reclaverjr

I recently purchased a Schwinn Voltare 1300. In my research of the bike, many reviews stated that the freewheel is junk & if replaced it would be a decent bike for the money. In my research on replacing the freewheel, rear cassette is often an interchangeable term. I found a Shimano Tourney CS-HG200 7 speed cassette, which I believe is an appropriate replacement. If I am correct, do I need 12-24t or 12-32t? Thanks in advance for helping a Noob out! Also, please shout out any product that is a better replacement.

Bill Kapaun

read this-
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/free-k7.html
That bike MOST LIKELY has a Free Wheel, since it's a 7 speed.
How is the factory free wheel junk? A lot of online reviews are full of ignorance. Cleaning & lubing the chain on a somewhat regular basis makes all the "toothy" parts last longer. A worn/elongated chain causes an early demise to the same parts. Maybe they're blaming the victim instead of the culprit?

reclaverjr

Google Replacement Freewheel for Schwinn Volare 1300 & cassette is result.

reclaverjr

These reviewers seem to have more advanced bicycle knowledge.

Bill Kapaun

How would YOU know?
You simply don't find 7 speed cassette hubs because they don't make them. Cassettes are 8 speed & more.
That bike is an X-mart type bike. Odds of finding a cassette hub on those is even lower.
Read the damn article I pointed out and then look at YOUR bike.
Ignorant responses are a waste of time. Educate yourself instead.

dedhed

Count the teeth on the smallest cog and largest cog of your current freewheel. that's what the 12-24 and 12-32 mean, number of teeth on the smallest and largest cogs. If you like your current gear range get the same tooth count freewheel. You'll also need a specific special tool to remove your old freewheel and that will depend on what type it uses out of the 10 or so different freewheel removal tools.

veganbikes

It is a department store bike it is not worth putting money towards unless you absolutely have to in order to keep riding it because you need to keep riding it. I would save your money towards a better bike. A freewheel will not improve the bike enough to justify the cost of it which is almost 9% of the bike (not including labor).

Bill Kapaun They do make 7 speed cassettes. QBP lists 10 of them for standard usage (there are 2 others but for SRAM Downhill and don't quite count) I actually made the mistake once and ordered a freewheel as I thought that is what I needed turns out it was a cassette. Albeit they aren't super common these days but there was a time when 7 speed was still a thing.

cxwrench

And wrong. Shimano make at least 4 different types, SRAM at least a couple. That's not counting the inevitable offerings from Sunrace and others.

Bill Kapaun

And some model numbers of these cassette Free Hubs that Shimano & SRAM still make?

cxwrench

The freehub? That doesn't matter. You can put a 7 speed cassette on pretty much any freehub. You said 'cassettes are 8 speed or more'...that is not correct.

Bill Kapaun

Pay attention!
You quoted me and don't even remember what the hell it's about?
Sounds like a yippie dog going after someones ankles.

cxwrench

Stay in your lane buddy, I've forgotten more about this than you'll ever know. See your post below.
You specifically said: 'cassettes are 8 speed & more'. Wrong.

Bill Kapaun

Read the sentence just before that where I mentioned hubs.
You're such a whiny child.

alcjphil

Freewheel and cassette are not interchangeable terms. Some inexperienced newcomers use the 2 terms as if they are the same thing but they are not. Your bike, being new is almost certainly equipped with a freewheel, not a cassette. As for the number of teeth on the cogs, count them. Very few freewheels start with a 12 tooth small cog, most start with 13 or 14 teeth. As for the large cog, the more teeth the lower the gearing. Probably best to stay with tooth counts very close to what you currently have. As for recommendations, start by determining if you have a freewheel or a cassette. 99% certain that you have a freewheel, not a cassette

veganbikes

Bill you are fighting a fight that does not need to be fought and one that you will not prevail at. There are 7 speed freehubs they are not common anymore and most everything is now 8-10 or 11 (or 12...) in fact go back further and you do have 6 speed uniglide freehubs.

Sheldon Brown can explain everything here on his website: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/k7.html (the page has been up as long as I can remember and makes flagrant use of 7 speed cassettes and freehubs)

Bill Kapaun

You're commenting on something you apparently don't understand.
Why do you want to 'engage"?
Who the hell are you to decide if I can prevail or not?
The whiny child hasn't commented since. You call that a loss?

veganbikes

Seriously...you lost. There are 7 speed freehub bodies and 7 speed cassettes and if you go back to UNIGLIDE you have 6 speed cassettes and if you consider the Maillard Helicomatic a proto-freehub you have 5 speeds. I understand very well that this stuff exists.

I engage because you are trying to spread false information for some really odd reason. I don't know why you cling to it? You normally post useful stuff but this is just odd. What exactly is the point you are trying to make?

You didn't say, they don't really make them anymore or most common stuff is 8 speed on up these days which would have been fine but you are provide false information to what end?

Bill Kapaun

You aren't telling me anything except you have a burning desire to take my post(s) out of context like whiny child. .
Why are you so concerned? Actually, I don't give a rats ... about your concerns.
IGNORE LIST

cxwrench

Please, add me to it as well.

Bigbus

I think all the bickering scared the OP off, but if he's still reading this thread, I don't think he really needs to change anything on the bike. It's new and still in good working order as is. He just thought he could make it a better bike by replacing no-name parts with known-name parts, which in most cases is a waste of money. My opinion and I'm sticking to it.
It was a beautiful foggy morning with no wind and 42°F and instead of going for a nice long ride, I had to take the DW into town for groceries. I'm the one that should be whining. Oh wait, I am.

veganbikes

PLEASE EXPLAIN YOURSELF. Seriously tell me why you believe there is no 7 speed free hubs and no 7 speed cassettes and disprove Uniglide???? I am literally not trying to be a jerk here I want to hear your side of this as you are denying fact and maybe I have missed something in the text you have provided to us that is missing crucial context to explain this?

If you want to say Helicomatic is not really a freehub, I can except that, that is fair and reasonable it is up for debate and doesn't wholly play into the 7 speed thing.

Crankycrank

I would agree with the other comments that what is the point of replacing it if it's working. There are cheapy freewheels but they don't hurt the ride much until they stop functioning. Wait until it breaks and even then sometimes just a clean and lube will fix it.

Andrew R Stewart 

Bill- Cool your jets for a day please. I generally like your comments but here I don't. Turning to personal insults is not how to win friends or convince people you are correct.

We sell 7 speed cassettes, both Shimano and SRAM usually although Sun Race and Sun Lite have been available too (pandemic dependent). On most current this requires a 4.3mm (aprox) spacer behind the cassette to take up the open space the now wider FH bodies have. And there were plenty of 5 and 6 speed cassettes back in the 1970s/80s. No, I don't consider a Helicomatic a cassette but some might. IMO there's no real issue there.

To the OP- I agree with the suggestion to not "upgrade" the freewheel, yet. If it gives you a problem then sure do it then (and if that's a lot of miles from now include the chain too). But to replace a working part because someone say so is not enough for me. Andy

Bill Kapaun

Kind of like post #2
BTW- Did you see these "children" make ANY attempt to help the OP? NO!

veganbikes

Actually Bill Kapaun , I did I tell the OP to not upgrade and only replace parts as absolutely needed and save up towards a better bike and that a new freewheel won't solve any issues or improve the bike enough to make it justify the cost.

I am still curious about your thoughts on the facts of 7 speed cassettes and free hubs (which in turn would be attached to hubs back in the day)? They must not exist to have proof of them and someone well known and well respected who knew his stuff explaining everything to you and the entire world. It is a fact in life some people stick to their guns even when out of ammo and with no firing pin with the barrel filled with lead no chance but they cling to it like a moth to a flame.