Cycling UK Forum

biker38109 wrote: ↑13 Aug 2024, 3:48pm

Chris Jeggo wrote: ↑13 Aug 2024, 3:44pm The widest range 5-speed freewheel I remember is 14-34t. 6- and 7-speed freewheels are wider and need a longer rear axle and widening of the rear of the frame. Then the technology changed; the freewheel mechanism got transferred from the sprocket block to the hub, so we had cassettes sliding on splines on to a freehub and secured by a lockring.

What make is that 5 speed 34t? Can you remember?
...

Suntour made 'Perfect 888' 5-speed freewheels. A couple of wide-ratio ones were 14-17-21-26-32 and 14-18-22-28-34 if I remember rightly. Individual sprockets were available for them and I ran a 14-17-21-26-34 on my tandem.

I am surprised your frame has 135mm spacing. Hubs for 5-speed freewheels were 120mm over lock-nuts (OLN) and 126mm for 6-speed. Modern road bike hubs are usually 130mm OLN while MTBs are usually 135mm.

biker38109 wrote: ↑13 Aug 2024, 3:03pm Here is a completed ebay listing with the same bike: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/355842306456

I suggest you visit a bike recycling charity. It's likely that for whatever you are willing to pay to improve the gearing on your bike, you could buy a better bike that was in better condition, and easier and nicer to ride on the flat and up hills.

531colin wrote: ↑13 Aug 2024, 4:20pm If you have a 5 speed freewheel in a 135mm frame there should be a big gap between the top sprocket and the frame.
How many bolts secure the chai wheels? Got a photo?

No photo for easy access. I am not one to carry a smartphone around all the time. I just measured though and there is a 0.8mm nut on both sides between the wheel end and the frame. Also measured 35mm total space including the freewheel and nut to the frame.

Does this bode well?

Chris Jeggo wrote: ↑13 Aug 2024, 4:28pm
Suntour made 'Perfect 888' 5-speed freewheels. A couple of wide-ratio ones were 14-17-21-26-32 and 14-18-22-28-34 if I remember rightly. Individual sprockets were available for them and I ran a 14-17-21-26-34 on my tandem.

I am surprised your frame has 135mm spacing. Hubs for 5-speed freewheels were 120mm over lock-nuts (OLN) and 126mm for 6-speed. Modern road bike hubs are usually 130mm OLN while MTBs are usually 135mm.

Yes it seems the one of the ebay links posted earlier was of suntour brand.

So can I buy one of the newer 9/10/11s with that spacing or are there more things to consider which could prohibit it?

slowster wrote: ↑13 Aug 2024, 4:30pm

biker38109 wrote: ↑13 Aug 2024, 3:03pm Here is a completed ebay listing with the same bike: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/355842306456

I suggest you visit a bike recycling charity. It's likely that for whatever you are willing to pay to improve the gearing on your bike, you could buy a better bike that was in better condition, and easier and nicer to ride on the flat and up hills.

Unfortunately I just left the city a year ago where there was a great one and in a very rural area now. Got some great bargains from them but on the other side of the country now in 'the sticks'.

No.There are no 9-10-11 spd freewheels.Only freehubs i.e.new wheel.

cyclop wrote: ↑13 Aug 2024, 4:46pm No.There are no 9-10-11 spd freewheels.Only freehubs i.e.new wheel.

Ah right. That clears things up. I was thinking it was maybe a screw unscrew jobby.

Ok, so given that I have 135mm spacing I should easily fit one of the 7 speed freewheels on yes and that will be compatible?

What is the max speed/tooth for freewheels then before they moved to freehub?

Any thoughts on where I went wrong, as to getting the crankshafts off and in turn chainrings, here: viewtopic.php?p=1863327#p1863327

Chris Jeggo wrote: ↑13 Aug 2024, 4:28pm ...

I am surprised your frame has 135mm spacing. Hubs for 5-speed freewheels were 120mm over lock-nuts (OLN) and 126mm for 6-speed. Modern road bike hubs are usually 130mm OLN while MTBs are usually 135mm.

I have just read in my "Zinn & the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance" that the spacing between dropouts of most mountain bikes made since 1990 should be 135mm, so I shouldn't have been surprised.

biker38109 wrote: ↑13 Aug 2024, 4:53pm Any thoughts on where I went wrong, as to getting the crankshafts off and in turn chainrings, here: viewtopic.php?p=1863327#p1863327

Removal of that type of crank requires a specific crank extractor tool, like the ones shown in the video below. Similarly removing freewheels usually requires a specific tool, and likely a vice to grip it and provide enough torque if the freewheel is difficult to undo (very likely on a bike like yours). See also - https://www.parktool.com/en-int/blog/re ... ve-removal.

slowster wrote: ↑13 Aug 2024, 4:30pm

biker38109 wrote: ↑13 Aug 2024, 3:03pm Here is a completed ebay listing with the same bike: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/355842306456

I suggest you visit a bike recycling charity. It's likely that for whatever you are willing to pay to improve the gearing on your bike, you could buy a better bike that was in better condition, and easier and nicer to ride on the flat and up hills.

I’m with slowster on this . I couldn’t make those things work when they were new, and I’m good!
Save yourself the heartache, take it to the dump. Get something that works from a bike recycling charity

biker38109 wrote: ↑13 Aug 2024, 6:33am I know I will probably have to get a new chain, but I am wondering if a derailleur will also be required and anything else? If the required parts and corresponding price keep mounting I will have to think that getting another bike may just make more sense.

You will need a new chain, rear mech, and rear shifter. And a new rear wheel since, as others have mentioned, you're after a cassette whereas what's on there is a screw on freewheel.

You also won't get a 46T cassette on there without some serious modification and cost. About the best I think you'll be able to sort is a 34T.

My guess is that changing one part will also unearth a whole host of mismatching components elsewhere as this doesn't fit that or these are too worn to work with those...

Very bluntly (as others have indicated in a more polite manner) any money spent on a 20-year old bike of that nature is a waste of time. The money would be better put towards something secondhand off eBay.

biker38109 wrote: ↑13 Aug 2024, 3:48pm I would be very happy with a 5 speed with 34.

Even if you could find one, I doubt that it would make you very happy.

In my experience the steps on a 5 speed 14-34 freewheel and resulting change in your cadence (rate of turning the pedals) as you switch gears are most uncomfortable.

biker38109 wrote: ↑13 Aug 2024, 3:03pmI would be willing to spend up to maybe £100 on this project.

It cost me more than that when I converted my bike from 8 speed to 9 speed 17 years ago, and that was buying from Roseversand whose prices were about 70% of those in UK.

having looked at the photographs you have linked to, it would seem that they might have used the 135mm rear spacing to make the 5s wheel dishless (strong) which means more sprockets won't necessarily fit easily.

If this is the case one option is to buy a Sun Race 5s freewheel (cheap) and rebuild it using one large IRD sprocket. Shimano sprockets will also fit, but will need to be filed first. If you make the spacers thinner, you can fit more sprockets onto that body, and if you start to make the largest sprocket dished (which you can sometimes do with a hammer), more again. If you make the sprocket spacing so that it (say) matches standard 9s then you may be able to squeeze 8 sprockets in, and use standard 9s components (eg. derailleur, chain and shifters) elsewhere.

I think you should forget about shimano CUES unless you are going to buy a full setup; CUES only works with cassette hubs, and use non-standard spacing in 9s form.