n00b cassette question

thebeatcatcher said:

I am currently trying to breathe new life into (and learn about bike maintenance) an old Schwinn with a 6 spd rear cassette.

1. What are the difficulties/issues with switching to a 7spd?

2. How do I know if I just need a cassette, or a cassette/freewheel?

3. Will I need a new rear derailleur?

4. Any links or info on gear ratios?

5. Is there a worthwhile benefit to having 7 vs 6?

Sorry about all the questions.

1) sheldonbrown.comspeeds.htmlOpen ↗

2) sheldonbrown.comfree k7.htmlOpen ↗

3) sheldonbrown.comspeeds.htmlOpen ↗

4) sheldonbrown.comgearsOpen ↗

5) Not much

Read this too: sheldonbrown.comfreewheels.htmlOpen ↗

Scotty Dog has given you the best answer that you can get here. Any questions that you have can probably be answered on Sheldon Brown's website if you look hard enough.

Your bike will be a 6 speed Freewheel, a spin on. It can be upgraded to a 7 or 8 speed spin on (Sunrace, Shimano etc) however the axle will need spacers and frame drop out increased to cater for the wider cluster.

I recently painted a frame and upgraded an old ten speed, (2x5) friction shifter to a 21 speed (3x7) rapid fire index system, it made a very nice bike.
http://www.cyclingforums.com/t403611.html

For mods to a 6 speed Huffy see recent pages of: http://www.cyclingforums.com/t363004.html

Thanks for the help! I already knew of that site, guess I should've checked deeper.

I think I'm going to just leave it as is, don't know if I want to get into re-dishing the wheel as was suggested. I'll put a few miles on her and see how much of an issue it is.

Thanks again!