Thread-on freewheel questions

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] (Luigi de

Guzman) said:

So before I left home, I got a built wheel for the old Raleigh (1984 Raleigh Record Sprint, all
parts as stock); hub was the right size and everything...the hub takes a thread-on freewheel.
Having never ever dealt with this sort of thing before I have some questions:

1) Are all thread-on freewheels the same, or are there differences--threading, etc--that would
make some not work on some hubs?

Sheldon says ISO standard is 1.375x24TPI, which sounds very universal. So probably not.

Quoted message said:

2) The old Raleigh has 126mm rear dropout spacing, and the original wheel had a Helicomatic hub,
taking 6 sprockets. Am I right in assuming that I would be able to use a 7-speed freewheel on
the new wheel?

Yes.

Quoted message said:

3) Are wheels that take 6-speed freewheels different, really, from wheels meant for 7-speed
freewheels--as in dish, etc? If I use a 6 in a wheel built for a 7, would I need to re-dish
the wheel?

sheldonbrown.comfreewheels.htmlOpen ↗ 6 and 7 are 126 mm. Sheldon sez you may need to add
"a washer or two."

Quoted message said:

for the record I'm across the atlantic from the bike and wheel in question, but insomnia,
curiosity, and a nagging urge to complete the project drive me to ask...

We report. You decide.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email hidden] sfu.ca~rcousineOpen ↗ President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

Luigi de Guzman said:

1) Are all thread-on freewheels the same, or are there differences--threading, etc--that would
make some not work on some hubs?

The most common threading is BSC/ISO - 1.37" x 24tpi. Italian threads were 35mm x 24tpi, and French
were something odd like 34.5mm x 1mm. You can use a British freewheel on an Italian hub (if you can
get it on), but otherwise you shouldn't mix and match. You'd be unlucky to end up with anything
other than BSC.

Quoted message said:

2) The old Raleigh has 126mm rear dropout spacing, and the original wheel had a Helicomatic hub,
taking 6 sprockets. Am I right in assuming that I would be able to use a 7-speed freewheel on
the new wheel?

In principle, yes. It depends on the arrangement of spacers on either side of the hub.

Quoted message said:

3) Are wheels that take 6-speed freewheels different, really, from wheels meant for 7-speed
freewheels--as in dish, etc? If I use a 6 in a wheel built for a 7, would I need to re-dish
the wheel?

Some 7-speed clusters are slightly broader than some 6-speed clusters, so a 7-speed freewheel
threaded onto a hub intended for a 6-speed may come uncomfortably close to right dropout. In that
case you need to transfer washers or spacers from the left of the axle to the right, and ideally
dish the wheel right to make up the difference.

All that aside, if it's one of these: bulgier.netral84 06.jpgOpen ↗
the rear end may be slightly narrower - mine was 122mm, as I think I mentioned once before.

James Thomson

I put a 7-speed freewheel on my ex-wife's real wheel that came off a Raleigh Record (5-speed) and
had no problems at all. The only real difference between different freewheels that I can see is
which puller they take (old Schwinn, Shimano, Sunigo, whatever). I recently added the above
mentioned real wheel to an old Schwinn Varsity. Runs like a Swiss watch.

Luigi de Guzman said:

1) Are all thread-on freewheels the same, or are there differences--threading, etc--that would
make some not work on some hubs?

Except for old French freewheels, they are all the same. Anything you can find now will work.

Quoted message said:

2) The old Raleigh has 126mm rear dropout spacing, and the original wheel had a Helicomatic hub,
taking 6 sprockets. Am I right in assuming that I would be able to use a 7-speed freewheel on
the new wheel?

Probably, but you will want a bit more spread. Most 7-speed stuff (not all) is 130mm, but that is
not so much of a spread and you can just skooch the wheel in there.

Quoted message said:

3) Are wheels that take 6-speed freewheels different, really, from wheels meant for 7-speed
freewheels--as in dish, etc? If I use a 6 in a wheel built for a 7, would I need to re-dish
the wheel?

Yes, the dish would be different, since most 7-speed freewheels take more space in the direction of
the axle. Re-dishing is not too bad to do, as long as the spokes and nipples are in good shape.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored _`\(,_ | by little statesmen
and philosophers and divines. --Ralph Waldo (_)/ (_) | Emerson

David L. Johnson said:

Most 7-speed stuff (not all) is 130mm

The great majority of 7-spd road bikes used 126mm. The oddballs were a few touring bikes that used
130mm hubs before MTBs had standardized on 135mm rear ends, and a few straggling low-end road hubs
that used what had become the standard 8-spd road width.

James Thomson