Shimano XT M730 shifters w/7 speed XT M732 Rear hub/cassette

[jimi911]

Dang google has failed me on this ...

I am building an 87-88ish bike. Its at that nexus of Shimano XT between 730-732-735.

I want to use a shimano 730 drive train, which is 6 speed. It can run 7 though as well correct? Do I need to make any sort of adjustment to it?

I have a couple very nice 7 speed wheelsets built with NOS parts I like to use for riding and I'd prefer to use one of those on this thing for reliability.

 

[hamster]

You cannot run 7 speed with 6 speed shifters or vice-versa. The cog spacing is 5.5mm on 6 speed, 5.0mm on 7. While you can just about get away with it with 8 speed (4.8mm) the extra is too much for the floating jockey wheel in the mech.

Of course switching to friction shifting has no problems.

 

[jimi911]

Dang ... need another wheel set

 

[hamster]

You can probably get the thing to work on the 7 speed wheels - either fit a 6 speed UG cassette or use the 6 speed spacers to widen out a 7 speed cassette (omitting one cog of course).

Frankly I'd just switch it to friction and be done with it. People managed for over 50 years to ride without indexing!

 

[jimi911]

You can probably get the thing to work on the 7 speed wheels - either fit a 6 speed UG cassette or use the 6 speed spacers to widen out a 7 speed cassette (omitting one cog of course).

Frankly I'd just switch it to friction and be done with it. People managed for over 50 years to ride without indexing!

I'll try friction at first, but I think I will build up one good 6 speed wheelset to use. The '85 Stumpy Team and '87 Cameron both 'should' use 6 speed and I want to ride them. I have a NOS set of DX hubs that need a use.

Thanks for the help!

 

[hamster]

The freehub body of 6 and 7 speed is the same length. 6 speed have the smallest cog thread onto the body, rather than a lockring. Early 7 speed hubs had the grooves to allow 6 speed cassettes to fit. M730 hubs and others of similar era certainly did.

 

[jimi911]

The freehub body of 6 and 7 speed is the same length. 6 speed have the smallest cog thread onto the body, rather than a lockring. Early 7 speed hubs had the grooves to allow 6 speed cassettes to fit. M730 hubs and others of similar era certainly did.

I picked up a Cassette today. Not much use. I will give it a go. I don't think much changed on the deore 6 speed hubs and deore dx 7 speeds. Mombat says they are 6/7 so they should be fine.

 

[hamster]

Exactly, they are effectively the same and the freehub body design didn't change in years.