Wheels, hubs and freewheels - confused

[jameshurrell]

Can any of you knowledgeable chaps help me out? I'm in the process of tarting up an old Muddy Fox Courier. It's stripped (apart from the headset cups - have got some trusty 22mm copper pipe for that!) ready for a new coat of paint...

So now I'm turning to the thorny issue of what to do about the bits left on the bike. My main area of confusion is the rims/hubs/freewheel: the original Araya rims are sadly a bit knackered. The braking surface is concave (the rear rim is quite bad) and the spokes are rusted nicely . There is play in the rear hub too. So, although it would be good to retain them in an ideal world, I think it is best to replace them with something more modern (I'm planning to ride this, rather than have a show piece).

What rims/hubs can I put on this? The rear mech is Suntour X-1 (not original) and there is currently a screw on Sachs 7 speed freewheel in place (not original either) that is actually in very good shape. I used this for a number of years with some cheap Shimano 100GS shifters (sadly one of the original shifters was ripped off in a crash) in friction mode, but I have my eye on some Suntour X-1 shifters. The rear dropout spacing measures 126mm.

I don't mind using friction, but I'm confused as to what I can put in place? Can anbody un-confuse me? Thanks.

 

[jameshurrell]

Anybody? :cry:

 

[legrandefromage]

Is it this one?

If so, a patient hunt around for Shimano Mountain LX shifters and mechs will be perfect for this and any 7spd shimano based wheelset in silver.

The Mountain LX stuff is old enough to be retro without being expensive and it actually works.

I'm not a fan of Suntour as I could never get it to shift as well as the shittiest Shimano.

Shimano cassette wheels also mean you can use the bike without worrying about availability.

 

[jameshurrell]

LGF > Yes that's the one...

Thanks for the tip... retro Suntour stuff is thin on the ground it has to be said. I was vainly attempting to keep the drive bits Suntour in a small hommage to the original items, but I might see about going the Shimano way...

It's also the confusing about the wheelset to be honest - measuring the rear droput space shows 126mm - am i correct in thinking that more modern gear (i.e. hubs) have 130mm/135mm spacing? I guess I could do a bit of frame bending à la Sheldon Brown..

 

[legrandefromage]

most frames have a bit of flex in them without having to resort to brute force.

A 130mm will happily sit in a 126mm width with so much as a grunt.

 

[jameshurrell]

Much obliged thebigcheese. You've unconfused me in two posts.