Need a new chassete and chain - but unsure of what will fit my bike

[Mushroomgodmat]

Hi again (another question from me!)

My current bikes chain is slipping a lot when under force, its annoying and probably a little dangerous.

My current cassette is a "Shimano HG-50 12-25 tooth" (it has 8 Sprockets) with a Shimano chain.


Obviously I could buy exactly the same cassette again, but its always been my intention to upgrade the elements as I need them.

So im thinking of maybe buying one of these (see option 3)

http://cycle.shimano-eu.com/publish...d/105_5700/product.-code-CS-5700.-type-..html

but this is a 10 speed cassette and not an 8 speed like my current set up. Will this cause me problems with my gears?

As for the chain - I notice if I buy a 10 speed cassette Ill also need a 10 speed chain...and if I need a 10 speed chain and cassette I'm guessing Ill also need a 10 speed crank set?!

any help would be appreciated!

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Don't forget you'll also need 10 speed shifters. Yes you'll need a 10 speed chain and a 10 speed compatible crank set will also be necessary as 10 speed chains are narrower than 8 speed. You may need to check whether the 10 speed cassette is compatible with your hub.

 

[lulubel]

Unless your bike's worth a decent amount of money, I wouldn't do it. You'll be replacing most of the groupset, as Phil said, and that's an expensive upgrade (shifters aren't cheap).

 

[Herzog]

Are the shifters STIs (integrated brake/gears shifters), or mounted on the down tube (indexed or non-indexed)?

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

When you say "upgrade", do you mean better quality or more performance?

If it's "performance" (i.e. more gears) then, as has been mentioned above, you can't just stick more cogs on. Whether it is worth the expense is up to you.

If it's better quality then a lighter/slicker cassette won't cause any problems, but you might find the choice in 8 speed limited; try SRAM and Microshift.

Shimano chains get a bad press on here, so you might consider KMC for example.

It is my personal experience that upgrading a bike is much more involved and expensive than it might first appear: I would be saving for a better bike.

 

[Mushroomgodmat]

yeah, I think you guys are right...upgrading that one element will result in a pretty large (£400ish) upgrade.

So ill replace like for like and have done with it.

cheers for your help though!

 

[mcshroom]

I like SRAM PG-850 cassettes at 8 speed as they group nicely at the top end which I prefer. I'd also go with a KMC chain instead of the shimano one (I think it's a Z82 i get, but it could be z85). I woudn't worry about upgrading yet, there's nothing wrong with 8 speeds.