Originally Posted by
noglider
I have a modern Shimano freewheel on my McLean. It's a wear item, like tires and brake cables. As Dave points out, they're a heck of a lot better than older freewheels. And I do trust it, even though it's chintzier.
Originally Posted by
Dave Mayer
I have a 50 pound pail of 6 and 7 speed Dura-Ace freewheels and spare cogs. I also have an equivalent stash of Winner and Winner Pro hardware. So here is my unbiased advice.
The best freewheel right now for the combination of light weight and shifting quality is Shimano's TZ20 and TZ21 (6 and 7 speed respectively) Tourney freewheels. Why:
- They cost less than $15 each.
- They feature Shimano's superior Hyperglide cog profiles, which provide worlds better shifting than any of the old freewheels. Uniglide and Suntour freewheels were somewhat better than the old Italian cogs, which were hopeless.
- They have a unique design in which the 2 largest (heaviest) cogs are heavily cut away and supported (pinned to) the smaller cogs. This accounts for their low weight.
- They have a sensible 14-28 gear range. This elimates the useless 11 and 12 tooth cogs found in current cassettes, and includes lower gears for use with standard crankets. We're not getting younger.
At $15 each, yes, it is a "wear" item. But it is a cheap Chinese POS, which for the most part, cannot be serviced. The cogs cannot be removed for cleaning and the internals cannot be opened for cleaning and lube.
Gearing is very individual to the rider and the terrain they ride in. For instance the smallest cog on any of my bikes is a 32T and they all are equipped with triple cranksets. If I lived in south Florida, I'm certain I'd never use a cog over 26T (maybe even a 24T), and all would have double cranksets.