Why Are 26T 6 Speed Freewheels So Rare?
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Why Are 26T 6 Speed Freewheels So Rare?
I'm going to try and put the original 1963 Gran Sport rear derailleur back on my Frejus, but I'm expecting to have trouble with it working with the 28T I've got on there now. I'm looking for a 26T and they look awful scarce. Is that just a tooth count that wasn't used much back in the day?
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they were definitely made. I used to use one quite a bit.
This is what Bike Warehouse offered for SunTour in 1980...

In fact, I'm currently using a SunTour New Winner 13-26 six speed on one bike.
Steve in Peoria
This is what Bike Warehouse offered for SunTour in 1980...

In fact, I'm currently using a SunTour New Winner 13-26 six speed on one bike.
Steve in Peoria
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I'm going to try and put the original 1963 Gran Sport rear derailleur back on my Frejus, but I'm expecting to have trouble with it working with the 28T I've got on there now. I'm looking for a 26T and they look awful scarce. Is that just a tooth count that wasn't used much back in the day?
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IRD makes them. Expensive.
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Been there on my 64 Frejus. It did work on the 26 with the Gran Sport rd, but it didn’t like it at all. With my 47-50 front and that 14-26 rear, it didn’t even like the chain wrap issue. Hated that Gran Sport. It now wears a Suntour VXs and is happy with a 28 that is on there now. The VXs even shifts a 32 rear on my Trek. Just sayin.
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You have brought up one of my greatest frustrations, because I have Campag. GS, Record, and 980 derailleurs that max. out at 26T. The low gear sweet spot for me for many years was 42/26, constrained by a 144mm BCD up front and a Campag. or SunTour short cage rear derailleur. The closest I got recently was a 14-25 Regina America, which I cogswapped with the 13-23 I already had to create a 13-15-17-19-22-25 for the 46-38 ringset on my Capo Modell Campagnolo. Works nicely with the 980, even though I am not a particular fan of the 980's appearance, particularly on an ornate 1959 frame.
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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
"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
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Figure out where the co-ops are and check the freewheel pile. Big cogs get the least wear so grab whatever you find even if the rest of the assembly is toast. This is last weeks haul. I hadent been in there during the pandemic, so i dont knoe how long these where there.

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My '79 Motobecane Grand Sprint came stock with an early Shimano 600 13-26 6 speed and a 52/40 chainset. That freewheel now resides on my Colnago. It is a good freewheel if you can find one, but has weak removal notches.
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I'm going to try and put the original 1963 Gran Sport rear derailleur back on my Frejus, but I'm expecting to have trouble with it working with the 28T I've got on there now. I'm looking for a 26T and they look awful scarce. Is that just a tooth count that wasn't used much back in the day?
Back in the day, it was macho to have a 13-18 straight block or a 13-21 in hills. You would get looks if you put a 13-24 on. You would have to be very unsocial to own and mount a 13-26 back then.
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...there are way more freewheels in the used parts stream with a large of 28, because there were a lot more of them made and sold. Most of the standard bikes that people bought had a 13/14-28, because not everyone was using road race gearing or equipment. As much as I detest swapping out freewheel cogs, the 13-24 and 14-26 ones are now so expensive (and the used ones often have a cog or two with some wear), that I am forced to adapt.
If you have a big enough collection of either Suntour or Shimano 5 and 6 speed freewheels, a well mounted bench vise, a freewheel vise, and at least one chain whip that is bombproof, like the Park one, you can recog them so that the largest cog is a 26, or even a 24. Sometimes it involves some torch heating and ATF/Acetone mixed 50/50. And the cog designs in the various positions for Suntour and Shimano differed over the years. But it's doable if you have a source of the older freewheels at cheap prices (like the co-op suggestion.)
It would be great if someone like Sunrace would pay attention to the needs of people like us, and make new ones in the 14-24/26 range. But I think we don't represent enough market share.
I don't work on the other brands of freewheel, because there are not enough of them around to collect a solid supply of cogs and spacers. And those seem to more commonly come in usable configurations already. But if you're looking at used stuff on ebay, the pricing on used 13-24 and 14-26 freewheels is astonishing to me.
...there are way more freewheels in the used parts stream with a large of 28, because there were a lot more of them made and sold. Most of the standard bikes that people bought had a 13/14-28, because not everyone was using road race gearing or equipment. As much as I detest swapping out freewheel cogs, the 13-24 and 14-26 ones are now so expensive (and the used ones often have a cog or two with some wear), that I am forced to adapt.
If you have a big enough collection of either Suntour or Shimano 5 and 6 speed freewheels, a well mounted bench vise, a freewheel vise, and at least one chain whip that is bombproof, like the Park one, you can recog them so that the largest cog is a 26, or even a 24. Sometimes it involves some torch heating and ATF/Acetone mixed 50/50. And the cog designs in the various positions for Suntour and Shimano differed over the years. But it's doable if you have a source of the older freewheels at cheap prices (like the co-op suggestion.)
It would be great if someone like Sunrace would pay attention to the needs of people like us, and make new ones in the 14-24/26 range. But I think we don't represent enough market share.
I don't work on the other brands of freewheel, because there are not enough of them around to collect a solid supply of cogs and spacers. And those seem to more commonly come in usable configurations already. But if you're looking at used stuff on ebay, the pricing on used 13-24 and 14-26 freewheels is astonishing to me.
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...there are way more freewheels in the used parts stream with a large of 28, because there were a lot more of them made and sold. Most of the standard bikes that people bought had a 13/14-28, because not everyone was using road race gearing or equipment. As much as I detest swapping out freewheel cogs, the 13-24 and 14-26 ones are now so expensive (and the used ones often have a cog or two with some wear), that I am forced to adapt.
If you have a big enough collection of either Suntour or Shimano 5 and 6 speed freewheels, a well mounted bench vise, a freewheel vise, and at least one chain whip that is bombproof, like the Park one, you can recog them so that the largest cog is a 26, or even a 24. Sometimes it involves some torch heating and ATF/Acetone mixed 50/50. And the cog designs in the various positions for Suntour and Shimano differed over the years. But it's doable if you have a source of the older freewheels at cheap prices (like the co-op suggestion.)
It would be great if someone like Sunrace would pay attention to the needs of people like us, and make new ones in the 14-24/26 range. But I think we don't represent enough market share.
I don't work on the other brands of freewheel, because there are not enough of them around to collect a solid supply of cogs and spacers. And those seem to more commonly come in usable configurations already. But if you're looking at used stuff on ebay, the pricing on used 13-24 and 14-26 freewheels is astonishing to me.
...there are way more freewheels in the used parts stream with a large of 28, because there were a lot more of them made and sold. Most of the standard bikes that people bought had a 13/14-28, because not everyone was using road race gearing or equipment. As much as I detest swapping out freewheel cogs, the 13-24 and 14-26 ones are now so expensive (and the used ones often have a cog or two with some wear), that I am forced to adapt.
If you have a big enough collection of either Suntour or Shimano 5 and 6 speed freewheels, a well mounted bench vise, a freewheel vise, and at least one chain whip that is bombproof, like the Park one, you can recog them so that the largest cog is a 26, or even a 24. Sometimes it involves some torch heating and ATF/Acetone mixed 50/50. And the cog designs in the various positions for Suntour and Shimano differed over the years. But it's doable if you have a source of the older freewheels at cheap prices (like the co-op suggestion.)
It would be great if someone like Sunrace would pay attention to the needs of people like us, and make new ones in the 14-24/26 range. But I think we don't represent enough market share.
I don't work on the other brands of freewheel, because there are not enough of them around to collect a solid supply of cogs and spacers. And those seem to more commonly come in usable configurations already. But if you're looking at used stuff on ebay, the pricing on used 13-24 and 14-26 freewheels is astonishing to me.
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Been there on my 64 Frejus. It did work on the 26 with the Gran Sport rd, but it didn’t like it at all. With my 47-50 front and that 14-26 rear, it didn’t even like the chain wrap issue. Hated that Gran Sport. It now wears a Suntour VXs and is happy with a 28 that is on there now. The VXs even shifts a 32 rear on my Trek. Just sayin.
Last edited by FrejusFlyer; 05-31-21 at 09:45 PM.
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Somehow, others post about running a 42-52 front with that Gran Sport rear. Mine only did what it says on the backside of the dr. Perhaps yours will have better luck. Might as well try it if you find a freewheel. Sunrace also made a 13-25 in 7 speed.
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I have similar on this ‘86 Trek 760 that came with the Campy NR. The 26t works great with NR.
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Stock gearing on some of the Capo Modell Campagnolos was 52-46/14-17-20-23-26, which worked OK with the Campag. Gran Sport derailleurs front (pushrod) and rear, but that was about the limit. I know some folks push Campag. NRs to 28 or even 31 teeth, but this works only on some derailleur tabs, axle fore-aft positions, chain lengths, and chainwheel differences. I always liked 26T, because it was pretty much plug-and-play on most frames. I have happily used 50-42 / 14-16-18-20-23-26, replacing the stock 52-42 / 13-15-17-19-21-23, for decades on the Bianchi. Makes a great 1.5-step ratio progression and keeps the NR derailleurs happy.
I run a 45-42/13-15-17-20-23-26 half-step on the Peugeot with a short cage SunTour Cyclone II in back, but that bike uses a claw, and the 3-tooth drop in front helps out quite a bit.
I run a 45-42/13-15-17-20-23-26 half-step on the Peugeot with a short cage SunTour Cyclone II in back, but that bike uses a claw, and the 3-tooth drop in front helps out quite a bit.
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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
"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
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Prices have skyrocketed and not just for 6 speed freewheels. I paid a little under $100 for my 7 speed 13-26 Regina. I didn't mind paying that price since it was low miles and the exact freewheel I wanted on the Basso.

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Stock gearing on some of the Capo Modell Campagnolos was 52-46/14-17-20-23-26, which worked OK with the Campag. Gran Sport derailleurs front (pushrod) and rear, but that was about the limit. I know some folks push Campag. NRs to 28 or even 31 teeth, but this works only on some derailleur tabs, axle fore-aft positions, chain lengths, and chainwheel differences. I always liked 26T, because it was pretty much plug-and-play on most frames. I have happily used 50-42 / 14-16-18-20-23-26, replacing the stock 52-42 / 13-15-17-19-21-23, for decades on the Bianchi. Makes a great 1.5-step ratio progression and keeps the NR derailleurs happy.
I run a 45-42/13-15-17-20-23-26 half-step on the Peugeot with a short cage SunTour Cyclone II in back, but that bike uses a claw, and the 3-tooth drop in front helps out quite a bit.
I run a 45-42/13-15-17-20-23-26 half-step on the Peugeot with a short cage SunTour Cyclone II in back, but that bike uses a claw, and the 3-tooth drop in front helps out quite a bit.
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I've been running a 6 speed 28t with Gran Sport, on my '64 Legnano Roma. It is paired with a 52/42 crank. It doesn't like doing big big, but otherwise plays nice together. I removed the dropout screws and pulled the wheel all the way back to avoid chain interference between jocky wheel and 28t gear.
