Originally Posted by
Bad Lag
I have been wanting a wider range freewheel for my bike. I went looking for a Suntour Ultra-6 freewheel in 13-34T configuration.
OMG!, they are selling for $200 - $300 on ebay, so that is the end of that idea.
What can be done to modify the gearing on a 120 mm rear triangle? Do I need to buy a new wheel? Is there any way to retrofit more modern gearing (cassette?) onto a freewheel hub?
Anyone looking for vintage freewheels can not possibly buy a freewheel that shifts as well as a modern new IRD Classica freewheel. I don't care what anyone says and I know people love group correct kit. I've seen 'em all. Suntour, Shimao, Sachs freewheels, Atoms, Campagnolo, Cyclo, Everest, Maillard, Regina etc.
All were good freewheels, even great in their day, but nothing on par to the high bar that IRD has now set with the Classica freewheels. Simply put you can't buy another freewheel of the same quality with the same shifting precision. I don't care what your eBay budget is. Modern crappy Shimano freewheels come close to the quality in the shifting performance, but not quite. Vintage high end freewheels like Suntour come close in the quality category, but don't have the shifting ramps.
End of story, the golden age of the freewheel in terms of performance is actually now:
Classica Freewheels 5/6/7-Speed ? Interloc Racing Design / IRD