Originally Posted by
JonathanGennick
They are also quite difficult to remove and replace as compared to a cassette, so maintenance is harder. Replacements are low-end parts.
I would disagree with the difficulty. The freewheels are pretty simple to remove, and no chainwhip needed. The only issue is they tend to tighten with use. One also gets the entire ratchet system replaced at a time, so if the pawls go bad with a freehub, it requires disassembling the entire hub, but they are part of the freewheel.
Originally Posted by
bikemig
Freewheels were the standard for a long time and held up well. Parts are and will be available.
There is quite a bit available, but almost all with MTB gear ratios. For example, there is only one brand of freewheels starting with 11T gears, and none with tight gearing, 11, 12, 13, 14, ... gearing.