Originally Posted by
Sierra
I'm using one of those Megarange 7 speed freewheels on an '88 Schwinn LeTour. I put a Shimano XT rear der.(not sure what vintage, it's silver colored) and it handles the 24-34 shift effortlessly.
Yes, that should work fine. In late 1973 I bought a bare 1970 Peugeot UO-8 frame (see my signature) and built up a bike for my wife. Since this preceded ultra-spaced 6-speed freewheels, I pretty much had to optimize around a 10-speed setup with a standard 52-42 chainring set (TA Professional 3-bolt). Starting with a very popular road racing combination, 52-42 / 14-16-18-21-24, and not wanting to disrupt that very nice 1.5-step ratio progression, I decided I could best get her the low gear she wanted by sacrificing the 14 and adding a large cog. I tried 16-18-21-24-32, which worked superbly with my old SunTour V-GT derailleur. The 88 gear inch top end was high enough for her needs, and the 35-inch bottom gear got her up Franklin Canyon, Benedict Canyon, and our other favorite neighborhood hill climbs in west Los Angeles.
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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