New thread-on freewheel and chain: compatibility?

[jackson]

Hi all,

I am looking at replacing my chain and freewheel on my bike. My chain has gotten pretty rusted and the teeth on my cogs are very worn down. I had initially planned on just replacing the chain, but now it seems prudent to just replace both at once. I'm looking at ordering new parts, but I was wondering if I had to ensure that they are compatible? I run a 5-speed Sekine with friction shifting, so my options are somewhat limited in terms of freewheel replacement.

For freewheels, I can choose between a Sunrace M0 5 or a Bike Attitude 5 speed that's Shimano compatible.

For chains, I've found a few 5/6 and 6/7/8 speeds:

* Taya Chain TB-408 5/6 speed, Shimano compatible UG-50 and UG-30
* KMC HP-20 5/6 speed
* KMC Z-30 5/6 speed
* Shimano HG-50 6/7/8 speed (a bit too pricey for me)
* Shimano HG-40 6/7/8 speed

Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations for the best combination?

Thanks for your help!

[1FJEF]

An indexed freewheel will work. You should be able to fit a modern 6 or 7 speed on there. You might need to adjust a limit screw & the derailleur will move slightly more outward. My old 6 speed friction shift easily accepts a modern Shimano indexed 7 speed freewheel.
Any of your chain choices will fit. You need a 3/32 x 1/2" chain. Super common.
Do you need a rust resistant chain?
You can easily find a freewheel & chain for under $30.

[jackson]

(08-18-2013, 05:15 PM)1FJEF Wrote:  An indexed freewheel will work. You should be able to fit a modern 6 or 7 speed on there.

Wicked. I didn't realized that indexed freewheels also work! I've got the two options for now since I've got two catalogs I can order from at a local DIY shop.

Quote: You might need to adjust a limit screw & the derailleur will move slightly more outward. My old 6 speed friction shift easily accepts a modern Shimano indexed 7 speed freewheel.

Good to know. Thanks for the tip!

Quote:Any of your chain choices will fit. You need a 3/32 x 1/2" chain. Super common.
Do you need a rust resistant chain?
You can easily find a freewheel & chain for under $30.

Awesome. A rust-resistant chain may be good. I killed my chain by biking all winter, so that might be a good investment. I'm working on getting a winter bike set up, but the bottom bracket's giving me some trouble, so we'll see how far I get. : p

Yeah, the prices are pretty decent! I'm glad.

[Joe_W]

Well, even a rust resistant chain will need to be swapped out after winter. However, it might last through winter, which is probably what you want... also get spike tyres for the bike, makes quite some difference on ice!

[1FJEF]

You want to check how much room you have before getting a new freewheel. It won't tell you everything, but I have a 7 spd Shimano somewhere I can measure if you need me to.

[jackson]

(08-19-2013, 05:07 AM)Joe_W Wrote:  Well, even a rust resistant chain will need to be swapped out after winter. However, it might last through winter, which is probably what you want... also get spike tyres for the bike, makes quite some difference on ice!

Yeah, very true! I might just stick with knobbly tires since I just bike on roads and they tend to be well-plowed.

1FJEF Wrote:You want to check how much room you have before getting a new freewheel. It won't tell you everything, but I have a 7 spd Shimano somewhere I can measure if you need me to.

That's a good point. I have some room, but I think it might be in my best interest to stay with a 5-speed so that I don't have to re-align everything. I haven't had any complaints with my 5-speed yet, so I'm not in a rush to change it.

[nfmisso]

(08-19-2013, 04:07 PM)1FJEF Wrote:  ...... a 7 spd Shimano somewhere I can measure if you need me to.

Please note that different manufacturer's 7 speed freewheels are different width over the lock nut, and thus some require more frame clearance than others.

[jackson]

Thanks for the comments. I just went with the Bike Attitude freewheel and a KMC chain. After I installed the new parts, got everything back together, but now I'm posed with a new problem: my freewheel seems to have a bit of a wobble. I compared it to another bike in the shop and it had some movement, but not as much as mine.

This thread shows a good video of the problem I'm experiencing. My wobble isn't quite as pronounced though.

When I took my rear wheel off, I checked my axle and it wasn't bent. It was actually in pretty good shape. Cone nuts were okay too. One had a bit of grooving, but nothing super serious. I did my best to true my wheel. I could have done more, but by that point I had been in the shop for about four hours and was getting pretty hungry : p So I trued the wheel, cleaned up the axle and all of the parts, cleaned out the grease, degreased and cleaned up the bearings (all still in good condition, no pits), and slapped on a ton of grease. My derailleurs aren't bent, look to be fine to me. I worked with someone at the bike co-op and then ran over to a real shop when the co-op didn't have the freewheel extractor size I needed. Both folks seemed to think that the parts were pretty good, still in useable condition. I did have to do some weird jimmying to get a new bolt for my derailleur since the last time I took my freewheel off, the bolt's threading was completely killed.

Sorry this got a bit long, but I'm just a little stumped! I can't figure out why the freewheel's got a wobble or why it just doesn't feel quite right. It's not shifting as nice as it used to. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thanks again!

[jackson]

Fiddled with it, shifts smoother now. My wheel was just at a bad angle when I tightened the bolts.