Is a 4 speed (french) freewheel compatible with a 5 speed (french) freewheel?
10-28-13, 08:23 PM
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Is a 4 speed (french) freewheel compatible with a 5 speed (french) freewheel?
The available selection of 5 speed French thread freewheels is so much better than 4 speeds. Is the spacing compatible? I am assuming that 4 speed and 5 speed French threads are compatible. Much like 5 and 6 speed English and Italian freewheels are compatible.
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10-28-13, 08:50 PM
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5 speed is 5mm wider than the 4 speed. Threads are the same. I steal cogs from 5 speeds and put them on a 4 speed body.
10-29-13, 06:05 AM
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No. They are a different beast all together. Same spacing as a 4 speed but completely different bodies.
10-29-13, 06:29 AM
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HA! I was just thinking the other day, while sorting and organizing bike bits, how skinny a 5 speed freewheel was, but so also much more elegant and lighter than the old 2-speed Bendix Kickback hub (HEAVY BEAST!!!) on the shelf next to it was...
10-29-13, 06:41 AM
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Is it that simple? A lot of English 3 speed freewheels are made for 1/8" chains, while 4 speed freewheels are made for 3/32" chains. So they are the same width.
10-29-13, 06:54 AM
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Throw in the different threading potential of older hubs and you can have issues too, mixing Italian, British, French and ISO....they don't always play so nice together...
10-29-13, 07:07 AM
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At any rate, I would not hesitate to try an old freewheel to see how it works, BUT FIRST I would make sure I have a puller. If you put a freewheel on a hub and can't get it off again, you're fubar.
10-29-13, 07:12 AM
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Indeed....ANY old bike bits...FORCING them together is NOT a good idea. So many are NOT MARKED, so determining just what they are can be tricky. Holding up a BB Cup threads (which are usually marked) agains a freewheel hub threads is a good trick to figure them. I really should invest in some thread gauges to cut down on the guessing....mixing and matching nuts and bolts....same thing....working with old bits....between standard and metric....
10-29-13, 04:50 PM
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10-29-13, 04:59 PM
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The 4 speed hub on my '57 Peugeot is 3/32... it is an Italian built Simplex.
10-29-13, 05:01 PM
#12
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
The available selection of 5 speed French thread freewheels is so much better than 4 speeds. Is the spacing compatible? I am assuming that 4 speed and 5 speed French threads are compatible. Much like 5 and 6 speed English and Italian freewheels are compatible.
Thanks!
Thanks!
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