What is a spoke protector?

A spoke protector is a plastic disc that goes in between the cassette and spokes on your rear tire in order to protect your chain from going into the spokes. It acts as a barrier to protect your spokes in case the chain slips off the cassette.

Is Spoke protector necessary?

A spoke protector is necessary because it prevents the chain from digging into the spoke in case it falls between the spokes and the big gear cog. Also, in an accident involving the rear mech, the spoke guard acts as a barrier between the chain and the spokes.

Should I remove the dork disc?

The dork disc is necessary as it prevents the chain from reaching the spokes if the chain drops. Actually, the main function of the spoke guard is to hold the chain back from the spokes. In addition, the disc also helps to keep disc brakes free of oil and other forms of dirt coming from the chain and the cassette.

What is the plastic guard behind cassette?

Its a spoke guard. It prevents the chain from going between the spokes and cassette causing damage if you shift too far. This can only happen on badly tuned gears or old friction shifted shifters.

What is a dork disc on a bike?

The humble dork disc is pretty straight forward – it sits behind the rear cassette and provides a hard plastic barrier to deflect your rear derailleur and chain from being able to move past the largest cog on the rear cassette and collide with the spokes of your rear wheel.

What is the plastic disc on the back wheel of a bike?

Also known as a 'dork-disc' - I remove them every time I service a bike and hand it back to the owner saying it is superfluous to purpose. The one that comes with Aksium wheels is a huge black disc that it is just there to protect the wheels in the box, I think.

What is a bike cassette?

The cassette on your bicycle can be found on the rear wheel and is a cluster of sprockets that are a part of the drivetrain. They slide onto the freehub, the ratchet system that controls the drive of your bicycle when you pedal, and can have anything from 5 to 12 'speeds'.

What is a derailleur guard?

The Rear Derailleur Guard is designed to protect the bicycle's rear derailleur and hanger from damage when transporting the bike in a car, shipping in a box or bike case, or while in storage. Steel construction is impact resistant for enhanced protection.

Can I put a different cassette on my bike?

Yes, almost any bike is compatible with bigger cassettes, bike drivetrain is groupset of components that works in perfect harmony, any miss reconfiguring can break the perfect functionality of the system, parts that need to be changed and reconfigured when putting bigger cassette which is long-chain, wide cage ...

Are all Shimano cassettes compatible?

CHAINS AND CASSETTES

Buyers are free to use a SRAM chain and cassette with their Shimano groupset, and vice versa, just as a SRAM chain can be paired with a Shimano cassette, and vice versa. SRAM's cassettes and chains are compatible with all of Shimano's groupsets, and vice versa.

Which is better cassette or freewheel?

Which is better? A freewheel has a lower number of gears so is better suited for casual riders who don't require the larger selection of gears available from a cassette. It's much better coasting, allowing you to rest your legs, and if done correctly, can be useful when climbing hills and easier coming down them.

What is a red disc on rear of cycle?

The Copenhagen Wheel — a sleek red disc that snaps into a bike's rear wheel, transforming it into a hybrid — is now available to biking enthusiasts looking to boost their pedal power.

Can I fit a 12 speed cassette on a 11 speed hub?

The 12-speed cassette is designed to be backwards compatible with the existing 11-speed road freehub, while the 12 speed-specific freehub (available on Dura Ace hubs currently) can't be used with the 11-speed parts. Sram HG-style cassettes are largely the same spacing as Shimano, with the 10 speed exception.

Which cassette ratio is best for climbing?

All other things being equal, the 34T sprocket on the 11-34T cassette is going to give you the easiest gear. If your bike is currently fitted with an 11-28T cassette, switching to an 11-34T cassette will make climbing less of a struggle.

What does an 11 32 cassette mean on a bike?

The notation you've noticed simply means that for one of these cassettes, the smallest sprocket has 11 teeth, the largest has 32 teeth. And the second cassette has smallest sprocket 12 teeth, largest sprocket 25 teeth. So these numbers are basically the "range" of gears covered by a cassette.

Can I change number of teeth on cassette?

As there is only 2 tooth difference on the top end and the same number of teeth on the bottom end, you should not need a new chain or adjustment. There is some room in the derailleur to adjust the length (between 11 teeth and 34 teeth). Your new range of 11-32 is within the 11-34 so there should be no problems.

Are bike cassettes worth upgrading?

The drivetrain components work in perfect harmony and a tiny small miss-configuration can break the proper functionality of the system. Upgrading to a better cassette can make your bike comfortable, fast and more pleasant to ride.

Do I need a new chain if I change my cassette?

If you replace your cassette, it's a good chance you need a new chain unless it's been replaced recently. You need a bit longer chain for a larger cassette.

What tools do I need to change a Shimano cassette?

In order to remove and replace your cassette, you need to unscrew this lockring. You'll need three tools to do this: a chain whip, a cassette lockring remover and a large adjustable crescent wrench.

Do you need a chain whip to remove cassette?

To remove the cassette, you must loosen the lockring. This requires a special splined tool, some of which can be specific to your brand of cassette. As the lockring unwinds in the same direction the freewheel spins, you need to use a chain whip (in this case a plier type is used) to counter the loosening motion.

When should you replace rear cassette?

Once the chain wear is approaching 1% “stretch”, it's usually time to replace the cassette as well. Because the teeth on the cassette will have worn down to more or less match the chain wear, if a new chain is fitted to a worn cassette, it won't mesh properly and may jump or skip, especially when changing gear.

What is a rear derailleur?

The rear derailleur is the mechanism that shifts the chain at the rear sprockets. There are many different models but they all share the same basic design and functionality. Derailleurs are secured to the bike with a mounting bolt to the frame's derailleur hanger.