Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Bicycle Mechanics
Reload this Page >

Differences in Shimano Freehub body quality?

Notices
Bicycle Mechanics Broken bottom bracket? Tacoed wheel? If you're having problems with your bicycle, or just need help fixing a flat, drop in here for the latest on bicycle mechanics & bicycle maintenance.

Differences in Shimano Freehub body quality?

Old 07-10-05, 01:35 PM
  #1  
Spoked to Death
Thread Starter
 
phidauex's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 1,335

Bikes: Salsa La Cruz w/ Alfine 8, Specialized Fuse Pro 27.5+, Surly 1x1

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Differences in Shimano Freehub body quality?

Hi,

I'm working on a project bike at the moment, that is getting an upgrade from 7 speed 105 to 9 speed 105. Its one of those cool Titan bikes, if you've been following the massive thread in the Classic and Vintage forum. I bought one built up, and I love it (however, I don't love downtube shifting (though it is indexed), and I got a deal on almost-new 105 brifters that I couldn't refuse (50$ for the pair)).

I'll be replacing both shifters of course, replacing the rear cassette, and replacing the chain. I'll be leaving both derailleurs, and leaving the front crankset (equipped with biopace double, which I don't mind). However, because the 105 hub is a 7 speed hub, I need a new freehub body to go to a 9 speed cassette.

I have the following options, in order of expense. Cheaper is better, since this is a project bike.

Buy new 105 level or above rear hub and build it into the wheel. Not a problem since I'm a confident wheelbuilder, and the MA2 rims are in good shape for reuse. Cost, about 40$ + time

Buy new 105 level or above freehub body and replace freehub body only. About 20$, and less time.

Finally... And here is the heart of my question... I can buy a Sora 8 speed rear hub (who's freehub body should be 9sp compatible) for 12$, swap freehubs with my existing 105 hub, and sell the Sora 7 speed hub/cassette (which is in good shape) to a 7 speed'r to recoup a bit of my cost, or potentially even make a buck or two on the exchange.

However, this would leave me with a 105 bike with a (gasp) SORA freehub body! Does this matter? Are the differences in freehubs really that great? I'm not a weight weenie, but I don't like stuff randomly breaking on me. Do freehub bodies ever actually break though? Are they compatible (I seem to think they are)? Am I going to screw myself in the long run in order to save 20$?

Thanks for the advice!

Peace,
Sam

P.S. If you've got a freehub body lying around that you'd get rid of cheap to end my delirious option-mongering, please PM me.
phidauex is offline  
Old 07-10-05, 02:02 PM
  #2  
sch
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Mountain Brook. AL
Posts: 4,002
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 302 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 135 Times in 103 Posts
A I would not worry about the Sora versus 105 unless your are an extremely high mileage rider. FWIW your brifters are likely to go long before the hub does and it is not entirely clear how long 9spd brifters will be available beyond say a 5yr time frame. Can't comment on compatibility.
Steve
sch is offline  
Old 07-10-05, 02:09 PM
  #3  
Spoked to Death
Thread Starter
 
phidauex's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 1,335

Bikes: Salsa La Cruz w/ Alfine 8, Specialized Fuse Pro 27.5+, Surly 1x1

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I don't think its a Teledyne Titan, unless that is a part of the company name I'm not aware of. The bike is a lugged steel frame, all Columbus tubing, forged dropouts (with adjusters). It has neat stuff like internal cable routing and well shaped lug cutouts, as well as a fully chrome fork and long chrome socks.

Here is a photo of it.



I'm hoping the brifters last a while, though if they ever give me trouble, its barcon time.

peace,
sam
phidauex is offline  
Old 07-10-05, 03:36 PM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
Retro Grouch's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: St Peters, Missouri
Posts: 30,225

Bikes: Catrike 559 I own some others but they don't get ridden very much.

Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1572 Post(s)
Liked 642 Times in 363 Posts
Originally Posted by phidauex
I can buy a Sora 8 speed rear hub (who's freehub body should be 9sp compatible) for 12$, swap freehubs with my existing 105 hub, and sell the Sora 7 speed hub/cassette (which is in good shape) to a 7 speed'r to recoup a bit of my cost, or potentially even make a buck or two on the exchange.
The nice thing about taking the freehub body off of the Sora hub is that it will also provide you with a 130mm axle set with all of the appropriate spacers that you will need. I think that's what I would do.
Retro Grouch is offline  
Old 07-10-05, 04:32 PM
  #5  
Spoked to Death
Thread Starter
 
phidauex's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 1,335

Bikes: Salsa La Cruz w/ Alfine 8, Specialized Fuse Pro 27.5+, Surly 1x1

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Mmm, thanks for the advice folks. I think I'm gonna go the 'sora cannibalization' route.

Anyone want a Sora hub w/ 7speed freehub and cassette? PM me in about a week.

Peace,
sam
phidauex is offline  
Old 07-10-05, 06:07 PM
  #6  
cyclist/gearhead/cycli...
 
moxfyre's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: DC / Maryland suburbs
Posts: 4,166

Bikes: Homebuilt tourer/commuter, modified-beyond-recognition 1990 Trek 1100, reasonably stock 2002-ish Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by Retro Grouch
The nice thing about taking the freehub body off of the Sora hub is that it will also provide you with a 130mm axle set with all of the appropriate spacers that you will need. I think that's what I would do.
You don't need to swap the axle, according to Sheldon Brown (see here https://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html). He says a QR axle meant for 126 mm will fit securely in a frame with 130 mm dropouts. Of course you'll need to respace it though, but hopefully this way you can avoid messing around with the bearings.

EDIT: What's more, your "leftovers" will be a 7 speed hub with 130 mm spacing, which can be sold as a rare and unique item on eBay.

On another note, that's a beautiful bike you got, phidauex. Love the paint job. I can't believe some @#$(*@#&$ put safety brake levers on it...
moxfyre is offline  
Old 07-10-05, 06:20 PM
  #7  
Spoked to Death
Thread Starter
 
phidauex's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 1,335

Bikes: Salsa La Cruz w/ Alfine 8, Specialized Fuse Pro 27.5+, Surly 1x1

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I think the 'safety' levers are stock... They are weinmann levers, and work OK, but I don't really like them. I've never understood why you'd want drop bar levers without hoods to ride. I'm fairly new to drop bars, and the hoods are my favorite place. On this config, I either need to be stretched out in the drops, or propped up on the flats. Not cool. I'm looking forward to the brifters, if only for the additional position.

peace,
sam
phidauex is offline  
Old 07-14-05, 09:11 AM
  #8  
Spoked to Death
Thread Starter
 
phidauex's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 1,335

Bikes: Salsa La Cruz w/ Alfine 8, Specialized Fuse Pro 27.5+, Surly 1x1

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Just an update for those interested, and to provide a measure of closure:

I got my Sora hub yesterday (12$ from nashbar - 20% coupon, yay!), along with a Shimano 105 9sp Hyperglide cassette (12-25, instead of the 13-26 that was there before), and an SRAM PC-59 chain.

I disassembled the original 105 7 speed hub, and removed the freehub body. I actually left the 7 speed cassette on the freehub body, because I didn't have the right puller for the old Uniglide cassette. The 8/9/10 speed freehub body from the Sora bolted right onto the 105, with no complaints. It turns out that the cones are the same between the sora and the 105, so there no problems. For ease of conversion, I used the original 105 axle, and just respaced the hub to 130mm from 126mm. There is still enough axle to bite, and the wheel mounts fine. I could have swapped axles from the Sora, but it was getting dark, and I had concerns about the Sora's axle quality (they had the same configuration, but the Sora's threads weren't as nice, and I got a bad feeling).

The 9 speed brifters I got have a problem. The front is fine, but the rear shifter has the apparently o-so-common "I'll downshift fine, but I won't upshift unless you physically immobilize the brake lever while actuating the upshift lever" problem. I'm going to investigate a warranty replacment, but in the meantime, I'm still going to need my friction shifters.

Speaking of which, the 105 7 speed shifters in friction mode shift the 9 speed cassette beautifully. I had to reset the limit screws, of course, but I dare say that the 9 speed hyperglide shifts better in friction mode than the 7 speed uniglide did in indexed mode. At this point I'd be happy with the upgrade, except for the fact that I absolutely hate not having hoods to ride, and I don't like the position of downtube shifters.. I've just never been able to get used to it.

Also, just to be clear, the front 7 speed biopace chainrings work just fine with the narrow 9 speed chain. The derailleur shifts the chain perfectly, and it hops between the chainrings with no problems at all. Screw that '9sp' chainring business.

So anyway, thanks for the advice, all. If anyone needs a lightly used 7 speed uniglide cassette and/or a respaced 7 speed cassette hub to go with it, let me know!

I'll probably make another little update once I get the brifter issue dealt with, for those who are curious.

Peace,
Sam
phidauex is offline  
Old 07-14-05, 09:17 AM
  #9  
cyclist/gearhead/cycli...
 
moxfyre's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: DC / Maryland suburbs
Posts: 4,166

Bikes: Homebuilt tourer/commuter, modified-beyond-recognition 1990 Trek 1100, reasonably stock 2002-ish Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by phidauex
The 9 speed brifters I got have a problem. The front is fine, but the rear shifter has the apparently o-so-common "I'll downshift fine, but I won't upshift unless you physically immobilize the brake lever while actuating the upshift lever" problem. I'm going to investigate a warranty replacment, but in the meantime, I'm still going to need my friction shifters.

Speaking of which, the 105 7 speed shifters in friction mode shift the 9 speed cassette beautifully. I had to reset the limit screws, of course, but I dare say that the 9 speed hyperglide shifts better in friction mode than the 7 speed uniglide did in indexed mode. At this point I'd be happy with the upgrade, except for the fact that I absolutely hate not having hoods to ride, and I don't like the position of downtube shifters.. I've just never been able to get used to it.
Sam, I hope you can get that brifter working. Flushing with WD-40 seems to prolong their life, for a lot of people. If you can't get the brifters working for a reasonable price, and aren't gonna be racing, I suggest bar-end shifters. I've put them on both my commuter bike and on my girlfriend's (both are similar to your bike, though not as pretty!)

Bar-end shifters are convenient and reliable and dirt cheap. They shift my 9-speed cassette flawlessly in friction mode, smoother than my STIs actually. Basically the ONLY downside as I see it is having to move your hand a few inches from the brakes. Some guy offered me a pair of 9-speed shifters for $30, but then another just gave me a pair of 7-speed ones for free. So you can find 'em cheap.
moxfyre is offline  
Old 07-14-05, 09:20 AM
  #10  
Spoked to Death
Thread Starter
 
phidauex's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 1,335

Bikes: Salsa La Cruz w/ Alfine 8, Specialized Fuse Pro 27.5+, Surly 1x1

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I've never used bar end shifters, but that is an attractive option. I could always go with a set of cane creek brake levers with hoods for 30$, and then a set of bar ends for shifting.. Well, we'll see how this warranty replacement business pans out.

peace,
sam
phidauex is offline  
Old 07-14-05, 09:29 AM
  #11  
cyclist/gearhead/cycli...
 
moxfyre's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: DC / Maryland suburbs
Posts: 4,166

Bikes: Homebuilt tourer/commuter, modified-beyond-recognition 1990 Trek 1100, reasonably stock 2002-ish Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by phidauex
I've never used bar end shifters, but that is an attractive option. I could always go with a set of cane creek brake levers with hoods for 30$, and then a set of bar ends for shifting.. Well, we'll see how this warranty replacement business pans out.
Good luck with that. Aero levers are one of the first upgrades I do on old bikes, I just can't stand the old hoodless ones.
moxfyre is offline  
Old 07-14-05, 11:00 AM
  #12  
cs1
Senior Member
 
cs1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Clev Oh
Posts: 7,091

Bikes: Specialized, Schwinn

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 225 Post(s)
Liked 24 Times in 22 Posts
Originally Posted by phidauex
I've never used bar end shifters, but that is an attractive option. I could always go with a set of cane creek brake levers with hoods for 30$, and then a set of bar ends for shifting.. Well, we'll see how this warranty replacement business pans out.

peace,
sam
Sam:

I've never used anything, mtb exception, other than barcons for the last 15 years, Suntour, Shimano and now Campy. They work great once you get used to them. The only problem is that Campy's barcons are a little on the expensive side like everything else they make.
cs1 is offline  
Old 07-26-05, 06:28 PM
  #13  
Spoked to Death
Thread Starter
 
phidauex's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 1,335

Bikes: Salsa La Cruz w/ Alfine 8, Specialized Fuse Pro 27.5+, Surly 1x1

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Just for some closure, I finished this project today.

I had gotten a set of 105 brifters for 40$ that were broken. Fortunately Shimano decided to warranty them, and so for 40$ I've got a functional set of brifters. I installed them today, and they work perfectly with the 9 speed 105 cassette on the 8 speed sora freehub on the 7 speed 105 hub. The front, operating on a biopace double, works nicely as well.

I'm happy to have hoods to ride, and I put on some cool zebra striped bar tape, so all is right with the world.

Unfortunately, one of the 7 sp downtube shifters was damaged a bit when it was removed from the bike. I'll see what I can do about it, but they may not be usable as a set anymore.

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

peace,
sam
phidauex is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.