Noob question here so I apologize in advance.

I recently bough a Raleigh Technium 440 because the price and frame were good. Some of the components are looking pretty rough though, particularly the rear derailleur. I am looking for a replacement, but am a little overwhelmed by all of the options. From my research so far, it looks like the three biggest factors that play into compatibility are brand, number of teeth, and number of gears. Am I missing anything?

I want to make sure I have everything right before spending money on a part I can't use. Thanks for the help!!

1) What are the components on it, specifically the shifters? They'll probably be Shimano, but who knows. [Pre-reply edit, looks like Suntour...]

2) When you move the right shift lever (for the rear gears), does it click/notch? If so, that means it is indexed, which it most likely is as Techniums were made in the indexing era.

3) How many cogs (or gears) are there in the back/on the rear hub?

4) What is the biggest cog (in number of teeth) in that cluster of gears? That will help determine if we need a normal rear derailleur with a short cage (short distance between the two pulley wheels). If the count is 28 teeth or less, than a short cage rear derailleur is sufficient.

As always, pictures (of the bike, shifters, and rear derailleur primarily) help us immensely. Giving us numbers also helps immensely. We should be able to sort this out quickly.

Short answer: friction shifting - any replacement will work.

Longer answer: Indexed shfiting? Match your new RD to the shifter and cog set you have now. We need more info; tell us what your shifters, cog set and chain rings say. If your drive train (shifters, cogset) is labeled Suntour Apha, you are limited to that brand and model. If it's Shimano SIS, there's a ton of stuff that'll work. Because Shimano made a ton of different SIS parts.

Your old derailleur may also just need some cleaning and lubing. Is it bent? Does it have worn/cracked pulleys on it? What is it that makes it "rough?"

Pics?

Hey Folks,

Thanks for the responses! I can include pictures tonight but here are some of the specs I should have included in my original question.

The bike is a 1986 Raleigh Technium 440. It has friction shifting with Shimano "Z" series stem levers. The bike currently has a Suntour Perfect Freewheel, but some of the teeth have broke off the smallest cog. It is a 6 speed - so 6 cogs in the rear wheel. I am planning on replacing it with a new Shimano MF-TZ20, 6 speed, 14/28 teeth freewheel. The smallest cog has 14 teeth while the highest has 28 teeth (is this typically denoted as 14/28?). I plan to replace the old, rusted chain with a KMC Z51, 1/2 x 3/32 inch chain. Finally, the rear derailleur is a Shimano Z Series RD-Z503. My main concerns with it are that it looks old (very dirty and a little rust) and that the pulleys look worn down. As far as I can tell, it is not bent. I will post pictures this evening. That would be great if all it needs is a good cleaning!

Thanks again for the responses. I appreciate your help!

If you're replacing the chain replace the FW at the same time, you can find lots of 14-28 6 speed Free wheels on Amazon, if your RD ends up being beyond redemption I have had good luck with this one as a cheap replacement, but as was mentioned above if your running friction you have lots of choices. Have fun bringing it back to life.

Here are some pictures of the rear derailleur and freewheel. Is it worth cleaning this one or should I go with the one suggested by ryansu? It is only 10 bucks....

That replacement derailleur would be a pretty serious downgrade. What you have will probably work fine when you clean, lube and adjust it. The pulleys look okay to my eye, and that style of Shimano pulleys is still readily available as a new part.

I vote that you clean it up and keep it. I would go with a modern Shimano or equivalent hyperglide freewheel, though, and probably a new chain.

That was what I was going to write except I wasn't going to mention replacing the pulley/jockey wheels although would also recommend that too thinking about it. I wouldn't want to lose the originality of the bike especially as it actually seems better for the bike to keep the existing derailleur anyway after a good service.

Sounds great! For cleaning, is there anything I should do besides getting the grease off and out of the crannies?

What do you mean by "hyperglide" freewheel? I was thinking of replacing it with this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...KIKX0DER&psc=1

Also, would these pulley's work:
https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Derai...illeur+pulleys

Looks they are compatible with my 1/2 x 3/32 inch chain and current 10 tooth (teeth??) pulleys.

Thanks !!

Yes,

From Sheldon Brown site
Hyperglide (HG) ®
A system of ramps and special-shaped teeth on Shimano rear sprockets that permits much smoother shifting than older systems. HG sprockets are designed so that, as the chain moves from one sprocket to the next, it will engage the new sprocket before it has completely derailed from the old one. This makes for smooth, silent shifting.

That derailleur should clean up nicely. There are about a million different approaches you could take to cleaning it, but a bucket of soapy water and some sort of brush (like a toothbrush) should work nicely. Degreaser could help with stubborn gunk. Removing the pulleys before cleaning would help you get in there.

'Hyperglide' is a Shimano trademark referring to shaped/sculpted teeth that aid shifting. Pretty much any new freewheel is going to be Hyperglide (or similar).

I've opted for SunRace freewheels like this one the last few times I've needed a freewheel, and I'll admit it's just a cosmetic preference. The huge Shimano branding on the big cog of their freewheels is UGLY.

You could use an ultrasonic cleaner, but I always just use some elbow grease and some degreaser (do not let degrease your elbows!).

I also like how the Sunrace stuff looks. I have, admittedly, only used their cassettes, so I don't know the performance of the mechanism in their freewheels, but I'm sure the cogs will be great. The nickel plating usually looks slick. The Shimano you linked will probably be great.

For what it's worth, I've been using a modern Shimano Acera MTB derailleur on my 1977 touring bike for about 4 years now. My only complaint is that it's not so classy, but I think it's still attractive and well done for the price. And you can buy them for about $20-25 or so. It'll be a great backup in my box of junk when I install the SunXCD RD that I just ordered for myself.

Freewheel ? go with Friction shifters , they are adaptable to any combination of parts at the other end of the cable..


it is probably too worn to use again , but you still can get new freewheels , as said above the sculpted tooth style is now dominant.





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I don't see anything wrong with any of these parts, but would use a modern 7-8s chain on that freewheel, and would use 9s chain if it is Ultra-6 spaced.

Take a rag and just clean off that derailer after lubing the pullies and spring-pivots generously.

Light oil in that freewheel and it should work good as new, those were very well-made freewheels.

EDIT: I finally noticed the broken teeth too, looks like someone rode it for a long time stuck in that one gear!

Thanks for the help everyone! I cleaned the old derailleur last night and it looks good. Just waiting for the pulleys and freewheel in the mail. I went with the Sunrace freewheel as I agree, it looks much better.