Freewheel or cassette (gear fittings)?

Freewheel or cassette (gear fittings)?

When choosing a rear wheel kit, you need to work out what type of gear fitting you have, there are two types – freewheel, or cassette.

You should choose a rear motor that has the matching gear fitting for your gears – we offer both freewheel and cassette fittings on our rear motors.

Beware – these terms “freewheel” and “cassette” are often used to mean the same thing – but it is important to be clear about the difference.

Threaded Freewheel fittings

These are found on traditional / budget bicycles, they have threads on the rear wheel for the gear cluster to screw onto. This is a universal design allowing any brand of freewheel to be fitted to any wheel.

Until 1980s all bicycles used this fitting for the gears

Cassette Freehubs

Most higher-quality and modern bikes made since the late 1980s have a different design – the cassette fitting for the gears

Removing and swapping your gears

It can be time consuming and costly (special tools are required) to remove your gears from your old wheel and transfer to the new wheel

New gear clusters for freewheel, or cassette, can be bought for about £10-15. Therefore it is common to simply buy a new gear set to match the wheel you are buying from us.

If you currently have a 7-speed gearset, then you simply need to search on eBay for a 7-speed gearset for cassette, or freewheel, whichever motor you are getting from us.

We can help you if you need

Don’t forget to check the number of teeth on the smallest and largest gears, and try to get a gearset that matches it. For instance the standard naming of a gear cluster is:

“7 speed shimano 14-28T”

This means 7 speed, Shimano brand, and the smallest gear is 14 teeth and the largest gear is 28 teeh.

So once you know the following:

• Number of gears
• Brand
• Smallest and largest gear teeth
• Cassette or freewheel (choose based on the motor you are getting)

Then you have the info you need to buy a suitable replacement gearset to go along with your kit

Remember, we can help you if you need assistance!