Bicycle Mechanics - Freewheel to cassette conversion kit?

Is there any type of conversion kit to change a rear hub with a freewheel to accept a 10 speed cassette?

No, It's called buying a new hub and building a wheel around it..

Disamiguation : "10 speed" was 5 cogs on the back wheel and 2 chainrings
where the pedals are

Now the latest 'go fast take chances',racer craze is a 20 speed drivetrain,
as there are now 10 sprocket cassettes times the 2 chainrings ..

I hope you are expecting to spend a lot of money , because the newest stuff will burn thru a lot of it.

better to look at just buying a new bike. the wheel is just the start of the required parts to make those 20 speeds Click.

No, It's called buying a new hub and building a wheel around it..

Disamiguation : "10 speed" was 5 cogs on the back wheel and 2 chainrings
where the pedals are

Now the latest 'go fast take chances',racer craze is a 20 speed drivetrain,
as there are now 10 sprocket cassettes times the 2 chainrings ..

I hope you are expecting to spend a lot of money , because the newest stuff will burn thru a lot of it.

better to look at just buying a new bike. the wheel is just the start of the required parts to make those 20 speeds Click.

While you are correct in regards to every question posed by the OP, the next 'go fast, take chances' craze is 11 speed (http://velonews.competitor.com/2008/06/bikes-tech/tech-report-the-campagnolo-11-speed-super-record-group_77895).

I hope you are expecting to spend a lot of money , because the newest stuff will burn thru a lot of it.
Yes, and it doesn't end once you've gone through the process of converting, at least if you plan to ride a considerable amount. Chains and cassettes are wear items that need to be replaced periodically. And the parts that work for the current 10/11 cog drive trains cost considerably more than those for the older 5/6/7/8 cog ones.

I agree that a whole new bike is a better way to go if you really want 10+ cogs. The new rear wheel will need a wider spacing between the frame dropouts and you may or may not be able to spread your current frame sufficiently. Then there are the additional components: crankset (or at least chainrings), shifters, derailleurs, chain.

No, It's called buying a new hub and building a wheel around it..

Disamiguation : "10 speed" was 5 cogs on the back wheel and 2 chainrings
where the pedals are

Now the latest 'go fast take chances',racer craze is a 20 speed drivetrain,
as there are now 10 sprocket cassettes times the 2 chainrings ..

I hope you are expecting to spend a lot of money , because the newest stuff will burn thru a lot of it.

better to look at just buying a new bike. the wheel is just the start of the required parts to make those 20 speeds Click.

Maybe ... Maybe not
What is a "lot of money"
What's the current bike ?

If you have a frame that you love, it may make sense to convert to modern parts. Many of us have upgraded vintage frames to modern components. You don't need to swap everything. I've done a few budget conversions. The expensive one was $350 (used wheels, used Centaur crankset, new Campy 10 Centaur shifters, used rear derailleur, NOS Centaur calipers). My other conversion has the original "5 speed" crank and front derailleur running a 10 speed chain, shifters and rd ... no problems

quick check one source $1300 without wheels built ..ultegra 10
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/GP277B01-Shimano+Ultegra+6700+Mini+Gruppo.aspx
105 800+
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/GP266B19-Shimano+105+Road+Group+10+Mono.aspx

Don't know Original posters mechanical skills ... ,
building up modern bikes is more than a couple screwdrivers and a crescent wrench to put together... so whole bike was suggested..

+ OEM prices for all the requisite parts is better than an individual
buying one set, retail..

Back to our originally scheduled program:

To the OP, the simple answer is no, a freewheel hub cannot be converted to accept a cassette of any type. At a minimum you need a new hub. Now, whether the conversion is worth it and what else you have in mind, we need more info to carry on this debate.

You could just get a used rear wheel with 10 cogs for cheap ($75-150), a 10 speed chain ($30), and stick with downtube shifters (assuming that's what you have).
That would be a very inexpensive conversion.

You could just get a used rear wheel with 10 cogs for cheap ($75-150), a 10 speed chain ($30), and stick with downtube shifters (assuming that's what you have).
That would be a very inexpensive conversion.
Most of the posters are assuming the OP wants to upgrade his bike. Maybe all he wants to do is use an existing spare wheel on a bike that is already 10-speed.

Simple answer - no there is no conversion available. If you have a more detailed question and care to indicate what you are trying to accomplish, posters here can get into more specifics.

Most of the posters are assuming the OP wants to upgrade his bike. Maybe all he wants to do is use an existing spare wheel on a bike that is already 10-speed.

Regardless of intentions, it is not possible* to convert a hub from a freewheel hub to a cassette hub.

*I suppose if you had a whole lot of time and/or money and a well equipped machine shop at your disposal, you could fashoin some sort of thread-on cassette adaptor, but that would be like modifying a Dodge Neon to use the exhaust manifold off an Audi.

*I suppose if you had a whole lot of time and/or money and a well equipped machine shop at your disposal, you could fashoin some sort of thread-on cassette adaptor...
Can't really see it being doable even at that. The freewheel thread diameter is wider than the diameter of a (shimano) cassette body, so even if you could swing the fabrication the cassette body would end up sitting quite a ways out. Can't see that working with any regular dropout width. Axle strength ASO...

Dear Original Poster ... justify the need for the conversion ?

I have used a Phil Wood Freewheel hub On my Loaded Touring bike for a long time.

One advantage to freehubs , be it Malliard Helicomatic or shimano or suntour,

is the axles, won't, so easily, bend.

on freehubs its relocation of bearing cone to the extreme right end.

Phil solves that by just making the axle so it won't bend. it's way larger than 10mm ..

Haven't heard back from RR on what they understood 10 speed to Mean.

as that has changed since the 70's :50:

Most of the posters are assuming the OP wants to upgrade his bike. Maybe all he wants to do is use an existing spare wheel on a bike that is already 10-speed.

I have a couple wheels including sewups that I thought I could use. I just thought there might be a conversion piece I could buy since there seems to be conversion parts for everything else.

There used to be 8 speed freewheels available... it may be possible (although not straightforward) to convert an 8 speed freewheel into a 10 speed freewheel. THis (if it is possible) likely requires re-spacing and re-dishing the wheel. Depends on your ability to make narrow cogs fit on a freewheel. If you weigh over 175 lbs you will bend the axle the first time out, but a 10-cog freewheel would start more conversations than anything else.

Is there any type of conversion kit to change a rear hub with a freewheel to accept a 10 speed cassette?

No. Just get a new 7-speed freewheel that matches the cog range you want. 7 cogs in the back and 2 chainrings are more than anyone needs, unless they are racing for a living, touring in the mountains, or (real) mountain biking.

Don't accept any crap from bike shops that say that this is obsolete or parts are hard to find, blah blah. A 7-speed Shimano HG freewheel will cost you $15 and last for years. And change your chain.

I have a couple wheels including sewups that I thought I could use. I just thought there might be a conversion piece I could buy since there seems to be conversion parts for everything else.

I think I finally understand what you want to do, but I'm not sure.

- Your bike has a rear wheel with a freewheel
- You have extra wheels that have Freehubs
- You want to put your 10 speed Freehub wheels on your bike

Yes?

The bike doesn't care whether you have a freewheel or Freehub in the back. Is this index or friction shifting? If it is friction, all you have to do is install your 10-speed wheel in your frame, put on a 10 speed chain, and you should be all set. If you want index shifting things get more complicated... But I may have missed your entire point so please reply with more information.

I think I finally understand what you want to do, but I'm not sure.

- Your bike has a rear wheel with a freewheel
- You have extra wheels that have Freehubs
- You want to put your 10 speed Freehub wheels on your bike

Yes?
I think you have this backwards.
-the OP has a bike with a 10-speed freehub and matching drivetrain.
-the OP has a couple of spare wheels with freewheel hubs.
-the OP wants to use these extra freewheel hub wheels on his 10-speed bike and wanted to know if there was any way to make them accept a 10-speed cassette.

BTW, there are 9-speed freewheels in production.
I believe the vendor is Sunrace. These were originally commisioned by an electric bike manufacturer, to work on their spin-on (freewheel threaded) motor-drive hub.
I have seen one or two turn up on Ebay. Perhaps Google would reveal a source?
There are currently 8-speed freewheels out there also, and much more common.
No word on 10-speed freewheels, but I would like to see narrower sprocket spacing on standard freewheel body, perhaps 9 out of 10 cogs using the 10-speed spacing? Sounds do-able as a home-made project, I think the teeth on regular cogs are likely narrow enough for 10sp chains.

I have a couple wheels including sewups that I thought I could use. I just thought there might be a conversion piece I could buy since there seems to be conversion parts for everything else.

Obsolescence happens... company engineers make their boat payments
by changing what worked before into something else, more complicated.
those sew up rims will build into some nice wheels, with new hubs.

Obsolescence happens... company engineers make their boat payments
by changing what worked before into something else, more complicated.
those sew up rims will build into some nice wheels, with new hubs.

While I agree that planned obsolescence is a scourge on our lives, the Shimano freehub design has been a major improvement to bicycle design.

Maybe ... Maybe not
What is a "lot of money"
What's the current bike ?

If you have a frame that you love, it may make sense to convert to modern parts. Many of us have upgraded vintage frames to modern components. You don't need to swap everything. I've done a few budget conversions. The expensive one was $350 (used wheels, used Centaur crankset, new Campy 10 Centaur shifters, used rear derailleur, NOS Centaur calipers). My other conversion has the original "5 speed" crank and front derailleur running a 10 speed chain, shifters and rd ... no problems


So I have a steel frame that I love (old school 10 speed campy stuff from the 70s) and I bought a new bike so I could get index shifting. Now I want to upgrade the steel frame to modern parts. Can you describe the conversion using the original "5 speed" crank in more detail? I could go that route...

Newer stuff 8>9>10> 11 keeps narrowing the chain to fit in less space,
given road frames spread to 130 then stopped so for more cogs to go on the back wheel they had to start shaving off mm,
so older double cranksets
will likely let the chain drop in between the 2 chainrings.

Someone in PDX will buy what you have, and use it as it is, to get around,
getting a new bike with the features you want now,
a better approach .

there's only a thousand bike shops in Portland, by now.

So I have a steel frame that I love (old school 10 speed campy stuff from the 70s) and I bought a new bike so I could get index shifting. Now I want to upgrade the steel frame to modern parts. Can you describe the conversion using the original "5 speed" crank in more detail? I could go that route...

Not much to describe. I took my old Cannondale race bike from 1985. Replaced the shifters with new 2009 Campy 10 Centaur shifters, a used 10 speed wheel & cassette, a used 2006 10 speed rear derailleur, and a narrow 10 speed chain. The crank and front derailleur are still original. I thought I might have problems with the narrower chain getting hung up between chainrings, but so far, so good. I also put Crud fenders on it and am using it as my rain bike.

Not much to describe. I took my old Cannondale race bike from 1985. Replaced the shifters with new 2009 Campy 10 Centaur shifters, a used 10 speed wheel & cassette, a used 2006 10 speed rear derailleur, and a narrow 10 speed chain. The crank and front derailleur are still original. I thought I might have problems with the narrower chain getting hung up between chainrings, but so far, so good. I also put Crud fenders on it and am using it as my rain bike.

What's the rear drop out spacing on your Cannondale? Is it aluminum? Any problems fitting the new hub in?

The easy solution is to rebuild the wheels with new hubs. That way you'll have new bearings.

What's the rear drop out spacing on your Cannondale? Is it aluminum? Any problems fitting the new hub in?

It's 126 mm ...... just spread them a bit as you put in a 130 mm wheel. No big deal. You can't "cold set" aluminum, but I don't care.
I left my vintage steel bike at 126 mm too.