No more big gears?

Shock and awe, I’m trying to build a new bike. I know, I have a nice one already but there’s something fun about wrenching in the garage that has me building bikes left and right.  I’ll say the same thing I always say, it’s cheaper than working on a car!

I’ve had this old Terrible One frame for a few months and it never felt right. That’s probably due to the 20.5" top tube measurement which I wasn’t exactly aware of when I purchased it. I tend to buy a lot of junk while I learn a new hobby and while this isn’t junk, it’s not working for me. So I stripped all the parts off the frame and ordered a new frame to put them on.

When the new frame showed up -it’s a simple Enigma V1 in case you were wondering, I promptly tossed it on the bike stand and started assembling it. Unfortunately I ran into a problem when I slid my Eastern 720 cranks and Solid 36t sprocket into the bottom bracket; it doesn’t exactly fit.  A quick glance at my Hoffman confirmed that I had been a little short sighted when I assumed I could just swap everything over, today’s frames just aren’t built for larger sprockets anymore. I tried to use spacers to push the sprocket away from the frame but that resulted in a very bad chain angle.

Woe is me, I have to unlace my back wheel and find a 48h cassette hub in the 10 or 9 tooth variety. I might just spring for the Danscomp Poverty cassette hub, it’s cheap and probably adequate for my poor riding skills. I’ve not read any reviews on this particular hub but it’s safe to say that there will be those who hate it, and those who love it. I’ll just have to give it a try.