scozim 

The 8 speed freewheel is something I've been pondering since I have two NOS Sachs. I've thought about putting one on my Gitane Sprint. I know the cassette/freehub is the better way to go but have a hard time not trying the freewheel since I have it and am on a tight budget.

Is it just inevitable that the axle on the hub will bend/break? Has anyone run an 8 spd freewheel for an extended period without any problems? I weigh 165 lbs (although it's coming down) and hammer pretty hard on many of my rides. Is that just a disaster waiting to happen with the 8 spd freewheel?

CardiacKid

There is a higher chance of the axle breaking, but it isn't inevitable. I don't know the odds, but it is much better than 50-50 that it won't.. Even if the axle does break, it isn't a disaster. A new axle costs less than $15. You will notice it is harder to pedal and you might get a little wheel wobble, but it shouldn't cause you to crash. The skewer will hold everything together.

Bianchigirll 

Hello Scozim. a friend of mine had a 8spd freewheel on his Bianchi years ago. he rode it prety hard for a summer or two and did bend a few axles. you are quite a bit lighter than he is. if you are a good spinner and the roads are smooth you should be OK. that is alot of leverage on the axle though. don't forget to redish the wheel after you respace it.

stronglight

Seems like a lot of bother. I assume you would need to re-space the frame... replace the current axle with a longer one... re-dish the wheel... I would never bother unless there was a specific gearing need which you could not get from a 6 or 7-speed freewheel.

I think Jobst Brant (author of the book The Bicycle Wheel) expressed my thoughts on the subject beautifully when asked by Rivendell's Grant Petersen why he still uses only a 6-speed freewheel on his bike - which he typically rides tens of thousands of miles each year:
If I had my own bike shop, I'd love to have that last sentence printed on a large sign.

CardiacKid

I tried to convince my ex-wife of that, but she wasn't buying it.

T-Mar

I wouldn't say it's inevitable, but it's far more likely given the 11% increase in the bending moment. It all depends on factors like road conditions, tire pressures, wheel (and axle) stiffness and of course, your riding habits. However, as previously stated ,a breakage is not normally injurous, as the skewer holds things togehter. Even in the case of a solid axle, the nuts and rear triangle hold everything together, though with far more rear wheel wobble.

It's certainly worth a try given that you already have the freewheel. If it doesn't work, it's not like you can't put things back to original.

scozim 

I guess that's what I am trying to figure out - how much bother. My current freewheel is getting to the end of it's life and I could buy a new Nashbar 6 or 7 speed but I have these two brand new 8 spd ones that I got free (which is the best price) so figured I'd better investigate that angle first.

The spacing appears ok since I ran the 8 spd rear wheel from my Bianchi on the Gitane this past week and it fit perfectly.