June 19, 2025

Restoring my Peugeot PX-10 - Cassettes

I am getting (have gotten!) my frame "cold set" to allow 130mm rear wheels with cassettes to be used. No more freewheels.

Here is a fantastic video on removing and installing cassettes:

I am going to reuse an 8 speed cassette I have, but who knows what the future holds.

This cassette is a 12-23 Ultegra. The shop put on a KMC X8 chain, which seems nice. The KMC is a good chain at a good price. The shop tells me that I can use any 8 speed (or less speed) cassette, the only limitation being the reach of my derailleur.

The article says that a 11-28T cassette is common. Chains are designed for specific numbers of speeds. So I will be getting an 8 speed chain.

Chains have different widths and it kind of goes like this: 

12 rear cogs — 5.3 mm
11 rear cogs — 5.5 mm
10 rear cogs — 6 mm
9 rear cogs — 6.5 to 7 mm
6, 7, and 8 rear cogs — 7 mm
The recommended torque when installing the cassette is 40 N-m (30 ft-lbs).

Dura Ace versus Ultegra

Dura Ace costs a lot more and is lighter. The reason is fancy materials like titanium. In a cassette, a Dura Ace cassette will probably use titanium for the largest sprockets. The Ultegra will be more durable (steel wears longer than titanium) and the Dura Ace is no different as far as performance. So it is all about paying a lot more money to save some weight, then paying it again when parts wear out. Unless you are a top competitor (and then someone else is paying for your gear) there is not reason to go with Dura Ace. There is of course the "brag factor".

One person says that if you go with Dura Ace for your bike, be sure the chain and cassette are Ultegra because they wear out in no time!

Dura Ace 7400 Hypergide 8 speed 12-21T

I just bought one of these on Ebay. My thinking is that these days I ride primarily on level ground (the Tucson Loop) and don't need the big gears. This should give me the following: 
12 13 14 15 16 17  19  21
This is pretty much the most compact cluster I see described anywhere. We will see how it works out.
Have any comments? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's bike pages / tom@mmto.org