Freewheel 6 speed or 7 speed?

47p2

Senior Retro Guru
I bought a 1980 Alan which was in bits (literally)

In amongst the box of bits is a Shimano 6 speed freewheel of which I see there are a couple of chipped teeth so it will require changing.

What I need to know is will there be enough clearance to fit a 7 speed freewheel, bearing in mind the OLN is 126. I won't know how much clearance I have until the wheels come back from being built (yes they were supplied in kit form)
 
You could fit a 7 speed compact in a 126mm frame but you may need to redistribute the spacers from right to left to give yourself more clearance between the smallest sprocket and the chainstay, that'll mean a new chain too BTW.

I successfully use 7 speed Zenith, 7 speed Regina F/Wheel and a Shimano 7 speed freehub on my 126mm Raleigh 531.

Cheers, Martin
 
Is there sufficient flexibility in an aluminium frame to spread the rear dropouts? I run 7 speed on my Vitus 979 but it must be 130 anyway as I don't have to struggle. 8 speed might be a different kettle of slippery aquatic beasties though.
 
Thanks for the replies, yes I could squeeze a 130 into the rear, but I don't think it will do a glued alloy frame any good so I won't be going down that route, and yes as far as I remember from my Dural days they are a 130 OLN. I'll look into compacts and see what I can find. Received a call that the wheels were ready so they are now fitted, not much more before it goes back on the road.
 
I too have a 1980 Alan. It certainly has a seven speed block on it now. I think that is sat on a Mavic hub. Can take a butchers tomorrow if you want.
 
Iwasgoodonce":1a7ab828 said:
I too have a 1980 Alan. It certainly has a seven speed block on it now. I think that is sat on a Mavic hub. Can take a butchers tomorrow if you want.


That would be great if you could.

This is my 6 speed block (in second top gear) on a Mavic 500 hub, there's not a lot of clearance between top gear and the frame

Freewheel.jpg
 
If I recall correctly the seven speed freewheels came out a few years before bikes were routinely spaced at 130 so I would guess this is no problem. In fact, as many have already noted, I am running a seven speed on a 1975 Colnago spaced at 126. I must admit however the shifting is a bit slower than with six speed setups, maybe because the extra cog allows for a greater range and the rear mech has to "stretch" to get the last cog?
 
The Suntour Ultra / Winner series of 6 speeds (copied by Shimano) reduced the distance between the freewheel cogs by 0.5mm each so they could get a 6 speed easily into the 126 OLN.

The Suntour Ultra 7 also was a "compact", the smallest 6 speed cog being replaced by two screwed together.

That's from memory:)

Shaun
 
I'll do it now before I go out. Give us a photo of the whole bike. Yours is the same colour as mine. They could be twins!
 
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