iamtim

So I'm putting together a bike for my son; it's an older Nishiki Altron NFS (picture of bike in progress here) and I have some cassette/rear derailleur questions.

I'm setting it up all Shimano 600, but it uses 650c wheels and I snagged some Bontrager Selects. On another Nishiki I own (an International, IIRC) I have a Shimano 600 SIS rear derailleur on a 6 speed cassette (freewheel, actually, again IIRC). I don't think the Selects will support a 6 speed cassette, and I've heard it said that the shifters, not the RD, control the number of gears the RD will work with. I want to put 8 speed on the bike.

So, will this Shimano 600 SIS RD work with an 8 speed cassette on the Bontrager Selects, with the proper 8 speed shifters? Or should I look at one of the newer Shimano 600 RDs? Or, can I run a 6 speed cassette on those Bontrager Selects (keep in mind my son is a BMX racer; I'm building this bike to help him train and to give him something to ride with me)?

Thanks.

juicemouse

Ain't no such thing as a 6-speed cassette, so that's not an option. If your rear derailleur is labeled "S.I.S." it will be completely compatible with Shimano-compatible 8-speed shifters and cassette. I'd be temped to let your son use that instead of a new one, as long as it's still tight and in good condition.

Gonzo Bob

If the Selects are 8/9/10 speed wheels, I'd run one of those since the 600 derailer can index shift anything from 6 to 10. If you already have the 6-speed shifters, you can use a 6-speed cassette by putting a 4.5mm spacer on the freehub. The only place I've ever seen a 6-speed Hyperglide compatible cassette is Nashbar. Shimano has never made one because road bikes were 7 and 8-speed by the time they introduced Hyperglide.

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...eid=&pagename=

HillRider

While Shimano never made Hyperglide 6-speed cassettes, they did make an early Uniglide 6-speed cassette and matching hubs. It was quite unusual as the freehub body didn't bolt to the hub shell like the current design but was held in place by the axle cones and bearings.

juicemouse

No kidding! I eat my hat.

Joe1946

5-speed cassette
https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=42328

DannoXYZ 

You can use your existing set-up just fine. Just get an 8-speed cassette, some 8-speed levers and that 600EX RD will work just fine. I'm assuming you have an RD-6207?

Gonzo Bob

I know. I have TWO! A road bike with 105 from 1986 and an MTB with Deore from 1987. Uniglide freehubs attach to the hub with the same 10mm fixing bolt as Hyperglide. I know because I swapped to roadie to 7-speed Hyperglide simply by swapping freehub bodies and getting an HG cassette.

HillRider

I bought a used early '80s Trek road bike that the original owner had upgraded a bit and the rear hub was a Shimano 6-speed Uniglide freehub (I don't recall the model ) that was not held by the normal 10 mm hollow bolt. The freehub body fell off when I removed the axle and the freehub was only coupled to the hub shell by splines. There were no threads for the hollow bolt so it was made that way.

Anyone know any more about this?

Retro Grouch 

Nope, that's a freewheel. A cassette is different.

Gonzo Bob

That sounds weird! Maybe the freehub was riveted to the hub shell and the rivets broke? Do you put it back together and did it still work?