mr_scary

Hello, First post. My old bike was really rough, So I purchased a cheap road/gravel bike from Academy, Ozone 500 Men's 700c Eastwind Gravel 14-Speed Bicycle

I have a Tourney setup with a garbage no name crankset, I have the option to get a 2x7 Tourney crank,
but wondering if I will have issues upgrading to a Claris 2x8 crank.
I would also upgrade the chain.
Will 1 speed difference make a problem. I understand also upgrading the BB.
Current Cassette (Freewheel) MF-TZ500-7

FYI: It has a Tourney 2x front derailer as well.

Thank you for any input, it's greatly appreciated. Sorry I'm not allowed to post pics, or links at this time.until 10 posts.

dsbrantjr

I am running 9-speed cranksets on two of my 3x7 bikes with no issue.

70sSanO

As dsbrantjr stated, no problems with 8 speed Claris crank. Have done a lot of mix-n-match over the years including my current road bike that has 8 speed crank to 7 speed cassette.

John

Aladin

Running 8 crank isn't the issue.. at times the spacing produced w the different crank makes front de problematic. Not often w just 2 stations/rings
front.. but possible. Goes to the gap produced by the axle to inner ring distance.. see this on the older bikes only rarely. Newer models assume less often but noted on this thread as the off brand cranks can be the culprit.

mr_scary

Thank you all for the replies, very, very helpful.
With the info you all posted, I may even try for a better upgrade.

Maybe a 2x9 Sora FC-R3000. Do you think it would be worth it, or just go with Claris?

Also would you use a 7, 8 or 9 speed chain? or does really matter much?

Thank you all again. Very much appreciated.

Drew Eckhardt 

That will be fine as long as you're using a chain for no more speeds which may require shims to prevent chain rub on the big ring.

Wheels Manufacturing, Origin 8, and LeTour all make 0.5mm shims for this.

Bill Kapaun

I wouldn't change out the old one.
What's wrong with it and what do you expect to gain?
I'd put my money in better tires or similar.

And you DON'T have a cassette. You have a Free Wheel.
Freewheel or Cassette?

mr_scary

Sorry you are correct it's a freewheel, I have looked at so many, my error.

As for the crank, this flimsy POS goes sideways when I put down force on it, it moves a good 1/2" or more, and it's warped a good 1/4" plus it bobs up and down so I'm sure it's riveted crooked.
I get the front derailer dialed in perfect, then after 4 or 5 miles of casual riding the chain pops off when shifted to the 50t, also the crank is creaking pretty bad.
It's a no name, not even Shimano. I've had to tighten the BB bearings 3 times, It's not a sealed bearing, it an old school bearing race situation. in a un26 shell I think.

mr_scary

Once I have my 10 posts, I will post pictures if it's helpful.

veganbikes

I would save the money and put it towards a quality bike from a bike shop. Upgrading parts on a department store bike really isn't worth it. The bike is designed to be a throw away item and not something to last a decent period of time. If the bike has issues try to return it to Academy rather than spending more money on it.

fietsbob

crankset "speeds is 1,2 or 3, ..
the 567891011 12 is the stack on the back end,,..

you Use the same chain width on 5678, it 9 it gets thinner and thinner still as more are crammed together in a stack..

pitch remains 1/2"






...

mr_scary

Hello I was unable to reply for 24 hours for some kind of spam protection.

I have actually considered doing this, but the only bike I would consider is a Trek Checkpoint AL 3 or 4 which is 6 8 or times the price, also a shortage in bikes right now.., But the bike itself is pretty solid, the only issue is with the crank, as it's a flimsy no name junk with bad chain line. Either way, if I decide to buy a Trek or other quality bike this will be a good learning experience. and the old parts can be put back on, and i'm only out the $150 and have an extra crank for later use. or I could sell the bike

So the 8-speed crank should be fine with the 7 speeds on the back?

My thoughts as well

..

Now I just need to figure out if installing a BB-RS500 Bottom Bracket will be an issue with chain line.
Also if that I might have issues with Shell threading with the new BB.

Any pointers on what to measure on the frame. I know the shell is 68MM width,
How do I determine the inside diameter for the bottom bracket, or should it just be standard? 30MM?
I'm measuring with a caliper and getting 33.50 mm ID, but I think the threads make up the rest. I'm not sure. I hope it fits.

Thanks everyone for the replies.

fietsbob

8 is 7+1, in this case it is just adding 1 more cog same spacing as the other 7..
after that, 9 began the quest to pack 1 extra cog in without the overall width going up.

that whole game is made possible with freehubs rather than screw on freewheels.

mr_scary

Ordered everything:
- Shimano BB-RS500 Bottom Bracket
- SHIMANO Claris 8-Speed Road Bicycle Crankset - FC-R2000 170MM 50X34T
- SHIMANO HG71 8/7/6-Speed Bicycle Chain CN-HG71-I with SM-UG51 Quick Link
- Park Tool BBT-69.2 16-Notch Bottom Bracket Tool

Should have it all in about 2 weeks.
Will post back how it works out.

mr_scary

I still cannot post pics and links yet.

mr_scary

Maybe now I can

mr_scary

veganbikes

The whole bike isn't worth it though. If you want a Checkpoint get a Checkpoint, save the money and get a better quality bike. You are already looking to replace parts on the current bike and you will be following up with that as the other parts fail as they are want to do. Get what you want.

You could have an extra crank and that isn't a terrible thing but I would just save the money.

mr_scary

I definitely agree, but biking isn't my only hobby, I have many, and they are all expensive.
This will be the only upgrade I perform on this bike. I will use it to it's fullest. After that if it fails, I will ditch it, and get a good bike.
I'm not planning a tour de france or anything, but I do know from working on it, the bearings and races are pure garbage, as are the crank and bottom bearing.
I cleaned everything up and properly greased with a good quality grease. as the original grease job was not adequate, the bearings were just lightly smeared on, not packed.
So it's not just manufacturing, it's plant assembly, and store assembly all 3 are the purest of garbage money can buy. These bike are just garage decor nothing more. Bicycle Whatnots

veganbikes

I am curious why everyone says "I am not racing" "I am not in the tour" of course you aren't that is not a reasonable comparison at all in almost any situation. If you were in the tour you would have sponsors, team mechanics and not be riding anything close to tourney or claris. However everyone and their grandmothers know that you aren't "in the tour" 99% of cyclists aren't in the TdF.

Why buy a bike to ditch why not just get a quality bike and not ditch it. One should not have to overhaul a new bike or buy replacement parts for it aside from touch points or really worthwhile upgrades. Don't put good money towards disposable stuff unless sensible. 150 for a crank on a bike that is probably maybe $250 new just doesn't make the sense that is over half the cost of the bike.

I get it expensive hobbies take money but you get quality and you don't have to buy again and again. I am buying tools and am about to spend claris crank money on a Snap-On ratchet just one no sockets just a lovely swivel head ratchet.

mr_scary

I don't really have $1300+ to spend on a bike right now, so I have to make due with it for now. I can always sell the bike later, with the upgrade and recoop some of my money, as bikes are nearly impossible to acquire right now, and prices of used bikes are nearly double.

70sSanO

I think that for any sport/hobby/activity, there are those who are actively involved and those who are passively involved.

Our daughter and son-in-law have bikes they bought at Target. They work for them.

People actually buy Wavestorm foam surfboards at Costco. Although I have seen Youtubes of pipeline with a Wavestorm.

On the other end, people will spend $200 for a softball bat; slowpitch!

The canned response has always been that I’m not turning pro, I just want to have fun. I can respect that there can be a just enough to get the job done position.

John

icemilkcoffee 

I think you did good. You fixed a glaring fault in a cheap bike and made it better.Sure, you could spend more money and bought a better bike to begin with. But where is the fun in that?

Pop N Wood

Now shame on you, think of the carbon footprint of manufacturing a new bike vs upgrading an old one.

I have a 10 speed campy ultra torque crank on a 6 speed shimano freewheel with a 6 speed chain. Works better than new. I upgraded for the same reason as the OP, the old crank was just worn out and flexing more than I liked. Plus the crank extractor threads stripped out 20 years ago.

From what I can tell you need to match your chain to the cassette spacing. 5-8 speed chains are the same, 9, 10 and 11 all have different chains. Stay 8 or below cause those are the cheaper chains.

veganbikes

Curious is your 6 speed new stuff or older stuff. I have 6 speed Dura Ace on a bike, that would potentially be worth an upgrade. Tourney 6 speed is not however. This is not an old bike this is a new bike or relatively new and the components on it are not worth upgrade. It was built as a disposable bike.