I’m currently fixing up my bike, and I’ve come to a dilemma. For background, I got a bike at a police auction, but the rims were damaged and had a bulge in both. It’s a V-brake system, so it affected braking.

I got a donor bike with better rims, but it used a Sunrace freewheel. Is there a meaningful difference between the Shimano and the Sunrace, other than how the gears attach? Would you recommend going through the effort to swap the hubs?

    • Telorand@reddthat.comOPEnglish
      3·
      1 month ago

      The frame is a Specialized Hard Rock, and that’s the one that had the Shimano hubs. The donor bike, I’m not sure.

      • _haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.worksMEnglish
        3·
        1 month ago

        They are probably compatible according to SunRace’s Q&A https://sunrace.com/faq-qna/:

        Yes, our products are compatible with Shimano and / or Sram. Our cassettes will fit onto the HyperGlide fitting (for both Shimano and Sram drive trains) or XD (for Sram drive trains). For derailleurs and shifters the standard is Shimano-compatible, unless it has been stated clearly that the item is Sram-compatible.

        That said, is the cassette still in good shape? Might want to confirm it’s still got a good amount of life in it before you go to the trouble of swapping it out.

        • Telorand@reddthat.comOPEnglish
          3·
          1 month ago

          How would I tell if it’s in good shape? That’s not something I currently know how to do (but I’m willing to learn). I can remove gears, and I can grease wheel bearings, but I don’t know how tell the difference between a worn cassette and a new one.

          • _haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.worksMEnglish
            3·
            1 month ago

            Compare how the teeth look on yours vs a new one, you can get an actual cassette wear tool but you should be able to see how warn down it is visually.

            Feel free to post pics too for second opinions.

      • FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.ioM
        2·
        1 month ago

        You’ll probably be fine but if it doesn’t work a new cassette isn’t crazy expensive. Check the chain and cassette for wear though, no sense in putting on parts that are already cooked. You can buy a chain checker and cassette wear tool for relatively little money and they’re worth having especially if you ride a lot. You could probably also stop by your local bike shop and they’ll measure it for you.