Cassette spacer Q

[maxfox44]

Hi Guys

I'm using my old MTB as a bit of a training tools to teach myself basic bike maintenance.

So I decided to remove the cassette for a clean and inspection. All going well, until I removed it and a spacer came out. The bike is a Shimano Alivio 7-speed with 7-speed cassette. I can't remember where the space came from. I think it was between 5 and 6, but it could be from between 6 and 7. I'm certain that it's not come anywhere else. I've tried it in both places, but it looks wrong. I can't understand why a spacer would be in there at all, as surely the gears need to be equal. Can anyone shed any light on this?

I have put it all back together and at the moment the spacer is between 6-7 and I can get all the gears, it just looks odd.

 

[KneesUp]

Are you sure it isn't an 8 speed hub with a seven speed cassette on? The spaced would then sit after 7.

 

[maxfox44]

@KneesUp thanks for your reply.
I wouldn't know what an 8-speed hub would look like. The spacer didn't fit near the lockring (or whatever it's called).

 

[Smurfy]

@KneesUp thanks for your reply.
I wouldn't know what an 8-speed hub would look like. The spacer didn't fit near the lockring (or whatever it's called).

On an 8 speed freehub, fitting a 7 speed cassette requires the spacer at the spokes side of the freehub body.

 

[Levo-Lon]

All the cogs should be evenly spaced..so the spacer goes between the 2 cogs that look closer..
it wont index until there all even

 

[maxfox44]

@meta lon I only remove the lockring, cog 6 and 7. The other 5 appear stuck together. Which why I can't understand where the space came from. It was definitely not between the first 5 and the spokes.

 

[TheDoctor]

7 has a built-in spacer on any 7 speed cassette I've ever dropped.
Ah - when you say spacer, is it a really really thin one? Like way less than a millimeter?
If so, I've never figured out where that's supposed to go, so I didn't fit it and the world didn't explode. But if your gears are indexing, there can't be too much wrong, so I'd leave it!

 

[maxfox44]

@TheDoctor thanks. I've put it between 6 and 7, but both are a little jumpy. I'll take your lead and remove it. It is quite thin, but had left a noticeably larger gap between cogs.

 

[TheDoctor]

Don't bin it, just in case it's worse without!