Advice required re. Freewheel

[pubrunner]

Hi All,

I have a bike with a Stronglight 80 chainset, Suntour Cyclone Front & rear derailleurs.

The dropout on this bike is 126oln - and will not be changed, i.e. coldset.

I'm looking to get a new freewheel - ideally 13-28, as I live in a hilly area.

What I would like to know is :

1. Should I get a 5 or 6 speed freewheel ? I know that a 6 (& possibly a 7) speed will fit, but might the spacing between the sprockets on a 5 speed suit my existing chainset/derailleurs ? (Is there much difference in freewheel quality these days ?)

2. Is it worth getting a more expensive freewheel such as an IRD; should I try to get a NOS Suntour Ultra (as on my other bike & works well) or should I go for something else and if so, what ?

I repeat that the 126oln is set in stone - frame is 753 tubing.

Thank you for any advice

 

[tyred]

Assuming friction shifters, you should be able to use any freewheel you like.

I like the Shimano freewheels. The sprocket design definitely does improve shifting imo. I have never seen a Shimano freewheel with a 13 tooth sprocket though.

Some very interesting freewheels turn up if you watch Ebay long enough. I got a NOS 13-32 6 speed for my Pug. I like it because the gears are closely spaced on gears 2 - 5 with a big step into the 32 which gives me 5 normal gears and an emergency low.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

With an OLD of 126mm, for freewheels you should be able to take any 7, standard 6, ultra 6 or 5 speed freewheel provided it has the same thread standard as existing.

If I were you I would base the decision firstly on shifter (since if indexed consistency of sprocket pitch with existing would be useful, 5 same as standard 6, 7 same as ultra 6), and secondly on sprocket range (depending on what you want compared to what you have, and if different whether the rear mech/chain can handle it). Chainset compatibility is very unlikely to be an issue.

126mm is the standard width for 7 speed hubs - even for freehubs, so unless you are sure you might want to check that you don't have a 7 speed freehub which needs a 7 speed cassette, not freewheel.

If you are swapping a freewheel yourself, you might also want to check what tool you need since your bike has suntour components already - suntour freewheels usually require a different tool compared to the more common shimano freewheels.

 

[pubrunner]

With an OLD of 126mm, for freewheels you should be able to take any 7, standard 6, ultra 6 or 5 speed freewheel provided it has the same thread standard as existing.

If I were you I would base the decision firstly on shifter (since if indexed consistency of sprocket pitch with existing would be useful, 5 same as standard 6, 7 same as ultra 6), and secondly on sprocket range (depending on what you want compared to what you have, and if different whether the rear mech/chain can handle it). Chainset compatibility is very unlikely to be an issue.

126mm is the standard width for 7 speed hubs - even for freehubs, so unless you are sure you might want to check that you don't have a 7 speed freehub which needs a 7 speed cassette, not freewheel.

If you are swapping a freewheel yourself, you might also want to check what tool you need since your bike has suntour components already - suntour freewheels usually require a different tool compared to the more common shimano freewheels.

I'll be using downtube shifters, so indexing won't be a concern; the rear derailleur is long cage, so I wouldn't have a problem with a 28T maximum.

Thank you for taking the trouble to reply.

 

[Sun Superlight]

You could use a 7 speed Shimano freewheel with 126mm OLN rear wheel spacing.
My Carlton (531 frame) has 126mm rear spacing and is running with a Suntour VX rear deraillieur, a Shimano 7 speed 14-28T freewheel and Shimano 7 speed quickfire changers.
The gears index perfectly even though they are an odd mix of Shimano/Suntour.