sasaki@harvard.UUCP (Marty Sasaki) (12/05/85)
I've decided that it is time to change my freewheel, and to make a new
set of wheels. It has been such a long time since I looked at
freewheels and hubs that I am almost totally lost as I try and make a
few decisions. My questions are:
o 5, 6, or (gasp!) 7 speed freewheels? Back when I was actively
buying bicycle stuff there were only a few 6 speed freewheels
available, and they were hard enough to shift that not too
many people bothered with them. Now it seems that 6 speeds are
common place, with 7 speeds gaining. What can you tell me
about these?
o Do I need a special chain for the higher speed freewheels?
o Are the wired on tires really as good as the folks at
Specialized claim them to be? I've been riding on tubulars for
years and have gotten pretty good at repairing them, but I've
gotten a little lazier too, and don't want to work so hard.
o What about sealed hubs? The only one available way back when
were Phil Woods.
Thanks for any advice.
--
----------------
Marty Sasaki net: sasaki@harvard.{arpa,uucp}
Havard University Science Center phone: 617-495-1270
One Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA 02138fish@ihlpg.UUCP (Bob Fishell) (12/10/85)
> I've decided that it is time to change my freewheel, and to make a new > set of wheels. It has been such a long time since I looked at > freewheels and hubs that I am almost totally lost as I try and make a > few decisions. My questions are: > > o 5, 6, or (gasp!) 7 speed freewheels? Back when I was actively > buying bicycle stuff there were only a few 6 speed freewheels > available, and they were hard enough to shift that not too > many people bothered with them. Now it seems that 6 speeds are > common place, with 7 speeds gaining. What can you tell me > about these? > A 5-spd freewheel will fit anything. The 6-speed jobs come in standard and ultra widths, depending on your frame/hub spread. 7-spd freewheels are ultras that fit on 6-speed hubs, as ultra sixes fit on 5-speed hubs. Standards are easier to shift than ultras, because the cogs are not so close together. Standard 5's are a bit easier to shift through all gears than standard 6's, but they're not as hard to adjust to as ultras are. Having never tried a seven, I can't comment on them, but I suspect theyre trickier than anything else. In any case, a good derailleur is called for. > o Do I need a special chain for the higher speed freewheels? For an ultra, yes. You must use a narrow chain like the Sedisport. I like the Sedisport well enough to use on my Trek, which has standard spacing; you can use a narrow chain just fine on standard freewheels, but not the other way around. > > o Are the wired on tires really as good as the folks at > Specialized claim them to be? I've been riding on tubulars for > years and have gotten pretty good at repairing them, but I've > gotten a little lazier too, and don't want to work so hard. They're tougher, and you have a bigger tread selection than you do with tubulars. They're not as responsive as tubulars, but they're not nearly as fragile. Clinchers are harder to change, but you can ususally get by just carrying a patch kit and a set of tire irons, rather than having to fold up a tire to take with you. Clinchers can be folded, like a pretzel (sort of), but I've never bothered. All the flats I've ever gotten have been repairable either by patching or a new tube. Since you'll probably get fewer flats with clinchers, they're more the lazy man's tire. I use the Specialized Touring II's on both my bikes, and I like them. By the way, if you're going to a clincher rim, I strongly recommend the Mavic G40; it's very, very durable. > > o What about sealed hubs? The only one available way back when > were Phil Woods. > Shimano 600 EX hubs are sealed. So, I think, are Dura-ace. __ / \ \__/ Bob Fishell ihnp4!ihlpg!fish
peters@cubsvax.UUCP (Peter S. Shenkin) (12/11/85)
In article <ihlpg.1472> fish@ihlpg.UUCP (Bob Fishell) writes: > .... Clinchers are harder to change, but you can ususally get by >just carrying a patch kit and a set of tire irons, rather than having to >fold up a tire to take with you. Clinchers can be folded, like a >pretzel (sort of), but I've never bothered. Specialized "turbo" series clinchers can be folded like tubulars, since the bead is reinforced with a Kevlar cord, rather than a metal wire. Also, I believe the word "clincher" is actually out of date; real clinchers (I think) didn't have any kind of wire in the bead, but the rubber was shaped around the bottom into a notch with mated with a complementary cross-section on the rim. Beaded tires were the next evolutionary step.
winters@uiucdcsb.CS.UIUC.EDU (12/12/85)
In reference to the last response, all answers were very good except for
the final one. Neither Shimano's New 600 EX or their Dura Ace hubs are
sealed. They are both a sealed mechanism hub which means there is a
labrynth seal around the dust cap to help keep contaminants out. Good
sealed bearing hubs are made by Specialized, Bulls-Eye, Phil Wood,
Suntour, plus countless others. If you're thinking of using sealed
bearing hubs though, be prepared to replace the bent axles that plague
these hubs. What's wrong with cone and cup hubs anyway? Also, a note
on ultra freewheels, as long as a fairly tight freewheel is used (no
larger than 24 teeth) they will shift fine with a short cage japanese
derailleur. Don't use an ultra FW for touring gears though, you'll
overshift every time!
Brad Wagner
Paul's Bike Shop
Urbana, IL bhuber@sjuvax.UUCP (B. Huber) (12/13/85)
> > Clinchers are harder to change, but you can ususally get by > just carrying a patch kit and a set of tire irons, rather than having to > fold up a tire to take with you. Clinchers can be folded, like a > pretzel (sort of), but I've never bothered. All the flats I've ever gotten > have been repairable either by patching or a new tube. > Bob Fishell > ihnp4!ihlpg!fish Your comments remind me of my days of commuting in Tennessee. Mondays were like the aftermath of a weekend disaster at the glassworks: there were more bottles than rocks along the shoulders of the roads. I got used to fixing flats, and agree wholeheartedly with the tire iron/patch kit/spare tube philosophy. It really works. Except for the one Monday morning that I really got it good: a piece of glass ripped a hole about a centimeter square right out of the center of a tire. The tube bulged through and quickly (within a few miles) wore through. I was hard up for a spare tire, so I improvised. The idea was to apply some kind of patch to the tire itself, not to the tube. I tried first one, then two, Rema Tip-top patches on the inside of the tire. These lasted not much longer than no patch at all. Finally I settled for folding a piece of aluminum foil into a fairly thick wad, placing it between tire and tube, and inflating tube. These makeshift patches would last about twenty miles (one day's ride) before the aluminum would break into zillions of really fine flakes,and the tube would bulge through. Nowadays I always have an old, worn-out tire on hand, off of which I can cut pieces for patches (although I have never since needed to do so: I don't live in rural Tennessee any more). I would love to know whether any of you have found better or simpler ways to patch your clinchers.
barrys@hercules.UUCP (Barry Steel) (12/13/85)
In article <16200127@uiucdcsb> winters@uiucdcsb.CS.UIUC.EDU writes: >these hubs. What's wrong with cone and cup hubs anyway? Also, a note I see you don't ride much in the rain. It's AMAZING how much junk gets in to everything on your bike after a few days. Sealed bearing mean one less thing to keep after every cleanup. >derailleur. Don't use an ultra FW for touring gears though, you'll >overshift every time! I don't seem to have that problem with my 16-32 ultra-6. barry steel
wagner@uw-june (Dave Wagner) (12/16/85)
In article <394@cubsvax.UUCP>, peters@cubsvax.UUCP (Peter S. Shenkin) writes: > Also, I believe the word "clincher" is actually out of date; real clinchers > (I think) didn't have any kind of wire in the bead, but the rubber was > shaped around the bottom into a notch with mated with a complementary > cross-section on the rim. Beaded tires were the next evolutionary step. In fact, the preferred terminology for today's non-tubular tires is "wired-on" tires. (soon to be changed to "kevlar'd on"? :-)) Dave Wagner University of Washington Comp Sci Department wagner@washington.arpa {ihnp4,decvax,ucbvax}!uw-beaver!wagner "The surest thing there is is we are riders, And though none too successful at it, guiders, Through everything presented, land and tide And now the very air, of what we ride." - Frost