viros20

I was given this 53cm frame a few weeks ago and decided to sell my c'dale badboy that was too large and restore this new bike. It was given to me with no wheels so im missing the stock cassette.

The question I have is would I be best of finding a matching suntour 7 speed freewheel ?

the bike has 125mm spacing and I see that Sheldon brown sells WE941 Quando/Sun Sealed Bearing Wheelsets with a freewheel rear hub that should fit well. I like the idea of going with a freewheel since if I dont like how how it shifts gears I can convert to a single speed and keep the same wheelset.

So is that wheelset and a suntour 7 speed freewheel my best bet at a good reliable drivetrain, or would you guys suggest another route?


thanks for any advice heres a recent pic, im really excited and heard many positives things about this bike and cant wait to finish it.

SoreFeet

It is a good frame for the money. You should be able to use a 6/7 speed freewheel. I would recommend putting a new chain on when changing the freewheel. The chainrings are probably the standard 130MM bolt pattern if you need to change them.

I would get a better set of wheels than the quando hubs. If the bike is going to be a daily rider look for a pair of vintage freewheel hubs set to 125/126 and put them on a nice rim. Those Schwinn bikes in your class were sort of the last of good midrange steel frames on the market.

Look for Shimano 600/Sansin/Suntour.

huerro

I had my Prelude set up with a modern 130mm 9 speed drive train and had no problems at all. I didn't even have to cold set the frame. If you want to keep the seven speed set up, you can get a seven speed cassette with a spacer on a current hub.

Also, it's very easy (easier than a freewheel since you don't have to worry so much about chinline) to convert a cassette to single speed (Sheldon's website has all the details).


Enjoy the bike. It is a great riding frame.

MajorA

+1 on SoreFeet's comments. You should be able to find a decent wheelset for under $100, shipped, on the 'Bay, with deals to be had fro lots less if you're patient. The problem with wheelsets on eBay is that shipping is pretty spendy. on the freewheel issue, I don't really notice a difference between 6 and 7 speeds, per se; the difference is in the range of the freewheel (e.g. a 13-14-15-16-17-19 is a lot less versatile than a 13-15-17-19-22-26) and your local terrain. That said, I have some pretty stout hills where I ride, and a 6-speed freewheel suits me just fine.

And from the looks of that Fender Precision lurking in the background, it looks like we've got some punk rawk going on too ...