Bicycle Mechanics - 3 speed freewheel?

does this exist? i am looking to run it with a derailleur, i checked the limit screws and it will work fine down to 2 or 3 cogs. ideally i would like to run 19, 16, 13. i would either want a 3 speed thread on freewheel or a freehub that was made to take only 3 cogs. i would be willing to go custom if this doesnt exist. can anyone point me in the right direction?

also i would rather not space out a 9 speed freehub, for both weight and aesthetic reasons.

It can probably be done but this is the kind of project that is best attempted in a shop with a decent junk bin.

Since freewheels are all but extinct you will need to try old used or OEM parts.

Good luck.

Or you could take a modern casette style bmx hub and mount 3 9 speed cogs on it.

Well freewheels are FAR from extinct despite the comment above. However they don't come in 3 speed flavours. The smallest, other than single speed, is the 5 speed unit. And those can still be had new through shops that deal with grassroots bicycles rather or in addition to high end stuff. They are not high end components but they are certainly servicable. So you're stuck with having two extra speeds for this like it or not.

Why the insistance on only 3 speeds? Did you plan on using the Sturmey Archer 3 speed lever shifter? If so they forget it since if it does pull the right amount of cable to match the rear derraileur then it would be the most rare of accidents. So you'll need to go with a friction shifter for the 5 speed setup in any event.

The only other way would be however many sprockets on a freehub and you already said you don't want that.


Or you could take a modern casette style bmx hub and mount 3 9 speed cogs on it.

I'd be very surprised if those hubs have room enough for 3 sprockets and two spacers plus the thread on locking ring.

You could go SS freewheel with a triple crank. Wide range 3sp.

Do you really feel that a 5s freewheel is too much? Plenty of those around cheap.

You'd still have the internals, pawls, etc, on the 3s. You'd only save the weight of 2 small cogs

well im just stuck on not wanting anything that i dont need. im using a thumb shifter and this bike is built up as a city bike, i only need 3 speeds....one for flats, one for minor climbs, one for minor descents (i live in nyc, mostly flat). i currently have it running as a 5 speed spaced out on a 9 speed cassette, which i thought would be a good idea but i actually use 1 speed about 95 percent of the time. the other 5 percent i either on shift up 1 or down 1.....the outer 2 sprockets i just dont use....ever.

i have a road bike that i use for long rides and would prefer to keep my city bike functional for the way i use it.....3 speed would make me really really happy.

i like the idea of the bmx set up, something like that would be ideal, im going to keep looking until i find something that will work....

does this exist? i am looking to run it with a derailleur, i checked the limit screws and it will work fine down to 2 or 3 cogs. ideally i would like to run 19, 16, 13. i would either want a 3 speed thread on freewheel or a freehub that was made to take only 3 cogs. i would be willing to go custom if this doesnt exist. can anyone point me in the right direction?

also i would rather not space out a 9 speed freehub, for both weight and aesthetic reasons.

Yes. The original bike derailleurs were for 3 speed, and early multispeed 3 speed bikes were referred to as English 3 speeds (internal gear hub) or French 3 speeds (derailleur).

Their successors, the 4 speeds became extinct in the 60s, but you still see some 4 speed freewheels pop up on ebay-the early Schwinn Varsities were 8 speed till they replaced the 4 speed freewheels in the 60s with 5 speeds. The Cyclo deraileur kits added 2 or three cogs with a wide derailleur to the Sturmey 3 speed hubs to give 9 or 6 speed pre-front derailleur-those went away 15-30 years ago.

I have a 3 speed with 16/20/24 on a folder. Many of the 3 speed freewheels still around have French thread so careful on the selection. The Chinese are still making 3 speed freewheels.

As they are rare these days, finding one in your selection of ratios is a tall order. Also keep in mind, most 3 speed freewheels use 1/8 inch chain instead of 3/32 inch.

As freehub is an option you are considering, getting a freehub and adding spacers in view of the extra cogs may be a viable option. Or you could get a pre-splined era 5 speed freewheel and remove some threaded cogs.

you could use a 2 speed dingle http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/CS307D01-Surly+Dingle+Track+Dual+Fixed+Gear+Cog.aspx

you do get 13 tooth on some freewheels. but 14 is more common
shimano free wheels have 2 sizes of sprocket splines on the body
and there larger diameter than freehub bodies

Fine idea. I have tried it with a 5 or 6 speed freewheel with the same idea. Limit the problems of shifting to three gears, for the reasons you give. Limit with the set screws. Any freewheel or cassette will work since you're just using three speeds. I used the three in the middle.

i only need 3 speeds....one for flats, one for minor climbs, one for minor descents

Why not just run a single speed setup? You can find a gear ratio that is comfortably between your "climbing gear" and your flat-land gear and just coast down the hills.

If you really want to eliminate bike parts that arent needed you should get a fixie. :thumb:

White has a double cog freewheel and I think ACS used to also.
http://www.whiteind.com/singlespeedgearing/freewheels.html
http://www.whiteind.com/images/349_doseno.jpg

You could go SS freewheel with a triple crank. Wide range 3sp.

I think I smell the latest fad coming

You could go SS freewheel with a triple crank. Wide range 3sp.

How do you suggest he handle the chain slack when he's in a lower gear; one of those lame SS converters?

If you really want a bike without anything not required and still want three speeds then setup a bike with a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub. There's nothing more simple looking than NO derailleur at all on either end.

A bit of playing with the sprockets to fine tune the ranges and you've got what you're after. A simple looking townie.

Get two old Suntour 5speed freewheels - one to use and the other to harvest spacers off of. (Of courseyou'll need a couple of chain whips.) Disassemble the freewheel and replace the unwanted cogs with spacers from the donor freewheel and you're done. I like the idea.

You can get a 3 speed one, see here:
http://www.allproducts.com/manufacture6/sunrace/sr-fw3a.html

Not sure of price though....

I think I smell the latest fad coming

I'm way ahead of the curve on this one. the bike has since been used for parts, but it worked fine for what it was. I used a generic 28/38/48 mtb crank. I suppose with the right chainrings, one could get pretty close to the OP ratios.


How do you suggest he handle the chain slack when he's in a lower gear; one of those lame SS converters?

I just used a regular derailer parked in one spot by the set screws.

well to reply to a few at once....

definitely want 3 speeds. not SS or fixed.

cant use anything that would require horizontal drop outs.

NOT building a townie. my bike is a MONSTER! j/k....sort of.

i dont think the feewheels will work for me, the bodies are pretty similar to a freehub. spacing them out on there is pretty much what i am doing on my freehub right now.

i think the best options for me is to find some kind of BMX or SS freehub that will fit 3 cogs. if i cant find anything, i will probably run the white industries double freewheel that cman suggested. i bet the shifting wouldnt be too pleasant though....oh well, still looking.

thanks for all the help!

i dont think the feewheels will work for me, the bodies are pretty similar to a freehub. spacing them out on there is pretty much what i am doing on my freehub right now.

i think the best options for me is to find some kind of BMX or SS freehub that will fit 3 cogs. if i cant find anything, i will probably run the white industries double freewheel that cman suggested. i bet the shifting wouldnt be too pleasant though....oh well, still looking.

thanks for all the help!

I thought of the BMX-freehub/3-9speed-cogs thing a while ago but only last night actually got around to seeing if it might be possible... I could not find the exact width of shimano bmx freehub bodies, but I estimate about 10 mm, based on the reccomended spacer/cog configuration on the Shimano website. Sheldon brown has a chart of shimano multi-speed cassette gear spacing, and three 9 speed cogs and two spacers would be 10.46mm. So the definitive answer is: It might work, it might not. BMX hubs also have different spacing than most road or mountain frames so something would have to be re-spaced there too.

A much simpler solution would be to use a 7 speed or 8 speed freehub, 3 cassette cogs, and 2 cassette cog spacers, and take up the rest of the room on the freehub body with loose spacers. Align your middle sprocket with your chainring for optimal chainline. Lock your derailleur so that it only hits your three cogs. Attach a friction thumbshifter.

This thread inspired my latest bike (a nice road/touring bike). Who needs 27 gears with thin little teeth?
.

This took a while to find, but here are the 3 speed freewheels for cheap. 302120
I found them on Ebay for $12 including shipping. It fits on BMX hubs or road hubs. The smallest tooth is 16, so you might have to consider that when spacing your hub axle, so it doesn't rub on the chain stay.

Hope you dont ever need to remove that, Roger, there is no puller notches ,
I think the had Upright Trikes in Mind. that sort comes , single speed, with new 3 wheelers

then the threaded carrier can be removed from the axle. keyway connected.

definitely want 3 speeds. not SS or fixed.

cant use anything that would require horizontal drop outs.

That still leaves internal gear 3 speeds *, and the single speed, with triple crank.

vertical dropouts; use a 2 pulley spring loaded chain tensioner [Best: Pauls, Rohloff & Shimano Alfine]

* most are 0.75, ; 1.0 ; & 1.33 .. 3/4, 1, 4/3.. so you pick cogs and chainrings to get the range where you need.

This thread inspired my latest bike (a nice road/touring bike). Who needs 27 gears with thin little teeth?
.

This took a while to find, but here are the 3 speed freewheels for cheap. 302120
I found them on Ebay for $12 including shipping. It fits on BMX hubs or road hubs. The smallest tooth is 16, so you might have to consider that when spacing your hub axle, so it doesn't rub on the chain stay.

This was worth resurrecting a thread that had been dead for 4-1/3 YEARS?

This old thread made me go 50 years back to my first bicycle, 48 front/16-18-20 rear, Super Champion gear changer...

his was worth resurrecting a thread that had been dead for 4-1/3 YEARS?

I suppose you hate recycling too..


FWIW, nostalgia sub topic,
Early 60's I built a 3, cubed, 27 speed, 3 cog cluster for an AW3 hub, and a triple crank.. 3x3x3.