Freewheel help!
 

I'm in the market for a new freewheel for my Medici. It currently has a Regina freewheel with a really low range. I want something within the 13-28 range. I'm using a C-Record rear derailleur and am sticking with friction shifting.

EDIT: Looking for a 7 speed

So far I've heard;

IRD
Sunrace
Regina

I'm interested in IRD since they're so highly spoken of, but is it really that much better than the Sunrace at 3-4x the price? If the quality and difference is there I don't mind shelling out the money, but I'd like some user opinions before doing so. Also, with a new freewheel installed would I have to get the wheel re-dished?

To answer your last question first. You normally don't need to redish unless you are adding 2 or may 1
cogs.

I have
Shimano
- Dura Ace - very quiet, nice finish, shaped teeth
- 600 - similar, maybe not as nice a finish.
- Z012, Z15, others. Lesser finish. Sometimes noisery.

Maillard
- teeth aren't as great for shifting, but still work. Somewhat noiser.

Sachs from early 90s.
- nice finish, although it can flake off. Fairly quiet. Slight improvement on tooth design of Maillard.

Suntour.
- Various qualities. Some quieter then others. Tooth design nothing to write home about.

Sunrace. Sort of a knock off on Shimano. Seem OK, don't have have a lot of miles on them.

Regina - The corsa look pretty crude. The Americana (or is it America) looks pretty nice.

Never looked at IRD.

If noise and finish aren't a big deal for you I would go with the Sunrace. Or maybe a Shimano.
You didn't say how many cogs.

I don't know about redishing the wheel, if you get the same speed /spacing I wouldn't think you would need to do so. But the bigger problem is freewheel availablity and your choices are limited in gear range. Sheldon browns website has plenty of info on freewheels and other important info.

I hate my 13-15-17-19-21-23 Regina America standard 6-speed and would not recommend it to anyone. It downshifts slowly, with ample chain clatter, and it is easy to make the chain skate over the tops of the teeth. A Regina with 3- or 4-tooth drops might not skate, but downshifts would be even slower than mine.

I generally like Shimanos and SunTours and have had good luck with a couple of SRAMs, including a 13-15-17-19-21-23-26 and a 13-14-15-17-19-21-23.

Thanks Bikemore. I have a Dura Ace 6 speed freewheel on my Peugeot and it's awesome... finding a 7 speed in a similar range is bit challenging though.

Also, I edited my first post. I'm looking for a 7 speed freewheel. Hopefully someone has used the IRD extensively along with a few others and provide some insight

Shimano still makes a nice, inexpensive (~ $10 US), 7 speed freewheel that is Hyperglide to boot. The trouble is that it is 14-28T, so if you really need that 13T... :(, otherwise :).

I have a 7 speed Sunrace and have been happy with it over 500 or so miles. It has a nice chrome finish and shifts really smooth compared to the original Suntour. When I checked the IRD specs, their 7 spd. seemed to be wider than their 6 spd. I thought the 7 spd. freewheels were supposed to be the same width as a 6 speed. Something to consider if your bike may be a little tight back there. My 7 spd. Sunrace is the exact width of the 6 spd. Suntour.

Hey T-mar, I don't mind losing the 13t. Is this the one you're referring to?

http://jensonusa.com/store/product/C...Freewheel.aspx

Actually, the HG37 pictured is a step up, about twice the cost and has chrome cogs versus brown and black. But it should do fine.

The freewheel I refering to is the MF-TZ07. I don't have the 2009 shop catalog at home, but the 2008 catalog shows a retail price of only $9.00 and that's $CDN, so I can't imagine the 2009 US price being much over $10.00. Should be available though your LBS.

I use the 6 speed version regularly, as a replacement for all the freewheel failures on the department store bicycles that come into the shop and years I have yet to receive any complaints or returns.

I just picked up a great condition used Sachs 7-speed as a spare for my ride - paid almost nothing at the community bike co-op. it has the pair of ring seals which double as the bearing holders internally. Really nice looking - I've used Sachs FW before and they shift (friction mode) like any other I've used. My is a 12-13-14-15-17-19-21, but I've seen as high as 28 teeth around. You might want to check ebay.

Update: Was on ebay earlier this evening and they had a Sachs 7-speed just like mine starting at $30.

+1 I have a Sachs 7 speed 13/28 that came with a donor wheel. It is a nice freewheel.

I replaced my freewheel on my 1980's Basso with Campy components, for similar reason, needed lower gear range to climb hills.

One thing you may want to check into is if a 28 gear freewheel will fit with your derailleur. I found that a 26 gear ring was the largest cog that would fit on my Campagnolo rear derailleur.

I switched to a DuraAce 6 speed freewheel 13-26, which works really well.

The SunRace freewheels in 13-28 and 13-30 work just fine for me.
Harris also has the Shimano 13-28 back in stock:

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/freewheels.html#7

Now if only they'd bring back the 11-28!
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I read that the C-Record derailleur can handle a 28 tooth max... So I hope I don't run into any issues pushing that to the max capacity.

Sutherland's says 28t.

I've got an IRd 7-speed I picked up from rivbike and it was pricey, but it's very smooth with little clatter going up or down. Here's an eBay option. The seller is in Portugal, but he's a very nice guy and seems to have an unlimited source of NOS vintage DA stuff; this is just one of several freewheels and cassettes he's got on auction at the moment.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

My sources still list the Shimano HG50-7 freewheel as being available in 11-28T. I beleive that I ordered one, last year, for a customer.

I've used the cheapo $15 6 speed SIS Shimano's - 14-28 for me, and 14-34 for my wife. Very nice. I just got a Nashbar-branded 7 speed 13-32 for myself. I like it so far. Shifts almost as nice as the HG, but it doesn't have as many grooves and pins and crap in it. Finish isn't as nice as the shimano, but at least it's all the same color. I really like having 13-15-17-19-21 instead of 14-16-18-21, and the extra big 32 is kind of nice too. My knees like it.

A little pricey, but where else are you gonna find a 13T and a nice big bailout gear? I haven't seen anything. I had to add another spacer, but my axle was juuuuuust barely long enough.

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product..._200276_200429

Just a follow up...

My LBS ordered me an IRD for $40. no tax, no shipping cost, so much cheaper than the online options.

Thanks for the link. I love my 6 speed Dura ace freewheel on the Peugeot and if they weren't so darn expensive I'd might think about stockpiling a few.

T-Mar, if you can still get these I'd like to hear about it, as they can't be sourced from the 'States anymore.
Please PM me if you can.
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I can't get excited about one freewheel over another. To me, they all work OK. Some care about tooth pattern for shifting, and that seems like the most important difference.

As for reliabilitty, I've had good service from some of the cheapest freewheels. Yeah, they fall apart sometimes, but not often, so it's hard to predict which model is the most prone to that.

Noise is a factor, but it doesn't really matter that much to me. If I'm coasting slowly near a pedestrian, I kind of like the freewheeling noise being a gentle alert system.

I'll check the 2009 catalog, when I'm into the shop, to-day.

Only, in Canada, eh? Would you like some Tetley with that? :D

Seriously though, they are still available. Activating the PM is like opening the floodgates but I'll do it for you. Awaiting your PM.