Learn me about freewheels
 

So whats the difference between a $25 Shimano freewheel and a $100 White Industries freewheel?

$75?

*sigh*

Okay, I walked into that one....

Yup, certainly did :)

Seriously though, I dont know the difference between the two -- What i can tell you is that i have a 6 speed shimano freewheel on my commuter bike and it works just fine. If it fails or gets messed up, its only a few bucks for a new one.

I'm really curious about this too. If someone could help me get learnt about freewheels as well I'd appreciate it.

Whats there to really learn? Its a single gear that screws onto a hub and acts like a normal geared cassette. Price differences are most likely due to better bearings mainly but i'm sure there are other bits.

That's one thing to learn. I'm still curious about these other bits.

Materials, design and production costs most likely.

I'm gonna have to go with my gut though -- i wouldnt be surprised if the white industries hub is exactly the same as the shimano but $75 more for no real reason.

higher quality sealed bearings, smaller batch higher quality machining, more points of engagement, overall build quality

Your gut is totally incorrect. I use my brain for thinking.

There was a local deal on a white industries freehub, only $30...totally missed it. :(

Freehub or freewheel ?

Shimano freewheels make horrible clunking noises and you have to turn the crank like 90 degrees for it to engage. It is one of the few things they make that I wont recommend unless you're short on cash.

White Industries engage fast and don't make death sounds.

surprise!
 

There is an amazing quality difference between the two, find a way to examine them together.

Durr, freewheel...it's been a long day.

$30 is a phenomenal price for an ENO freewheel. The best price I've ever seen is $70.

Built with precision. Looks and feels beautiful. Sounds like you're going faster than you are when coasting. Instantaneous engagement. Can be serviced(this one is the most significant feature, and IMO, more than makes up for the difference in price).

I checked that link out and was a little surprised the author of that insanely detailed bit of freewheel info essentially stated that the ACS Crossfire is on the same level as the WI Eno. I have a Crossfire on my bike and while it's not terrible, there's a bit of play before it engages. When you're riding, it feels like it takes a 1/4 turn to engage - realistically it's probably more the equivalent of 5 minutes on a clock, but still... If that's what the extra cost of an ENO gets you, I'm not sure they're worth it. Honestly, I hope I'm misunderstanding this... I hate that pre-engagement play, and have been holding out hope that once I can afford an ENO it'll be a thing of the past.

FWIW. This has been the essential point of contention between various philosophical systems, for thousands of years.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled pissing contest...

p.s. as someone noted, you can service a WI freewheel

I know! I was two hours too late. It was a 17t too, would have been perfect for the beater/townie.

These things are just random luck. Just now while doing some random outdoor power tool searching I found a cordless electric pole saw that normally costs $150 for just $60 from a third party seller on Amazon. It was the last one on earth at that price. Click click click and done.

Ed get in touch with me if you really want one cheap. I have a hookup

You have a lot more choices than shimano and WI for freewheels. The best freewheel depends on what you plan on using it for. Here are some more examples.

https://www.danscomp.com/shop-RACE/s...+and+Cogs.html

Whats more important to you....price, the number of engagement points, amount of drag, the sound it makes, whether the bearings are sealed, rebuildable? Ive used a lot of cheap and high end freewheels and in my experience, they all hold up just fine even in nasty winter conditions. The unsealed ones can get a bit gritty sounding inside, but you can easily rebuild most of them and most of the time a squirt of 4d-40 will loosen them up. I've never had a problem with even the cheapest freewheel.