Moisture

How can I measure the current diameter of my hub? Is the measurement 126mm measured from one end of the axle to another?

if I wanted to replace my rear rim from 5 speed freewheel to a 7 speed cassette, what sort of size hub would I need? My understanding is that vintahe road bikes tend to have narrow chainstays.

cxwrench

You're confused. The 'diameter' doesn't matter. It's the OLD...'over locknut dimension'. Not the axle from end to end either, it's from the outside face of the right locknut to the outside face of the left. You could just measure it yourself to be sure, it's not hard. It's not the 'rim' either, it's a wheel. You'd need to change from a freewheel hub to a cassette hub. If your frame is 126mm (measure it) and it's steel you can spread it and shove a 130mm hub in there. You should use the correct terminology on the forums, too. Makes helping you a lot easier.

dedhed

Honestly unless you go 8/9/10 speed hub with 130mm OLD your most available choices of 7 speed freehub wheels will be limited or freewheel hubs


https://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html

Ironfish653

Typically, if you’ve got a 5-speed freewheel, it’s going to be 126mm.

Any 7/8/9-speed cassette wheel will be 130 mm, which can be made to fit in to a typical mid-grade steel frame, like you have. Basically, use a 9-speed wheel with a spacer to make up for the narrower 7-sp cassette
There were 130 mm 7-speed cassette wheels, in the mid- 1990’s; Shimano RSX and ‘Parallax’ LX/XT come to mind.

I’m sure some graybeard BF member will be along to talk about obscure Suntour Ultra6 and Shimano IG 126mm cassettes, but you’re really going to have to work to seek out those ‘80s vintage pieces.

You can also, in most cases, stick a 6-speed freewheel onto a 5-speed wheel, as there’s often enough space between the hub and the dropout. I did this with a vintage ‘ten-speed’ with a “Mega Range” freewheel to get a 32-t ‘bail-out’ gear for a trip in the mountains of Western NC.

Maelochs

Okay .... there are a few possibilities but since this is likely an older road bike .... almost certainly you have a bike which measures 126 mm between the dropouts. The other option, particularly if the bike is after 1990, you might have 130 -mm dropout spacing.

If you have a steel frame with 126-mm dropouts, you have two options. One is to just jam a wider wheel in there .... which might not be fun if you need to change a tube on a chilly, rainy night on the side of a dark road.

The other option is spreading the rear dropout width to 130 mm. This is sometimes called "cold-setting." There are probably videos online. I like to use a threaded rod and a handful of nuts. You might have to stretch the frame to 150 mm or more because steel is springy. Also, you must be careful to keep the dropouts straight and centered. it sin't hard at all. Just don't get crazy and rush.

You can probably fit a seven-speed cluster in a 126-mm frame---I did successfully on my 1983 Cannondale. Still, if you are going to use a 130 width, go 8-9-10-11 speed, why not?

If the frame is aluminum, you cannot spread it. You can force a wider wheel into the frame but it is Not fun. Aluminum is Not springy.

As @dedhed mentioned, six- or seven-speed clusters and freewheels--where the freewheel mechanism in in the gear cluster---is old technology and not as strong as modern freehub-cassette designs, which have wider bearing spacing. if you are going to get a new wheel, it will probably be a freehub with 130-mm spacing, and likely will fit at least ten speeds---nto all wheel fit 11 (and not all fit ten, I believe.)

Moisture

I'm sorry for the poor terminology. Hopefully ive come to the right place to learn more.

I made a mistake by mentioned diameter. I meant width. I was told by a friend that I need a rim with a narrower hub in order to fit a freewheel or cassette with more gears.

So Id be best off going with a 8-10 speed hub then? I got friction shifts, which ive heard should be able to shift up to 10 gears, depending on the derailer. I've got a suntour 7 GT.

I tried installing a 7 speed megarange freewheel onto my existing hub. It didn't fit. I spread the dropouts apart a little and also tried a 6 speed - same story.

I got a quick release 700c freewheel 7 speed rim laying around which i could try using, but it looks like the OLD measurement is too wide for my dropouts. Or are they all 130mm?

What if I use a 9 speed cassette instead of a 7 speed+spacer? Would that work?

dedhed

5 speed freewheel existing says likely 120mm spacing

Moisture

okay, but why doesn't my current wheel seem to fit anything past 5 speeds? It did seem like there is a bit of extra space between the dropouts as it is.

dedhed

Measure your existing drop out spacing to determine if it's 120, 126, 128.

What is the bike?

If it's 120mm going to 130mm may or may not be an option depending on frame material, size, stay length etc. Either way you need the drop outs realigned after cold setting.

Rear derailleur and Friction shifting may or may not work. Depends on what you decide for cassette, whether the derailleur has enough range, whether the shifters have enough cable pull to move the RD over that range.

Honestly you are getting into the range of "buy a different bike" to accomplish what you desire.

dedhed

A six speed freewheel is wider than a 5 speed one. It threads on your existing hub but the OLD of the axle is too narrow.

Moisture

Its a 1980 Norco Monterey.



Presently, i am exceedingly happy with the bike and do not wish to change.

Changing the gearing is not a priority for me. Its more for the sake of experimentation.

As it is, the gearing is well spaced for my needs and robust. I end up using all 5 ratios in the freewheel nearly everytime I ride.

if possible, I'd prefer to change to a 11-34 cassette and then change out my crankset to either a 28/38/48 or 36/52 (effectively giving me more ratio options at both ends of the spectrum) as I plan to do some light touring in the near future.

If not, I'm totally fine with leaving the drivetrain exactly the way it is. Works well enough as it is.

70sSanO

This is your situation.

Your 1980 bike currently will only fit a 5 speed freewheel. If you want lower gearing, you can look for a 14-32 or 14-34 5 speed freewheel on ebay; you can’t get a freewheel with an 11t. With 5 cogs there will be large jumps between gear ratios. The one caveat is whether your rear derailleur will work with the larger 32t/34t cog.

If you want to go wider you need to spread the width of the dropouts to 126mm (7 speed) or 130mm 8-10 speed. Some people have gone from 120mm to 130mm successfully, some haven’t.

I have no idea of the quality of that Norco. Norco has quite a mtb following, but I don’t know about their older road stuff. You might want to ask about it in the C&V subforum.

John

Maelochs

It's a steel frame so it is stretchable, but I would not want to try ten centimeters of stretch, unless I had another frame on hand.

Not sure what gear options you have .... go online and check.

Also not sure your front derailleur will swing enough to run a triple.

if you like everything about the bike but want to change the rear hub, the cogs, the chain rings ... and possibly both derailleurs .... and then possibly new shift levers to make sure you have the right pull fro the new derailleurs .....

Irun a 7-speed cluster on a freehub with my 126-mm Cannondale, using a one Claris and and one Micronnew shifter, with an old Shimano MTB rear derailleur---a cheap one, Alivio maybe---and a Claris FD I think. All stuff from the parts box. You could probably get much cheaper shifters if you are willing to use downtube friction shifters .... but make sure the cable pull suits the spacing on the cogs and chain rings.

When i started cycling as a daily commuter, I started collecting junk bikes from the roadside. I filled my garage with broke-down bikes and stripped them for parts. If you find an MTB front derailleur and can fiddle with the mount a little (bend it smaller or shim it to fit as it will likely be larger diameter) , you can use it on your road bike That will give you range for a triple (I know this works because I have done it,)

They make 8-speed clusters for freewheels, as well as 5,6,and 7, but I couldn't fit 8 cogs into my 126-mm C'dale, so I went with seven. if you stretch the frame you might or might not be able to do the same. Depends on the chain line and the shape of the seat stays and dropouts.

If I were you, I'd go the junk bike route--assuming you don't want to buy a new bike or a bunch of new ports. But ... whatever you like.

Moisture

What exactly should i ask with regards to my frame?

As far as I know, it was made by a manufacturer called Yamaguchi using tange chromoly plain gauge tubing. The rear triangle Is apparently hi tensile steel.

My current freewheel is 14-34t. Apparently my derailer is not compatible with anything larger than 34t.

Unless I perhaps try a 126 or 130mm OLD and hope that fits, looks like I'll be better off with my current freewheel.

14t is probably enough anyways , right?

Ironfish653

What you’re trying to do is mix and match parts from different eras onto a bike that was made before they were designed. They might fit right out of the box, or you might have to do some engineering. We don’t have your bike, or the parts you’re trying to use, so we can’t tell you exactly what you need to do to make what you want to make work.

WRT the parts you have, you could try stuffing the 7-speed wheel in the frame, it’s not uncommon to do. If it’s a actually a 7-speed cassette hub, it won’t fit a 9-speed cassette.
A 9-speed wheel is backwards-compatible with a 7-speed cassette, but not the other way around. Got it?

cxwrench

It doesn't really matter who made it or what type of steel it's built with. It's 40 years old and was cheap from the beginning. It's really not worth it (at least for most people) to spend time and money trying to 'upgrade it'.
Is a 14t small cog enough for you? Who knows? That's like asking 'how long is a piece of string?' Mechanical threads like this should also be posted in the proper section, 'bicycle mechanics'...not GD.

Moisture

Whats the difference between a stem mounted versus downtube mounted friction shifter setup? I heard that the stem mounted variant is more for low end bikes.

I dont think my current front derailer would shift through three gears,.mainly because I'd need to use a longer bottom bracket spindle so that the inner chainring does not rub against the chainstay.

Koyote

I'm not sure that a 40-year old POS bike is worth upgrading. OP would be better off finding something that was built in this millenium.

70sSanO

I’d just post some pictures and ask if anyone knows anything about older Norco bikes. The C&V people see things differently than a lot of people; unless it is particular bike or brand. But I’ve seen enthusiastic threads on bikes most people would toss out. It isn’t a high end bike, but you might get some info on it.

John

icemilkcoffee 

1. If you have a regular 6 speed freewheel, then you have a 126mm spacing. If you have a 5 speed freewheel, you might actually have a 120mm spacing.
2. 7 speed cassettes = 126mm spacing most of the time.
3. You can easily find 7 speed HG cassettes for your 126mm HG hub. They are still in production for the Tourney groupset.
4. You cannot stick a 6 speed freewheel onto a 5 speed 120mm hub. You can, however, stick a Suntour Ultra6 freewheel onto a 5 speed 120mm hub.

Ironfish653

And herein lies the rub in mixing and matching parts from different years, as standards change, the parts change. Things like 130mm 7 speed hubs, which do exist, RSX and 1990s XT, I know, because I have a pair of each. You have a set of each.

I did manage to put a modern 6-speed freewheel on to a 120mm hub. There was enough distance between the original 5-speed and the dropout for another cog, but the modern FW sat farther out than the vintage one it replaced. I added a ~1.5mm spacer under each locknut to make more room. It is also a lot dependent on your chain line, dropout/ seatstay configuration, and the cranks you’re running

dedhed

From the looks of the picture I'd be buying a new tire before anything else.

Maelochs

Downtube shifters were generally used on more serious bikes because it was assumed that riders would be down in the drop or low over the bars to lower wind resistance, while stem shifters were generally used on bikes with flat bars or more casual bikes as it was assumed riders would be sitting upright more often.

Downtube shifters are generally cheaper, whether friction or indexed, and friction shifters are usually cheaper than indexed. Brifters (integrated brake/shift levers) tend to be very expensive---$80 US for the cheapest (Microshift/ Micronew.)

You could almost certainly find a cheap MTB derailleur off a broken-down bike and swap it onto your current bike.

Moisture

Update- I just picked up a new rim with a 130mm shimano hub. Will be using a 9 speed cassette i have laying around from my old bike. Following Sheldon browns advice to spread the drop outs. Pics of my new rim . Paid $60 with the tube and tire (CAD) . Good deal?

Reflector Guy

It's blue, like your bike. That counts for something!