Bike Novice - Need New Cassette

[SwimDude0614]

Hello all,

A quick Google search popped up this website and you guys all looked to be very friendly. So, I have a Giant bike, about 7 years old, and the cassette and chain are both... bad. Really bad. Rusted, gears worn off, stiff link... it's bad. I already bought a new chain at the local bike shop (SRAM PC 850) but then realized I needed a new cassette too.

So, buying a new cassette looks to be much more difficult than chains. My bike is a 2004 Giant Rincon.
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Do you guys have recommendations on what cassette I should get? I need the front three gears and the rear-derailer at least, but should probably replace all gears since I've heard cassettes and chains should be done at the same time.

Thanks,
David

[nfmisso]

Hi David;

Based on this:
http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/bikespecs.aspx?Year=2004&Brand=Giant&Model=Rincon&Type=bike

I would get a SRAM 8 speed cassette; one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/PG830-Bicycle-Cassette-8-Speed-11-28T/dp/B000NNR8ZY/

This rear derailleur:
http://www.amazon.com/PG830-Bicycle-Cassette-8-Speed-11-28T/dp/B000NNR8ZY/

Crankset:
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Tourney-FC-M131-Crankset-42-34-24/dp/B000F5HXHI/

Techdoc:
http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/techdocs/content/cycle/SI/FC/SI_1LX0A/SI-1LX0A-003-00-Eng_v1_m56577569830758324.pdf

And you probably need a new bottom bracket (aka BB)

[SwimDude0614]

Well I think I'll go with the 11-28 cassette since I *never* find myself using the largest gear in the rear. I grabbed this derailleur and the crankset you provided a link to above. The bottom bracket though - how do I know which one to get? Bikepedia doesn't seem to list mine. If I take my bike apart, will it say on the current one? And why do I need one? Is it (likely) not compatible with the new crankset, or will it be worn down? I have noticed a solid click once per crank revolution for the past year or so when pedaling hard and often thought it would be BB (not that I had idea it was called that at the time lol).

Also, sorry about the delay. I set the thread for instant email notification but I guess it got stopped by spam filters, so I thought no one ever replied.

Thanks!
David

[nfmisso]

HI David;

The crankset I listed needs a square taper BB; your bike uses a 68mm diameter BB; the final thing you need is the BB length, according the tech doc (last link in my previous post) you need a BB with a 122.5mm length. So you need a BB that is 68 x 122.5 with a square taper. The Shimano UN26 is about the cheapest one you'll find. As you go higher up Shimano's line the number will increase; thus a UN55 is better than a UN26.

References:
http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_bo-z.html#bottom
http://sheldonbrown.com/bbsize.html

The once per rev noise could be the BB (most likely), the pedals, or something else.

[SwimDude0614]

Great. Thanks for the info!

Shopping cart consists of:
Shimano UN55 122.5x68
SRAM PG830 8speed 11-28
Shimano RD-M410 Alivio SGS
Shimano Tourney FC-M131 170mm 42 - 34 - 24