How to Build Pedal Gears

When rebuilding a bicycle, building the pedal gears is a key component to keeping the bike mobile. The gears are attached to the bicycle's back wheel by a horizontal bolt and connected to the front derailleur with a chain. The gears, part of the rear derailleur, consist of a series of sprockets that help regulate the tension in the pedals and the speed of the bicycle. When the rider changes gears, the derailleur moves across the sprockets to allow the bicycle to change gears.

Things You'll Need

  • Adjustable wrench
  • Cassette lock ring tool
  • Chain whip
  • Bicycle cassette
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Instructions

    • 1

      Put the bicycle's gear onto the smallest sprocket and remove the back wheel from the bicycle. This may be done with the quick release rear wheel lever, which will help the wheel drop out easily.

    • 2

      Unscrew the wheel's quick release at the middle of the sprockets and set it aside. Push the lock ring tool into the hole where the quick release once was.

    • 3

      Wrap the chain of the chain whip around one of the smaller sprockets and pull the chain's loose end around until the chain meets the chain whip. Tighten your wrench's clamp around the lock ring removal tool. Push the wrench in an counterclockwise direction until the lock ring removal tool comes loose. Remove the lock ring tool and the chain whip. This leaves you free to slide the existing gears off.

    • 4

      Purchase your bicycle gear cassette. Turn the gear cassette over to locate the key slot, which will be the widest slot on the back of the largest gear. Slide the cassette onto the wheel to replace the old gears, ensuring that the key slot lines up with the key slot on the wheel.

    • 5

      Slide the loose sprockets onto the wheel, ensuring that the larger sprockets are closer to the inside of the wheel and the smaller ones are closer to the outside.

    • 6

      Place the lock ring tool into the hole in the middle of the gears and use the wrench to tighten the gears into place. Ensure that you tighten the tool as much as you can, then pull it back out. Replace the wheel's quick release mechanism.

    • 7

      Refit the wheel to the bicycle, ensuring that the chain goes onto the smallest gear when you do so.