Two or three questions...
 

I'd ask in Mechanics, but I know the info I want is probably here.

1-already answered, I think by irvi...: How do you get the FD clamp from a Suntour Superbe off the seat tube? Mine appears locked on. The mounting bolt has a Philips head engraved in it, but it's got a ring that sort of seals it to the clamp.

2-I've come across a nice Campy rear wheel, with a 7-speed cassette, lock ring and all. It's 130mm, but won't accept an 8-sp cassette. Is the freehub interchangeable?

3-Can you lace a 36h front hub to a 28-hole rim and live to tell about it?

I know the answer to numero uno for sure if you have any further inquiry.

7 speed cassette Campagnolo... I have always seen 8 as the first hubs to use a freehub/cassette. There are two versions of the 8 speed splines, one is for the steel cogs and another for the ti cogs, deeper grooves and uses an alloy body. Pretty sure it used the term EXA on the boxes, but who has those? Well, a few do. What level of Campagnolo hub is it? Always a chance they kept the tiers different at the beginning.

36 has 18 per side, 28 has 14... 3x6 or 2x9 and 2x7 I don't think it would be pretty or strong

On mine, the mounting bolt is serviced with an allen wrench. You remove it completely, pull off the derailleur, then pry the open end of the band apart and remove it.

I've replaced 8 speed free-hubs with 10 speed ones, but have never seen a 7 speed. If it comes apart anything as easily as the 8 and 10 speed ones, it would be easy enough to disassemble and do a stare and compare. Assuming you have an 8 speed free-hub to compare it to.

If not, I do.......

On #3 There is a guy who did just that, his artical is on sheldon browns site with wheel building I think.
Edit: The guys name is Benjamin Lewis (with blue hair) and the artical is called "Mismatched Wheelbuilding"

1. Phillips should be left hand thread.

There is a thin washer that prohibits prying open the the band. the two band "ends" are locked together by this little washer. The bolt will not turn because it is square and held in place by the band.

Regarding the wheel, the last thing I would mismatch is the spoke count. Some will and have without negative effects, but you can also just buy an old wheel with the correct rim and swap over the rim.

Also, if you really have 7-sprockets on that wheel, possibly it's really a Campy freewheel, not a Campy cassette. If so, the freewheel is a valuable part. You could Ebay it and then do something different.

The rear has a lockring just like any other freehub, and the spacers are all the same size. The owner has had it apart, trying to make an 8-sp cassette fit on it. The cogs slide right on, etc. It is definitely a Campy freehub, but 7sp. He tried an 8-sp cassette, and it wouldn't fit, but the wheel is a 130mm. If it was Shimano, it would need a spacer on that 130, but this Campy does not. I like the hub, but can't use it at 7sp.

For #2 - you can swap freehub bodies on Campy hubs between EXA and pre-EXA. The thing is the axles are different for the two generations, but the hub shells aren't. There's a step in the axle where the freehub sits that's a little shorter on one than the other. So if you have the wheel built and a spare hub from different generations, take the freehub and axle from one and swap it with the freehub and axle from the other. Then an 8s Campy EXA-drive cassette should go onto your new wheel.

#1. Left Hand Thread as mentioned above by WNG is your key
#2. ----
#3. You can do it that way a lot easier than lacing a rim not using all the rim's holes (I've tried with a 24 hole rim and 20 hole hub - I was building a square wheel as I raised tension). The harder part is calculating spoke lengths. IIRC on the 20/24 mix I had 4 different spoke lengths.

Well, Mr. President, now that you brought math into it....I'm punting on that one.
You know full well what a dim bulb I am on that.

Regarding #1 endless band clamp derailleurs are pure torture and an endless pain in the a**...

OK, guys, I tried the Phillips screwdriver thing on the bolt sticking out of the FD clamp.
I tried it left handed, I tried it right handed. I cannot get it to turn either way.
I tried a small Philips, I tried a medium Philips. It's soaking in WD40, but it's not rusty or corroded in any way.

There is a very thin ring around the bolt, tight up against the ring, which has the two overlapping ends that the bolt goes through.
It appears this ring is so tight, it's not allowing the bolt to turn at all.

I've thought about sawing off the seat tube above and below, but that would tend to jam me up on the rebuild.

I'm going to try again tonight, and then try some Yuengling.

Isn't there a potential problem with Yuengling reacting with the remnants of WD?

Yes, the bottle keeps slipping.

Mine is right hand threads. I couldn't find/have an appropriate Phillips either. So I grabbed it as close to the ring as possible with a pair of diag cutters. Broke it loose with that and un-screwed it the rest of the way with a screw-driver.

If you still don't have the clamp off by tomorrow, I'll pull mine off (the front derailleur, you perverts!!!) to see what's what. It's been so long since I've been in there that I didn't even remember about the separate screw for the band inside.

P.S. I can't RESPOND to a private message until I have 50 posts?!?! What's up with that crap?!?!

Robbie,
Well, I'm trying to steer you wrong. I thought for sure I remembered LH threads, but they're RH. That ring/washer you see is actually an integrated part of the bolt that you're trying to unscrew.

Possible solution: The threads are the same as the throw-away valve stem nuts. Take two of those, jam them together on your bolt, and remove with vise-grips

Strange I recall something odd about the threads for that pin.
But if not, perhaps you can use a POSIDRIV bit to get a good purchase on it.

All you guys.....

Thanks for the advice. The washer I referred to was an integral part of the bolt. The bolt is either welded or stuck to a square piece that fits inside the clamp. Even after lifting the "flaps" on the sides, the washer is not designed to turn. No amount of prying could get it to move, and the two ends of the clamp fit over each other, and wrap around the square piece UNDER the integral washer.

Now that it's apart, the bolt is still affixed to that square piece.

It's off. Let's just leave it at that.

Goes to the painter next week.

The 1991 Athena hub uased a 7 speed cassette. I think that you can use an 8 speed and not use one of the cogs. Or wait for a 7 speed on ebay.