ThermionicScott 

This may only be of interest to like 5 people here, but some chatter in a thread with @rccardr a couple months ago got me thinking:

I've got a couple spares of every Shimano 7-speed "road" cassette I like stocked away (13-21, 13-23, 13-26), but every so often, I'll check the online stores to see what they have. I dunno why, my folks kept looking at houses for sale after building theirs, so it's probably genetic.

Anyways, I noticed recently that Universal, Niagara, and Harris are all low on stock, or completely out of these closer-ratio cassettes. Same with 8-speed classics like 12-23, 13-23 and 12-25.

Does anyone know if Shimano is just between production runs, or has decided to pull the plug after decades of "obsolescence"? I'm sure that some company will always make cheap 11-28's for every drivetrain that ever existed, but it would be a shame to see the nice close-ratio stuff go away.

thinktubes 

noglider 

I think it's too soon for that, though the selection of sizes might be decreasing now.

Reynolds 

13-21 is my favorite 7sp, I have 1 mint & 1 new one. With my use and my age, I think these will last me long enough.

ryansu

Dude, step away from the panic button, Shimano still sells 5 speed freewheels just do a search on Amazon. Its going to be ok. Shimano, SRAM and SunRace all make 7 speed cassettes and I see SunRace makes a 12-25T

due ruote 

I have noticed the same. Just checked Amazon and both 12-23 and 13-26 8 speeds are shown as available, but at noticeably higher prices than what I paid not so long ago.
A 13-23 8 speed was being sold by a seller called Shopperdooper (not kidding) for $120. That can't be a good sign. All these were Shimano HG50.

[edit] aha - this is more like it: https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/u...te/rp-prod1864

mstateglfr 

So wider range 7 and 8sp cassettes are still around, but the tighter spaced ones are low inventory?

perhaps its a bit if trend towards more range.

desconhecido 

Save your spacers. If you take 8 cogs from a 9-speed cassette and use 7 8-speed spacers it should work with your 8 speed shifters. Doing likewise with 7 cogs and 7 speed spacers, you'll be off by .21 mm on the one and seven sprocket if the 4 sprocket is spot on. Shouldn't that work?

HTupolev

Partly that, but a different way of looking at it is that the segment of the market that demanded tight gearing has long since vanished. Very few people are using 7/8-speed bikes in serious spirited road riding at this point, and those that are, are mostly either satisfied with the available options, or unwilling or unable to be picky.

I thought Shimano had totally stopped producing 5-speed. The fewest-gears Shimano cluster I can find new stock from online retailers is the 6-speed TZ20.

ThermionicScott 

Not panicking, but I do appreciate the concern.

Perhaps an analogy to C&V cars might help: one of my other hobbies is aircooled VWs. The replacement parts situation for those cars keeps getting worse and worse -- there are Asian-made replacements for a lot of things but none seem to fit or work as well as the original German parts. And any of those makers might decide to get out of the business completely at any point in favor of more lucrative markets. So a person who wants to keep driving their Bug, Bus, Thing, etc for a long time needs to think about storing away consumables for the future. How many spare sets of German points should I get while I still can? Extra cylinder heads? What about door and window seals? How many one-year-only brake drums will be enough?

So I don't recommend panicking in any circumstance, but I would suggest that if there is a tight-ratio 7/8 speed cassette you enjoy, now might be a good time to lay in one or two extras.

88Tempo

I was looking for a 13-23 7 speed and noticed the same thing. There were a bunch of NOS 7 speed close ratio cassettes on Ebay, but I'm not paying those prices. Sunrace makes a close ratio 7 speed, but I have no experience with Sunrace. I'll probably order one and test it if the Shimano doesn't come back in stock.
When I was looking for a 14-24 5 speed freewheel for a 73 Fuji The Finest I couldn't locate one of those either.

88Tempo

I pulled the large cog off a 8 speed cassette I had laying around and put it on a 7 speed hub and my RSX setup seemed to shift it fine. I need to take the time to play with it more, but it might be an option.

CliffordK

Shimano still sell the Claris groupset, 2x8 or 3x8.

Hopefully they'll continue to sell parts to go with it.

However, you may be right, the tight range gearing has lost popularity. Or, those that really want the tight range gearing have migrated to 10s and 11s (or 12s).

It may be one of the issues with the concept of trickle down technology. By the time the technology has trickled down to Claris level groupsets, it is also "entry level", and thus not supporting the top end racers.

I have noticed that 7s freehubs and hubs are more difficult to source, so perhaps Shimano is finally trying to cut them out.

skillasw

I'm also a fan of the 8 speed, although Campy 8 speed. Which are getting hard to find! I'm running 3 classic Bianchis from the 90's with 8 speed and frankly it more than enough gears I really don't know why you would want any more? Plus I love having the thicker chains, they just feel more solid.
Lucky I just scored a great deal of someone off loadin 4 cassettes worth of old 8 speed for $80. Soon when none are around they'll be on ebay for like $200 lol.(practically are almost sometimes).
I have successfully set up an 8-speed cassette, using 9 speed cogs, with 8 speed spacers on a 9/10 speed hub, works great! I would think you could probably rig something like that with Shimano if you had all loose cogs. Though I did see brand new Shimano 8 speed cassettes for sale online, just yesterday.

cs1

Cute Boy Horse

Plenty of new bikes are made with 7 speed freewheels, as budget bikes. Nobody out there blows freehub money on only 7 speeds.

verktyg 

I only have 2 bikes with 9 speed cassettes and I've never ridden either one.

I have one bike with an old 6 speed cassette but most of my bikes are running 7 or 8 speed 11T or 12T-28T plus a few xT-30T cassettes. High quality light weight xT-28T cassettes like the XTR CS-M750, CS-900 or CS-M950 are getting hard to find and expensive.

Shimano HG50 boat anchor


Lighter weight HG70

These CS-M750, CS-M900 & CS-M950 are the ones that I prefer. Some of them have titanium sprockets.


verktyg

GrainBrain

I had to order my hg50 13-23 from the UK. It was hard not to buy a NOS hg70 or hg90 but for those prices I'm a third of the way towards a new groupo!

RobbieTunes

A lot of old people (like me) no longer run the tight ratios, I guess.

5 years ago, norskagent and I rode a local metric century on 12-19 8sp. It included a timed hillclimb at 21 miles.

I simply would not do it today. My suffering is long and slow now, no hurry to it.

I did just pick up a 12-21 8sp cassette, new, if anyone feels the need. (Shimano)

Sidebar: Appears Shimano is listening, now selling 11sp cassettes that fit on 8/9/10 freewheels. This increases their ability to sell upgrade 11sp gear, and increases my ability to pick up 10sp stuff, or 9sp stuff ridiculously cheap.

BradH

I stocked up on 13 23 hg50 cassettes a few years ago and I noticed nobody has them now. If they come up again I'll get more. Almost all my bikes are 8, 9, 10 wheels & shifters. I'll take a 16 & 18 cog over a 11 & 12 any day of the week.

Like others have said save your cogs & spacers. Hg50 9 speed cassettes are available in 14 25 and 13 25. They can be used on 7 and 8 speed with the right spacers.

52telecaster

8 speed is what I always use for touring, fortunately I need widespaced ones. I always have good luck with sunrace. The 12-34 makes a great halfstep cassette.

ryansu

You are correct my bad I only see Shimano FW on Ebay, BUT SunRace, SunLite, DNP and Ventura sell 5 speed FWs on Amazon, IRD sells the Classica series and BFs own Pasterbob can work his magic at FreeWheelSpa.com orpastorbobnlnh.com

ryansu

My very first car was a 1974 beetle -I did my own tune ups and even converted from points to solid state in the distributor, and then I went cross country in a 1977 Camper bus conversion in my late 20s, I named it Pepe - my little mule, love me some air cooled VWs. I guess its not surprising that parts are finally running dry but I would think with about a gillion bugs being built from the 50s through the 70s (and longer in Mexico) that there is still enough demand for someone to want to fill it...But I understand if you have a one year only or something unusual like a thing or 411 stocking up would be prudent. Just realized that when I had my bug and was working on it that it was only 10 to 15 years old, now its nearly 45 years old if its still out there ...sigh.

masi61

Dfrost