# Sturmey Archer Freewheel.



## Basil.B (28 Aug 2014)

Got to replace my Shimano freewheel on my singlespeed bike.
Was thinking of splashing out on a White Industries freewheel.
But now thinking of getting a Sturmey Archer as they are a lot cheaper.
Which one would be best?


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## midlife (28 Aug 2014)

Didn't Sturmey sell a lot of their tools to "Sunrace"?

Shaun


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## Bark clark (28 Aug 2014)

I recently ordered one. So time will tell. I've read that they are half decent, in relative terms to the price anyways. White ind. ones will be much better, but I personally couldn't justify the price, unless I had the money to throw at it.


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## Rickshaw Phil (28 Aug 2014)

midlife said:


> Didn't Sturmey sell a lot of their tools to "Sunrace"?
> 
> Shaun


Sunrace bought the whole outfit.


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## GGJ (29 Aug 2014)

I've been using the Shimano MX30 that came with my bike, it done 2000 miles during the winter and is good for the same again this winter. Every 700-800 miles I remove the freewheel then loosen but not remove the front cover then give the entire assembly a good swirl around in a tub of turps, then I blow it dry with compressed air and drop it into a bath of SAE-30W engine oil and make sure the oil goes into everything. It is then removed from the oil and the excess allowed to drain before tightening the front cover and refitting to the hub. It is smoother now than the day it was made. 

Also keep an eye on ebay for vintage Made in England freewheels, the quality of them are far superior to modern items.

Just had a quick look on ebay and there are also some nice vintage Italian freewheels, but they are pricey


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## Basil.B (29 Aug 2014)

GGJ said:


> I've been using the Shimano MX30 that came with my bike, it done 2000 miles during the winter and is good for the same again this winter. Every 700-800 miles I remove the freewheel then loosen but not remove the front cover then give the entire assembly a good swirl around in a tub of turps, then I blow it dry with compressed air and drop it into a bath of SAE-30W engine oil and make sure the oil goes into everything. It is then removed from the oil and the excess allowed to drain before tightening the front cover and refitting to the hub. It is smoother now than the day it was made.
> 
> Also keep an eye on ebay for vintage Made in England freewheels, the quality of them are far superior to modern items.
> 
> Just had a quick look on ebay and there are also some nice vintage Italian freewheels, but they are pricey


Will have a look, ta.


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## windym (31 Aug 2014)

I used the Sturmey freewheel as a stop gap and would not recommend it, heavy with a fair bit of play and it jumps every now and then. In fact it irritated me and put me off riding until I had the White Industry back on and noticed the difference immediately. Smooth crisp take up with a reassuring tight feel to it, spend the extra money and enjoy riding.

Andy


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## midlife (31 Aug 2014)

Having never bought a single freewheel since the mid 70's I was a bit shocked to see that they can go for 50-60 quid !! Blimey 
Being completely taken aback I had a search around and noted that the Dicta seemed to be pretty reliable......

I'm not a Fixie / single speed person but do the manufacturers take advantage and put the price of this stuff quite high ?

Shaun, born in the 50's


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## GGJ (1 Sep 2014)

I paid £2.50 for this one at a local bike jumble, it has obviously been fitted to an axle and the wrong tooling used to remove it, but looks to be almost unused and the ratcheting mechanism sounds fantastic. From what I have found it probably dates from the 40s-60s and will go on my S/S whem the Shimano dies


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## tyred (1 Sep 2014)

GGJ said:


> I paid £2.50 for this one at a local bike jumble, it has obviously been fitted to an axle and the wrong tooling used to remove it, but looks to be almost unused and the ratcheting mechanism sounds fantastic. From what I have found it probably dates from the 40s-60s and will go on my S/S whem the Shimano dies



Quality  They don't build them like that any more unfortunately.


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## Bark clark (2 Sep 2014)

Recently fitted my Sturmey archer freewheel and gave it a quick test ride. I don't know much about bikes but it seems fine to me.


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## RedRider (2 Sep 2014)

The Halo Clickster's a decent compromise between price and quality at 30-odd quid, I think it engages even quicker than the White Industries and makes a fine noise when freewheeling.
In my experience it's a definite step-up from Shimano freewheels I've used which have been pretty rumbly from the get go.
I do prefer the White Industries tho. It's not designed to be throwaway so as you'd expect it feels solid and well-engineered. It's as smooth as ever after around 5,000 miles.


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## GrumpyGregry (3 Sep 2014)

Call me shallow but I much prefer the sound of a White Industries Freewheel freewheeling at high speed to almost any other bike related sound.


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