Originally Posted by
CliffordK
It is my belief that the non-sychro freewheels had big, fat, beefy teeth that wore very well.
With the indexed (hyperglide), the manufacturers started thinning and shaping the cassette teeth (and also new freewheels).
Lately I have had issues with cassettes and new freewheels wearing awfully fast.
It could be different metals. Undoubtedly I am riding a lot. But, I've never had this many problems in the past, and wasn't very proactive with chain replacement.
I do have a dura ace hybrid cassette that I am being very cautious on chain wear and it seems to be lasting pretty well, but it does show some heavy wear.
But, I did manage to toast a new 8 speed freewheel from new to toasted in maybe 1000 miles.
Also blame the move from 6 speeds to ultra-6/7/8 and then to 9 and then to 10 or 11, with the chain and the cogs having to get narrower each time. I currently run an ultra-6 on the Peugeot, standard 6-speeds on the Bianchi and the 1959 Capo (which I cold-set to 126mm before I had it painted), and an 8-speed cassette on the mountain bike (up from the original 7-speed freewheel). I hesitate to go beyond 7 speeds on the road bikes and 8 on the mountain bike, and really see no need to, since I can get both the low/mid 40s to mid-90s gear-inch ranges and 6-7 percent ratio progressions I want with a 2x6 (barely adequate), a 2x7, or a 3x6 rig.
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069