Have questions or want to discuss cycling? Join Now or Sign In to participate in the BikeRide community.


Can I change granny gear on my 1988 Trek mtb?
#1
I have an old 1988 Trek 830 mountain bike. Because it's pretty old, I don't want to put much money into it because it wouldn't take much cost to make it a better choice to buy a newer used mountain bike. Anyhow, the bike has sentimental value and still gets the job done so here is what I want to do.
The freewheel is a 14-32 six speed and it seems hard to find a replacement. I have many broken teeth on the 32 tooth large sprocket on the freewheel so I essentially do not have my lowest gear anymore. I'm thinking about changing the front granny chainring out from the existing 28 tooth to a 24 tooth. That way my granny gear with the second largest chainring on the freewheel (28 teeth) would give me a similar gear ratio to the lowest I had (actually slightly lower). The chainrings on this bike were "Ovaltech" and as the name implies quite oval in shape. I don't think this idea caught on to much but it's what I have and they have always worked fine for me. Can I just buy a 74mm bolt circle 24 tooth chainring and install it? Will this cause and shifting problems? I really don't care if it isn't the smoothest shifting bike as long as it does shift from granny ring to middle ring. middle ring is 38 teeth and "ovaltech" as well. Lastly, when I look at chainrings, Blackspire, I found one 74mm, 24T, that had a description "Designed for 8/9 speed drivetrains". Is there any reason this chainring wouldn't work on my six speed rear freewheel?
Thanks for any advice.
TheBaker

  Reply
#2
As long as your crank has bolts to hold the chainrings on (not welded) you should be able to change out the granny gear without any major problem. I don't think the oval/round issue will matter.
However, if your freewheel has "many broken teeth" I'm guessing it's pretty old and probably due to be replaced anyway. Here (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/freewheels.html#6) is an article about switching to 7 speed and here (http://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?id=778) is a 7 sp freewheel 14-34.

  Reply


Possibly Related Threads...

Forum Jump:

[-]
10 Latest Posts
Pre Ride Food Intake
Today 02:43 AM
Post-Ride Nutrition
Today 02:40 AM
🚴‍♂️ Saddle Up for the Belgian Waffle Ri...
Yesterday 06:15 PM
Zwift v Spin v Wahoo
Yesterday 05:59 PM
Have you Ever Tried an Electric Bike?
Yesterday 05:07 PM
SAVA Explorer 6061?
Yesterday 03:31 PM
Good Morning from SW Ohio
Yesterday 07:32 AM
(So California) PV Dr to be closed to bi...
03-31-2025 09:14 PM
Tubeless vs. tubes: What are the pros an...
03-31-2025 08:28 AM
The great thing about trikes
03-31-2025 08:16 AM

[-]
Join BikeRide on Strava
Feel free to join if you are on Strava: www.strava.com/clubs/bikeridecom

[-]
Top 5 Posters This Month
no avatar 1. GirishH
19 posts
no avatar 2. Flowrider
19 posts
no avatar 3. meamoantonio
12 posts
no avatar 4. Jake1
10 posts
no avatar 5. enkei
9 posts