Suntour/Campy compatability
 

Hello all,

What I have on my Miyata 710:

Cyclone derailers, Suntour 5 speed cassette, unknown solid axle hubs and rims.

What I currently have an opportunity to acquire:

A pair of Campagnolo Record Hubs on tubular rims w/ quick release.
The wheel sets came with a Marinoni purchased in 1981.
Specs:
Campagnolo front and rear hub laced with 36 spokes
1- 6 speed hub [13 – 21t]
1 - Super Champion Competition rim
1 – Nisi rim

Question from a novice:

Will there be any compatability issues such as: will the Suntour freehub fit the Campy hubs etc.

Thanx in advance

to start with back in the 80's Freewheels were the standard
and unless you have weird french threading there should be
no compatability issues.
Hell back then I couldn't afford campy freewheels and used
mostly suntour (ultra6 and winner), some regina some everest.
that's the beauty of old components mix and match was the
rule. It's sad that the generation brought up on Ergo and Sti
have no idea about compatability, that its full gruppos.

marty

I just removed a winner freewheel from a campy hub the other night and it went together/came apart fine.. I've read the angle of cut on the threads for a campy hub are slightly different from the japanese standard (iso or whatever it was), but that's no big deal, it is essentially the same thread. Apparently once you put a japanese freewheel on it though you can't go back to a campagnolo.

Campy produced both english and italian thread rear hubs. Any freewheel will thread on either. I pullet a suntour winner off an italian hub and the threads looked good and you can see the ever so slight difference if you hold the italian hub next to the english. I have not tried to put a campy freewheel on the italian hub but somehow I doubt that I would have any trouble threading one on. You never know though.

Generally, it's OK to put an English freewheel on an Italian hub and vice-versa. However, the 5 degree difference in the thread profile can cause fialures with heavy or strong riders and, as TimJ stated, do not change back and forth between Engliush and Italian threaded freewheels.

Are all Suntour and Shimano freewheels English threaded? Who besides Regina, Campy made italian threaded freewheels?

Old 1970s SunTour and Shimano catalogs list French threaded freewheels, in addition to English. Many people consider them vaporware - products that were listed in catalogs, but never made it to market. I've actually seen a French threaded Maeda freewheel, so while they may be very rare, they did exist. However, I can't say that I've seen a French threaed Shimano freewheel, other than in a catalog.

It will work fine and I'm sure you will enjoy the new wheels. Grease the freewheel threads lightly before installing.
I've used the following combination for over 20 years on my bike...
Campy Tippo high flange hubs
Campy SR crank, 42-53
Suntour Ultra6 (I think) 13-21 & 13-24 freewheels
Suntour Cyclone (first generation) F&R derailleurs
SedisSport chain (I think)
Campy friction downtube shifters

It was all affordable back then and still works great now. Some items (chain, gears) were replaced with same due to wear over the years. No matter how hard I try, I cannot wear the Tippo hubs out, though.

Best wishes.