Originally Posted by
BikePower
Thanks Pastor Bob. Its true not many hills here but we have bridges, many of which have pretty steep inclines. Also we get quite a bit of wind especially around said bridges. Overall I have little use for a granny gear under normal conditions but I want to have it for the cool factor and just to have the capability instead of just wasting the cog on a gear ratio that is not noticeably different than the previous gear. Just please let me do this just once Bob. Just stand with me this one time and help me bring my vision to reality. Thanks
Okay, I do understand building something the way YOU want it to be. I've done the same plenty of times, for instance my Cannondale that has 81 speeds (long story that has been posted in other threads).
I can easily build you a 5 speed Suntour Perfect or ProCompe which begins with a 14T and ends with a 34T. That's the widest I can go. You can pick the three sprockets in the middle with basically the only limitations being:
- The 2nd Smallest must be 15T, 16T, 17T, or 18T (these are threaded and limited in Tooth size)
- The 2nd Largest must be 28T, 30T, or 32T (after the 27T, Suntour did not make odd numbered sprockets). Any of these three could also be the largest sprocket.
Not exactly what you are after, but as close as I can come. The Perfect and ProCompe models are the best to customize in the way you are after.
The advice above from
repechage and
JohnDThompson about your crank and chainrings is spot on. If you go with a 34T freewheel sprocket and a 32T chainring, again you will need a different RD. However, by not using the 38T (which is a rare find, none are on ebay at the moment), most any long cage vintage RD should work.
Let me know if I can assist with the 5 speed Perfect or ProCompe.