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I was a little taken aback today when I finally got to take apart and poke around at the components of the bike I bought. I was convinced that it had a freehub and cassette, but instead it’s got a freewheel. I intend to change it from 6 to 7-speed, and had thought that would be as easy as getting a new cassette, but now I need to:
• buy a 7-speed freewheel, or
• buy a new/used wheel with a freehub and 126mm rear spacing, or
• learn to rebuild one of the wheels I have to make it work
That first option seems REALLY convenient. Is there any reason not to stick with a freewheel? I’m aware that there can be uneven wear on the axle, but is there anything beyond that?
@jemal A 7 speed freewheel is ~2mm wider than a 6 speed. Depending on your wheel/frame you might squeeze one in. If so, you would need to change your RH shifter to a 7 speed (unless you are using friction shifting). I would wonder, however, if the effort would be worth it for only one more gear? If you want a lower gear, just find a 6 speed freewheel with a lager bottom cog. To go 7 speed freehub would be a bit nicer but a new wheel (maybe reuse the rim?) and a lot of work.
@geomannie the bike was originally sold with 7-speed tri-color Ultegra, and the wheel is built for 126mm rear spacing, so that’s not a worry.
The thing is that the bike currently has a weird mix of 105 and Dura-Ace parts, and none of them look all that good and some of them are pretty banged up. Meanwhile, I have a complete set of Dura-Ace 7402 sitting around that is backwards compatible to 7-speed, and the RD, cranks and chainrings are LOVELY. I don’t really need a bigger rear cog, and the 7402 has a max of 26t that you can stretch to 28t, but not to the 32t that’s on the current freewheel.
So, you know, if I need to change the freewheel, I might as well get the most out of the change, right?
@jemal if you are talking 105 & Dura-Ace, that changes everything! For sure rebuild the wheel.
@geomannie see, that’s what I think, but also: scary!
@jemal First time building a wheel can be scary but it's quite straightforward. You just have to be methodical. I highly recommend Roger Musson's ebook which is exceptional value at £9 UK GBP, approx $11.66. For my first efforts I even built my own truing stand using the plans contained in the book. Good luck! https://www.wheelpro.co.uk/wheelbuilding/book.php