richardyusf15

Hello everyone.

I am new to bikes and I have a 1981(perhaps) Fuji Monterey which has a Suntour Perfect freewheel (5 speed). Recently the freewheel it's getting less smooth and nosier. I kind of want to change it, and upgrade to a 6 speed instead. I wonder what kind of freewheel I can use without doing anything to the frame.

(By the way, do things like Ultra 6 work? )

Thanks a lot.

wrk101

Just get a new five speed freewheel. They are readily available, at a low price. An Ultra 6 will cost you serious $$ in NOS condition. Given the Monterey from that era came with steel wheels, pick up a nice set of used alloy rim 27s instead. You will need a longer axle for the claw hanger.

NOS Ultra 6 freewheels are bringing $50 to $100 right now. $100 freewheel on a $100 bike?

Five speed Falcon freewheel is under $8 at Niagara Cycle.

Of course, servicing your freewheel is a good first option, at least flush it thoroughly.


126mm spaced wheel will readily fit on your steel frame bike.

Lascauxcaveman 

Just about any 6 speed freewheel should work provided:

1) it's an "English threaded" spin-on type
2) it's not physically a lot thicker than your 5-speed one (and even that may not matter)
3) its biggest cog isn't too large for your rear derailleur to handle

You'll also need to buy a special tool to remove the old freewheel. Here's a shot of a Suntour Perfect 5-speed freewheel and the tool I used to take off (a Park FR-2):

The tool cost about $8 on eBay, and I've bought 6-speed freewheels there for anywhere between $5 - 50, almost all of them NOS. If the notches on your freewheel look different from this, you'll need a different tool. There are at least a half dozen kinds, probably more.

Anyway, the easiest way to use that tool is put it in a benchtop vise and plunk the wheel down on top, lining up the prongs to the notches in the freewheel. Then use your muscles to unspin the freewheel. Turn the wheel in the opposite direction it would be turning if you were pedaling the bike (that tightens it).

I'm with wrk101, don't spend a lot on a freewheel for this bike. There are tons of options available plenty cheap that are worthy of your bike. You may consider this an opportunity to customize your gearing, being able to select higher and/or lower gears, depending on the capacity of your derailleur. You'll probably have to adjust the stop limit screws on your derailleur to make the new freewheel work cleanly.

richardyusf15

Thanks.

richardyusf15

Thanks for the help. I do like the idea of upgrading the wheels, but I am kind of afraid that the bike is 120 mm spaced. Will a 126 mm spaced wheel fit the frame?

wrk101

Yes. There have to be between 500 and 1000 threads on squeezing in wider rear wheels on road bikes. Its done all the time.

eschlwc

my bikes have both 5- and 6-speed freewheels, and i don't really view the extra gear or two as 'an upgrade.' my '76 moto performs perfectly with its 5-speed cluster, providing no need to respace the frame. on my last two builds, both '80s japanese 12-speeds, i replaced the 6-speed freewheel with a $15 sunrace model with ramps (new on ebay), and have been really happy with both the look and performance of the purchase. i used to pay $50 for ird freewheels, but will no longer, as the sunrace model performs reliably.

old's'cool

To sum up:
-most straight forward thing to do is get a replacement 5 speed freewheel
-another option is overhaul the one you have, but it is not worth paying someone to do. You can do yourself if you're mechanically inclined and read some of the threads in this forum on the subject. You may or may not need to replace some of the sprockets, but you'll probably get free sprockets offered from members here if you go this route
-easiest 6 speed upgrade option is Suntour Ultra-6, but they typically ain't cheap
-standard width 6-speed not only requires your frame to be spread slightly, but also requires a longer axle, and quick release skewer if so equipped. Quite likely you will need to re-dish your rear wheel as well, which is an esoteric exercise for the uninitiated, but could be done at a cycle shop, for a price, I'm guessing under 50bux.

Glennfordx4

Some rear hubs are set up different then others as far as spacing goes, I recently converted two five speed freewheels to six without having to do anything to the spacing ( a 73 Schwinn Varsity & a 70's Raleigh Super Course ). Both bikes just happened to have Atom 5spd fw's that I removed, The Varsity I installed a newer HG Shimano FW & the Raleigh I installed a Suntour 6spd Perfect block freewheel & neither of the hubs needed anything done with the spacing & both 6spds work well after resetting the limit screws on the RD's. The one thing that both of the bikes above had that may or may not make a difference is they both use a claw hanger ( like your Fuji does ) on the RD & the axles & spacing may be a little wider then if it is a direct mount RD as I have had spacing issues in the past but not this time. The only way to find out if it will work is remove the 5spd FW and screw on a 6spd FW & see where the lock nut is when you are done ( your LBS could help you with that ).

I looked at my all original ( but very beat up ) Fuji Monterey yesterday & I am willing to bet that a 6spd cog will thread right on without any respacing what so ever, if IRC Suntour specs freewheel spacing wide on most of there 5 & 6spd stuff using their derailleurs which is probably why it will work on this.


Glenn