatibility
issues if you want to retain indexed shifting. Non-indexed shifting will
work fine with "unmatched" components.

--
Dave, who has Suntour 7-spd shifters from that era
dvt at psu dot edu

Dave,

Thanks for the heads-up. I actually ordered a pair of Shimano STX/Alivio
SL-MC40 RapidFire pods from Sheldon's site, as a nice-to-have upgrade, so I
hope these match up OK. And indeed the current shifters are Suntour X-press
Accushift(rear, indexed, 7-speed), Suntour X-press PowerControl (front), so
maybe swapping shifters is more necessity than nice-to-have.

Peter

Anti-spam:
a) Remove NS_
b) Replace 108 with cds1

"Sheldon Brown" wrote in message
...

To handle the 34 tooth sprocket, you need a model with a long ("SGS")
cage. There's a good chance that your present one will work, I'd advise
trying it before spending money on a new derailer.

I'm wondering if there's any way, via eyeball, ruler, caliper, or tea
leaves, to determine whether or not my derailleur is SGS?

Thanks.
--
Peter
Anti-spam:
a) Remove NS_
b) Replace 108 with cds1