Freewheel advice required

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

A compact 7 will be OK if your frame has a bit of flattening to the insides of the chain stay and seat stay. I used one on a frame without those but the chain did catch slightly on the seat stay when I changed down from the smallest sprocket.

As for the narrow spacing I never found that a problem with old mechs, it was just a case of being more subtle with the gear lever and using the right chain.

I started out with Suntour New Winner/Ultra freewheels in the past, moved on to Regina and then to Sachs when freewheels became harder to come by. Suntour were my favourite out of the three for longevity but you might struggle to find a wide ratio one NOS. I have a current Shimano 7 speed but as its not compact I can't use it on any of my bikes (grr) so I don't know about their quality.

Mark.

daccordimark":210vbbyy said:

I have a current Shimano 7 speed but as its not compact I can't use it on any of my bikes (grr) so I don't know about their quality.

Mark.

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Not sure if I understand correctly, but shimano 7 speed is identically spaced to the old maillard "compact" 7. Shimano 5 and 6 speed are wider and not compact.

Spacing on 5 and 6 speed is usually 5.5mm, 7 is 5.0mm. As far as I recall, some "Compact 6" ran 5.0mm.

pigman":21rs7p5x said:

daccordimark":21rs7p5x said:

I have a current Shimano 7 speed but as its not compact I can't use it on any of my bikes (grr) so I don't know about their quality.

Mark.

Click to expand...

Not sure if I understand correctly, but shimano 7 speed is identically spaced to the old maillard "compact" 7. Shimano 5 and 6 speed are wider and not compact.

Click to expand...

I stand corrected. It was a while ago that I ran a Sachs 7 on my bike. I might even have resorted to taking off the smallest sprocket (if that was possible). When I tried putting the new Shimano 7 on my 126mm hub it fouled the frame just getting the wheel in.

Mark.