Posted at: May. 28, 2021
The 7-speed is used in cheap road bikes and cross bikes, and we have compiled a list of ways to upgrade from 7-speed to higher grade gears such as 8-speed, 9-speed, 10-speed, and 11-speed.
Table of contents
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The hub type of a bicycle wheel with multi-speed capability is
There are two types of wheel hubs.
In the case of 7-speed bicycles, the cheaper the model, the more likely it is to be equipped with boss-free type wheels, so check the wheel type carefully first. If it is a boss-free type wheel, we recommend replacing it with a cassette-free type wheel in order to upgrade to 8-speed or higher.
For this article, we will assume that you are using a cassette-free type wheel.
If your current road bike, cross bike, or MTB is a 7-speed bike, then you have two types of wheels.
Either of the following is true.
The way to determine which is which is by looking at the spacers on the low side.
There is no problem in judging that. The possibility is not zero, but it is very unlikely that a 7-speed bike is equipped with an 11-speed wheel.
An 8-speed sprocket is 3.6 mm taller than a 7-speed sprocket, so if you try to install an 8-speed sprocket on a 7-speed wheel, the lock ring that holds the sprocket in place will not tighten. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the wheel with an 8-speed wheel or higher.
If the wheel you are currently using is a 10-speed wheel (8, 9, or 10 speed), it should have a low spacer of about 3.6mm, so you can install an 8-speed sprocket by simply removing the spacer.
Of course, you will also need to prepare the 8-speed sprocket.
Types and Differences of Shimano 8-Speed Sprockets
Shimano's 8-speed sprockets are persistently popular as entry-level sprockets. Here is a summary of the differences between the many types and grades.
The sprocket of the 9-speed wheel is the same height as that of the 8-speed wheel, so it can be converted to 9-speed using the same method as for the 8-speed wheel.
Types and Differences of Shimano 9-Speed Sprockets
The 9-speed sprocket is used in Shimano's SORA compo for road bikes and ALIVIO compo for MTB. In this article, we summarize the types and differences of 9-speed sprockets.
Since the 10-speed sprocket is designed to be 2.5mm higher than the 7-speed sprocket, a 7-speed wheel cannot be fitted with a 10-speed sprocket.
If your current wheel is a 10-speed wheel (8, 9, or 10-speed), you can convert it to a 10-speed wheel by adding 1mm + 1.85mm spacers to the low side.
Finally, here is a summary of all the cases.
| sprocket steps | 8-10 speed wheel | 7 speed only wheel |
|---|---|---|
| 8-Speed Wheel | Remove and Replace Spacer | Not Available |
| 10-speed conversion | Remove spacer and replace | Not available |
| 10-speed conversion | Replace with 1mm spacer | Not available |
If you have a 7-speed-only wheel, it is not possible to upgrade to 8-speed or higher, so you should simply buy a new wheel. If you have a 10-speed wheel with spacers (8, 9, or 10 speed), you can upgrade to 8, 9, or 10 speed with or without spacers and in combination.
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