My latest temporary Ironman experiment -- to see if my hybrid's wheelset with 8-speed freehub and 11-32 cassette would fit and function in friction mode, using the stock Suntour GPX derailleur. The wheelset is Alexrims S500, 622x14, on generic unlabeled loose bearing hubs with 8-speed freehub.
Yup, it works... just barely. Gotta be extremely careful to avoid shifting into the 32T rear cog while in the big chainring. It will shift into the 28T cog, but is crosschained so badly it's not worth using.
And even with the B-screw turned fully in the two smallest cogs still drag against the pulley cages. So shifting is much more critical with this combo of 11-32 8-speed.
This was mostly an experiment to pinpoint a persistent creak in my hybrid. Turned out to be the spokes in this rear wheel. The black painted or enameled spokes began rubbing each other the wrong way. Happened after I went off a low rounded curb. Didn't throw the wheel out of true, but did cause it to creak and squeak. Destressing and retightening the spokes and soft wax at the junction points quieted the creaking.
Not a bad wheelset. A bit heavier than the Araya CTL-370 and Suntour GPX hubs. I'm not sure I'm strong enough for the semi-aero rim profile to matter. And I used the slightly heavier set of 700x25 Conti Ultra Sport 2 tires from last year, at lower pressure, around 75 front, 85 rear. My average speed over 50 miles seemed about the same, hard to tell due to stiff winds. Strava's power guesstimation calculator shows my average power was a little lower than usual on the same circuit routes I usually ride.
The 11T cog was interesting for a couple of fast downhill runs. I wasn't spun out as I usually am with the 50T big ring and 13T smallest cog on the freewheel. And the 28T next-to-big-cog was handy on a couple of hills into headwinds. I'm hoping I won't need the 32T cog with a 39T or 38T small chainring for awhile.
But the original Araya rims are going back on the Ironman. I already miss the index shifting. Now I'll need to redo the rear derailleur but it shouldn't be difficult.
Ironman with wheelset borrowed from Univega hybrid.
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Yup, it handled the 11-32 8-speed cassette... just barely. Probably helped that I'd switched to a 50/39 chainring.
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Quite a stretch. Suntour GPX RD just barely handles the 28T rear cog with the chain in the 50T chainring. No way it would handle the 32 cog without damage. B-screw was fully seated to reduce pulley drag in the 39T front/32T rear cog combo.
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Crosschaining isn't pretty.
If you look closely where the spokes cross you can see some residue from the red scented candle wax I used to stop the creaking noises coming from friction between the black coated spokes.
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Alexrims S500 wheelset off my Univega hybrid. The 622x14 rims are sorta roadie oriented. I may get a 622x19 wheelset for the hybrid to take larger, softer tires.