8 speed worth it?

alaskawet

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i currently have a 7 speed. 14 and 28. If i go to 11 and 32..my chain would need to be 4 links longer? Being an ebike what kind of gain should i see? My bike goes faster than i can peddle. Reason for 11 tooth. Heavy,about 60lbs,reason for 32. Is it worth it? What do you guys and gals think? Its a bafang hub motor. Pain to change freewheel cassette. But i already have the parts. Would an 8 speed be a better option? I think i have enough room for at least an 8 speed cassette. Thanks for any help
 
The 7 speed 'freewheel' may have a spacer behind it. If it does not then that 8 speed freewheel may not fit.
As for the 32 tooth it may help if you actually use the pedal assist instead of just relying on the motor.

If there is a removable spacer where the new 8 speed freewheel will fit you have to make sure the shifter itself has 8-indexes to shift through all the gears.
The rear derailleur has inner and outer limit screws you can adjust.
 
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Thanx for the reply! The reason for the 32 tooth is so i can pedal in the woods. 750 watt hub motor with 35 amp controller makes it easier for sure but sucks battery and its putting a good strain on it. I didnt see a spacer in the back of gear set,maybe its built into this cassette?
With a 32-34 top speed it hard to want to pedal! Hence the need for either 11 tooth or an 8 speed. 8speed sounding more trouble than its worth. Hard not to treat it like a scooter or motorcycle especially with a thumb throttle right there.
 
Have you confirmed that you actually have a freewheel and not a cassette?
If it's a cassette then it's easy to just swap out the current 28 and add in a 32. Quite a big jump from your probable 24/25 tooth below the 28? (assuming) up to 32 though. Or switch out two lowers for a more gradual rise up to 32 tooth.

The spacer should be loose, it fits into the hub, behind where the freewheel slides in.
If yours does not have this small spacer (usually 2-3mm) then your hub may not be long enough to fit a 8 speed freewheel.
Some freewheels are narrower where a 8 speed freewheel will fit within the normal width size of a 7 speed. A thinner chain will be needed or will get excessive noise.

If you are able to get your 7 speed freewheel out, measure it's total stack height. If you had a spacer then you could add 2-3mm to that height.
This total height will let you know if the 8 speed you want will fit (if you know its height too)

Check this video out:
youtube.com/watch?v=IsmLxWgUb7k
go to 1:30.
This guy is doing things backwards and going down from 9speed down to 7 speed. Notice the spacer behind the cassette.
Many new bike come with a spacer like this already installed for easy upgrading later on.
 
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It is a freewheel. Chain is already 11/32. Dont remember a spacer. I'll have to take it apart again. Its a pain with that thin wall socket and battery wire going through axle. I have a dnp 11,32 i could put on. Not exactly the highest quality. But hard to find that gearing choice for freewheel 7 speed. Any ideas on a high quality 11and 32 freewheel gearset besides dnp? I noticed the dnp isnt perfectly true. Has a slight wobble. Thanx for replys! All info helps.
 
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I saw the 13/32. Maybe a 12/28? Not sure one tooth is worth the hassle. My crank has a 48. Know of a 52 with crank that fits sondors? Is it standardized crank on sondors bikes?
 
I saw the 13/32. Maybe a 12/28? Not sure one tooth is worth the hassle. My crank has a 48. Know of a 52 with crank that fits sondors? Is it standardized crank on sondors bikes?
Majority of all ebikes use standard mountain bike cranksets. That means the BCD (bolt circle diameter) is smaller than usual road bikes.
Yes there are 52T 104 BCD chainrings. A few are on Amazon. Note that changing the chainring also increases the ratio to all your other speeds in the back. Yes it it easier to just change the front chainring but note everything else changes too.

If you were mainly concerned about wanting a larger sprocket in the back ie: 32tooth and want to take the easier route to get that gear ratio (mainly for hills) then you would want a chainring smaller than what you got now like a 44/46 etc.
 
Im willing to sacrifice the low gearing i have now if need be. I havnt ridden in the woods since my controller mods. Maybe it will be enough to counteract sacrificing lower gearing for more top speed? My bcd is offset. 104 straight across and 73.5 on the other two like a rectangle. 4 bolts total. Also a square drive if that matters? I just want to be able to still pedal at 32mph. 35 mph while peddling my butt off is enticing though, which i think would be possible going from 48 to 52 tooth front? I just want to hit 35 on flat ground while getting some decent resistance peddling. If i was smart and not cheap i would convert to 52 or 60 volt and just not go full dummy all the time. That way i can do 35 mph plus but hold at 28ish and pedal. Batterys are not cheap for sure. Its the motorcycle guy in me wanting that speed.Bawhaha! Thanx for the replies and time given! All replies are welcome. Lots of good info
 
i currently have a 7 speed. 14 and 28. If i go to 11 and 32..my chain would need to be 4 links longer? Being an ebike what kind of gain should i see? My bike goes faster than i can peddle. Reason for 11 tooth. Heavy,about 60lbs,reason for 32. Is it worth it? What do you guys and gals think? Its a bafang hub motor. Pain to change freewheel cassette. But i already have the parts. Would an 8 speed be a better option? I think i have enough room for at least an 8 speed cassette. Thanks for any help
My experience has been that it is more the range of gears than the number of speeda.

My trike goes from a 26" granny to a 92" high.

You can buy individual cogs for your cassette and customize it to taste. Whether your current deraillleur will handle the greater range is a consideration. You might need a new der.
 
I'm not sure if going from 7 cogs to 8 cogs would require a new (thinner) chain.
I needed a new chain when I converted from 2x8 to 1x10 speeds. My bike uses a freehub/cassette.
 
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