Cassette vs Freewheel

"Stefan Pavlik" wrote in message ...

Quoted message said:

I have older 7spd road bike. It has a Shimano RSX rear
cassette/hub. I was looking on Ebay and have have seen
some HED disc wheels and even some

7

Quoted message said:

spd tubular rear wheels that use freewheel not cassette.
My question is

are

Quoted message said:

they compatible? I would like to experiment with tubular
wheels and solid discs on my older bike (usually cheaper)
before I make the plunge

investing

Quoted message said:

$1000+ for my good bike. I know the spacing is 126mm but
like I said,

just

Quoted message said:

don't know compatibility of freewheel-vs-cassette.

Any info or places I can find this out would be of
great help

Thanks in advance, Steve

Freewheel hubs and cassette hubs are not interchangeable. A
freewheel is threaded onto the hub, and has the freewheeling
/ ratcheting mechanism contained in the cluster of cogs. A
cassette is slid onto splined fittings and held in place by
a threaded lockring; the freewheeling / ratcheting mechanism
is built into the hub (the freehub).
--
mark

Stefan Pavlik said:

I have older 7spd road bike. It has a Shimano RSX rear
cassette/hub. I was looking on Ebay and have have seen some
HED disc wheels and even some 7 spd tubular rear wheels
that use freewheel not cassette. My question is are they
compatible? I would like to experiment with tubular wheels
and solid discs on my older bike (usually cheaper) before I
make the plunge investing $1000+ for my good bike. I know
the spacing is 126mm but like I said, just don't know
compatibility of freewheel-vs-cassette.

Any info or places I can find this out would be of
great help

Thanks in advance, Steve

Do you mean is the indexing compatible? Sounds like you are
looking to buy complete wheels- hub, rim, spokes. Obviously
you can't put a freewheel on a cassette hub or vica versa.

I would imagine that there might be some adjustment on the
derailleur stop settings- that the cassette and freewheel
might not sit in exactly the same location left to right. A
simple adjustment.

mark said:

"Stefan Pavlik" wrote in message ...

Quoted message said:

I have older 7spd road bike. It has a Shimano RSX rear
cassette/hub. I was looking on Ebay and have have seen
some HED disc wheels and even some

7

Quoted message said:

spd tubular rear wheels that use freewheel not cassette.
My question is

are

Quoted message said:

they compatible? I would like to experiment with tubular
wheels and solid discs on my older bike (usually cheaper)
before I make the plunge

investing

Quoted message said:

$1000+ for my good bike. I know the spacing is 126mm but
like I said,

just

Quoted message said:

don't know compatibility of freewheel-vs-cassette.

Any info or places I can find this out would be of
great help

Thanks in advance, Steve

Freewheel hubs and cassette hubs are not interchangeable.
A freewheel is threaded onto the hub, and has the
freewheeling / ratcheting mechanism contained in the
cluster of cogs. A cassette is slid onto splined fittings
and held in place by a threaded lockring; the freewheeling
/ ratcheting mechanism is built into the hub (the
freehub). -- mark

Quoted message said:

Freewheel cogs and cassette cogs are not interchangeble. But
a wheel with a 7 speed freewheel is interchangeable with a
wheel with a 7 speed freewheel. (Assuming the freewheel and
cassette are both spaced OK for indexing.)

Having bought Mercian Cycles last three 7 speed freewheels,
it would seem freewheels are becoming as rare as hen's teeth
- I would advise against a wheel requiring a freewheel.

Robert

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I have older 7spd road bike. It has a Shimano RSX rear
cassette/hub. I was looking on Ebay and have have seen some
HED disc wheels and even some 7 spd tubular rear wheels
that use freewheel not cassette. My question is are they
compatible? I would like to experiment with tubular wheels
and solid discs on my older bike (usually cheaper) before I
make the plunge investing $1000+ for my good bike. I know
the spacing is 126mm but like I said, just don't know
compatibility of freewheel-vs-cassette.

Any info or places I can find this out would be of
great help

Compatible in what sense? If you mean indexing wise, it
depends on the freewheel. Shimano freewheels will be
compatible with indexiing. Suntour freewheels probably won't
be compatible.
-----------
Alex

Stefan Pavlik said:

I have older 7spd road bike. It has a Shimano RSX rear
cassette/hub. I was looking on Ebay and have have seen some
HED disc wheels and even some 7 spd tubular rear wheels
that use freewheel not cassette. My question is are they
compatible? I would like to experiment with tubular wheels
and solid discs on my older bike (usually cheaper) before I
make the plunge investing $1000+ for my good bike. I know
the spacing is 126mm but like I said, just don't know
compatibility of freewheel-vs-cassette.

Any info or places I can find this out would be of
great help

If you have indexed shifting, the freewheel needs to have
the same spacing between sprockets as the cassette had,
which is probably at least 95% likely to be the case for 7-
speed freewheels. Even if the freewheel supplied with a
given wheel isn't compatible, the problem can be overcome by
swapping to one that's spaced to match what you need. If
you're using friction shifting, there is no problem in this
area in any event. Possible axle length issues are trivial
and their solutions are easy.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug. Some gardening required to
reply via email. Surrealism is a pectinated ranzel.

"Stefan Pavlik" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I have older 7spd road bike. It has a Shimano RSX rear
cassette/hub. I was looking on Ebay and have have seen
some HED disc wheels and even some 7 spd tubular rear
wheels that use freewheel not cassette. My question is are
they compatible? I would like to experiment with tubular
wheels and solid discs on my older bike (usually cheaper)
before I make the plunge investing $1000+ for my good
bike. I know the spacing is 126mm but like I said, just
don't know compatibility of freewheel-vs-cassette.

Any info or places I can find this out would be of
great help

Thanks in advance, Steve

I think you are asking whether a wheel with freewheel can be
used to replace one with cassette/freehub. If so the answer
is yes. The method of holding the sprockets in place is
immaterial as far as the chain is concerned. They end up in
the same place, more or less, so there is no problem with
replacing your current wheel/cassette with a new
wheel/freewheel provided the OLN dimension is the same.

If old and new parts are Shimano 7-speed then there should
be no indexing problems (I assume indexed shifters on most
7-speeds) as Shimano cassette and freewheels have the same
spacing between sprockets (see sheldonbrown.comgloss spOpen ↗
ss.html for details). If mixing makes of lever and freewheel
then you need to check the sprocket spacing carefully.

Of course, technically a freehub design is better, but
freewheel equipment is, as you observe, readily and cheaply
available, being just about as unfashionable as you can get
these days (down-tube friction levers excepted). Having
said that I have bikes with many 1000's of miles on
freewheels with no problems (except removing those damned
Suntour 2-peg ones).

Andrew Webster