No, not needed. Just saying they're a better design in a number of ways. I've always shyed away from large numbers of gears, but the 9 speed rear I set up worked great.
I'm still a retrogrouch in that I prefer friction in most cases. I was surprised how well a 9 speed cassette worked in friction. The improvement over freewheels is drastic. And I think it shifts better because of the high number of gears. They're closer together, so the chain always lands on a gear, and trimming is less of an issue. And the ramping on the cogs to assist shifting has improved as well.
Plus, you get a new drive side bearing race when you replace the freehub!
You can upgrade to a freehub without replacing the whole drivetrain if you run friction. All I changed was the rear wheel, cassette and chain. The 9 speed chain worked on the biopace chainrings, and the shifters and derailleur are original. Since wheels need to be replaced every few years or ~x miles anyway due to rim fatigue, its not really an extra expense.
Last edited by krems81; 10-28-09 at 01:51 AM.