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Dura-Ace 7401 7 speed compatibility

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Dura-Ace 7401 7 speed compatibility

Old 07-16-19, 11:41 AM
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Narhay
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Dura-Ace 7401 7 speed compatibility

Thinking about a bike with 7401 7 speed dura ace and uniglide 7 speed cassette.

Is this only compatible with 7 speed uniglide or is the spacing on, say, a new sunrace 7 speed freewheel ok?

Can the 7401 rd be used with indexed 8, 9 or 10 speed dura ace dt shifters with associated hyperglide cassette?
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Old 07-16-19, 12:16 PM
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Should be fine with SunRace 7-speed freewheels. The cog teeth are shaped like Shimano's and the spacing seems compatible.

I've switched between Shimano Uniglide 7-speed cassettes and SunRace 7-speed freewheels on bikes with Shimano rear derailleurs and shifters from the Dura Ace 7401 era, including Shimano 600 short cage RDs, Exage long cage and Deore LX (the Exage 500CX and Deore LX are nearly identical), using shifters ranging from Dura Ace downtube to Shimano bar-ends.

My early 1990s Trekenstein 5900 carbones has morphed from it original configuration of Dura Ace with 8-speed cassette, to its current setup with mostly Shimano 600 group and Wolber Alpine rims on Shimano 600 hubs with 7-speed freewheel. I've swapped between 7-speed Shimano freewheel (Tourney, I think, it's in a box somewhere now) to SunRace 14-28, 13-25 and 13-28 freewheels. And from Dura Ace downtube indexed shifters to MicroShift 7-speed brifters. No problems.

If you get the SunRace freewheels, do yourself a big favor and narrow it to two specific models: the chromed 13-25 MFR30, and chromed 13-28 MFM30. SunRace freewheel quality can be hit or miss, but I've had good results with those two specific models. Paired with a good chain like the KMC Z-72, they shift smoothly, run quietly and last a long time with little maintenance.

For a couple of years I ran a SunRace 13-25 (MFR30) on my '89 Centurion Ironman Expert with Suntour GPX group. No problems. Recently I switched to a 13-26 Suntour, only because one knee was twinging a bit and I needed just a little more help on climbs. I'd already switched from the original 52/42 chainrings to 50/39 Vuelta, and the smallest chainring available is a 38T. The Suntour is okay for now but the SunRace run and shift better.

And my Trekenstein now has 52/42 Biopace up front (hey, don't laugh, I kinda like the Biopace abominations), and SunRace 13-28 MFM30 7-speed chromed freewheel. Works just dandy with MicroShift brifters, and did with the Dura Ace downtube shifters too.
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Old 07-16-19, 12:19 PM
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Is it a cassette hub or a freewheel hub?
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Old 07-16-19, 12:24 PM
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Originally Posted by ThermionicScott
Is it a cassette hub or a freewheel hub?
Thanks for the writeup. The hub now is 7 speed uniglide cassette. I am thinking about a 7 speed freewheel.
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Old 07-16-19, 01:11 PM
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Originally Posted by Narhay
Thanks for the writeup. The hub now is 7 speed uniglide cassette. I am thinking about a 7 speed freewheel.
I had jumped to the conclusion that you'd be trying to use the rear hub/wheel that came with the bike. Any 7-speed cassette or freewheel you're likely to find will work with the shifters and RD. Probably best not to exceed 28T at the big end though.
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Old 07-16-19, 01:18 PM
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7-speed Dura-Ace cassette system.... this topic has been thoroughly hashed. Run away.

All kinds of incompatibility issues. Impossible to find parts. Tiny gear range.
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Old 07-17-19, 04:58 AM
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Originally Posted by Dave Mayer
7-speed Dura-Ace cassette system.... this topic has been thoroughly hashed. Run away.

All kinds of incompatibility issues. Impossible to find parts. Tiny gear range.
So you're recommending to stick with the freewheel version? Or to avoid 7-speed 7400 altogether?
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Old 07-17-19, 06:21 AM
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The only incompatibility with 7401 is the small lockring cog. Other than that, any UG or modified HG cog will fit just fine. While rare, they are out there. And the smallest cog does not typically see much wear.

However, the freehub itself, including the tool to remove it, is totally unique and if it goes bad, you're pretty much up the creek in a chickenwire canoe. So to speak.
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