Originally Posted by
nickm77
Many thanks Doug for all the great info!
My LBS said to steer clear of the newer Shimano Freewheels. They said to go with the older Uniglide freewheels if I couldn't afford an expensive one like a Phil. What do you guys think?
Here is a 7 speed uniglide I can customize on up to 34 teeth. What do you think of it? And how does the Uniglde stack up against the Phil or comparable? I don't want to get stranded in the middle of nowhere. Is the Shimano that unreliable?
And if I were to go with the Shimano Deore SGS rear derailer, is that something I need to special order and take to the LBS or are they pretty common and something they can easily get. Is that a good reliable derailer?
Thanks
Nick
I've not used any of the newer freewheels, so I can't talk form experience but see what Sheldon Brown has to say about the Megarange freewheels.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/mega7/
In short he says "To make this work, they had to completely redesign the venerable thread-on freewheel from the ground up. The solution they found is a technological tour de force, because the resulting freewheel is superior in several ways to all that came before. It is easier to service, freer turning and should prove to be more durable as well. This page is an attempt to explain this little known engineering feat. First, let's take a look at a more conventional design: "
I read that as the Mega 7 freewheel representing the very pinnacle of freewheel design. I would avoid the Sunrace Knockoff. And the hyper-glide tooth profile shifts better than the older Uniglide
I don't think the Deore (RD-M510 or RD-M531) is currently in production. Lots of places have it as NOS (New old stock, new parts that are no longer made but still on the shelf) and the market price seems to be around $20 (Jenson USA) The Deore LX is a step up in finish and goes for a bit under $50. Alivios seem to be taking up the basic tier these days at $15 - $20. You can easily spent $100+ but I wouldn't
Spending more gets you fancier finish and the cachet of have the latest bling. I go for the best reliability and bang for the buck - the Deore or Deore LX.
(And dont forget Ebay, you can get NOS or some nicer stuff from folks that gotta have the latest)
And installing a derailleur falls into that catagory of stuff you can do yourself - only tools needed are some allen wrenches and a chain splitter. You want to have both when touring. Need help or instructions? Check out Park Tool
http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=64