What have you been wrenching on lately?
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Davidson: rear dish tweaked, new tubulars taped up, and the short test ride was successful in that the tires neither rolled nor crept:

The damage resulting from the car/bike collision is now completely repaired (but for the last bit of cosmetic touch-up to the lever body), and tomorrow I take it out for a spirited, comprehensive test ride to ensure the gearing is responding correctly under load..
As for the Medici, some funky new rubber arrived yesterday, and I wasted no time in mounting it. Found this pair of Vredestein tires on Ebay for less than 70 bux shipped. Surprisingly, I didn't even need levers to get them on. An interesting aesthetic:


I'm almost afraid to ride it; if red bikes are fastest, what about red bikes with red tires? I guess we'll find out soon, because I'll be giving them their first go tomorrow, too; I only did a quick scrub-in lap around the neighborhood this afternoon. They feel as though they have loads of grip, but I'm assuming they'll also wear quickly. We shall see.
DD

The damage resulting from the car/bike collision is now completely repaired (but for the last bit of cosmetic touch-up to the lever body), and tomorrow I take it out for a spirited, comprehensive test ride to ensure the gearing is responding correctly under load..
As for the Medici, some funky new rubber arrived yesterday, and I wasted no time in mounting it. Found this pair of Vredestein tires on Ebay for less than 70 bux shipped. Surprisingly, I didn't even need levers to get them on. An interesting aesthetic:


I'm almost afraid to ride it; if red bikes are fastest, what about red bikes with red tires? I guess we'll find out soon, because I'll be giving them their first go tomorrow, too; I only did a quick scrub-in lap around the neighborhood this afternoon. They feel as though they have loads of grip, but I'm assuming they'll also wear quickly. We shall see.
DD
Last edited by Drillium Dude; 12-04-22 at 12:48 PM.
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Three steps forward, two steps back - or what's otherwise known 'as falling up the mountain':

Blew out like a gunshot under braking for a left hand turn, less than 10 minutes into my first serious test ride. Lucky it didn't happen just a couple of seconds later! Casing split all the way across under the tread. Pretty sure it was either a defect, or these NOS Gommitalia Champions are just too old to trust. This one's life was capped at 3 miles; that's gotta be some kind of dubious record, huh?
Tire shopping commences...
DD

Blew out like a gunshot under braking for a left hand turn, less than 10 minutes into my first serious test ride. Lucky it didn't happen just a couple of seconds later! Casing split all the way across under the tread. Pretty sure it was either a defect, or these NOS Gommitalia Champions are just too old to trust. This one's life was capped at 3 miles; that's gotta be some kind of dubious record, huh?
Tire shopping commences...
DD
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Davidson: rear dish tweaked, new tubulars taped up, and the short test ride was successful in that the tires neither rolled nor crept:

The damage resulting from the car/bike collision is now completely repaired (but for the last bit of cosmetic touch-up to the lever body), and tomorrow I take it out for a spirited, comprehensive test ride to ensure the gearing is responding correctly under load..
As for the Medici, some funky new rubber arrived yesterday, and I wasted no time in mounting it. Found this pair of Vredestein tires on Ebay for less than 70 bux shipped. Surprisingly, I didn't even need tire levers to get the tires on. An interesting aesthetic:


I'm almost afraid to ride it; if red bikes are fastest, what about red bikes with red tires? I guess we'll find out tomorrow, too, because I'll be giving them their first go tomorrow, too, as I only did a quick scrub-in lap around the neighborhood this afternoon. They feel as though they have loads of grip, but I'm assuming they'll also wear quickly. We shall see.
DD

The damage resulting from the car/bike collision is now completely repaired (but for the last bit of cosmetic touch-up to the lever body), and tomorrow I take it out for a spirited, comprehensive test ride to ensure the gearing is responding correctly under load..
As for the Medici, some funky new rubber arrived yesterday, and I wasted no time in mounting it. Found this pair of Vredestein tires on Ebay for less than 70 bux shipped. Surprisingly, I didn't even need tire levers to get the tires on. An interesting aesthetic:


I'm almost afraid to ride it; if red bikes are fastest, what about red bikes with red tires? I guess we'll find out tomorrow, too, because I'll be giving them their first go tomorrow, too, as I only did a quick scrub-in lap around the neighborhood this afternoon. They feel as though they have loads of grip, but I'm assuming they'll also wear quickly. We shall see.
DD

Even my liberal version of poetic license struggles with these two particular things but when practicality comes into play as I suspect it did here with the rims scarcity and the red tires being a fairly good deal, it can skew the deal in a direction that might not normally be considered for me.

Last edited by merziac; 11-19-22 at 04:30 PM.
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fender bodge
Bodged these fenders to get them to work with these 27in wheels.
If Conti didn’t always under size their tires, I don’t think it would work at all.

Super LeTour 12.2. I don’t like to abbreviate to SLT, no matter how many people rode her ‘round the block.
If Conti didn’t always under size their tires, I don’t think it would work at all.

Super LeTour 12.2. I don’t like to abbreviate to SLT, no matter how many people rode her ‘round the block.
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Three steps forward, two steps back - or what's otherwise known 'as falling up the mountain':

Blew out like a gunshot under braking for a left hand turn, less than 10 minutes into my first serious test ride. Lucky it didn't happen just a couple of seconds later! Casing split all the way across under the tread. Pretty sure it was either a defect, or these NOS Gommitalia Champions are just too old to trust. This one's life was capped at 3 miles; that's gotta be some kind of dubious record, huh?
Tire shopping commences...
DD

Blew out like a gunshot under braking for a left hand turn, less than 10 minutes into my first serious test ride. Lucky it didn't happen just a couple of seconds later! Casing split all the way across under the tread. Pretty sure it was either a defect, or these NOS Gommitalia Champions are just too old to trust. This one's life was capped at 3 miles; that's gotta be some kind of dubious record, huh?
Tire shopping commences...
DD
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I'm trying to unscrew the bolts and screws on Suntour Cyclone I got recently. The limiting screws went out after a bit of convincing, the pulley bolts and tension screw won't budge. Can't really unscrew the pulley cage off either. I understand Suntour didn't use steel inserts for the threads, so my guess is we're dealing with a bit of galvanic corrosion. Any good advice would be appreciated. For now I just sprayed it with WD40 and left it be until tomorrow, when I will try again. With B tension screw, I could possibly drill it out and replace it, but I'd rather avoid that and convince it to be nice and get out. I do want to dismantle the whole thing as much as possible to give it a nice clean up and polish.
And another question, it looks like the jockey wheels could use replacing. Any recommended replacements out there? They seem to be quite thick, so I'm thinking about using some Huret spares I have or going for BBB Rollerboys (they have nylon inserts to use them with pulley bolts of various lengths). Or just standard 10T Shimano?
And another question, it looks like the jockey wheels could use replacing. Any recommended replacements out there? They seem to be quite thick, so I'm thinking about using some Huret spares I have or going for BBB Rollerboys (they have nylon inserts to use them with pulley bolts of various lengths). Or just standard 10T Shimano?
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Here's my recent project






Buddy gave me this free schwinn, a world tourer, the thing that caught my eye immediately was fenders! I loved them and started to refurb her to be a rails/trails bike for multi day touring next year. Fenders are a must for wet days and the ability to have panniers for bikepacking was a plus!!
Then the clean up, 5 spd rear end, and I spun it, and the crank started freewheeling.....yeah....thats what I thought. The rear...is fixed. Weird.
27" wheels, dry rot tyres-replaced
brakes-routine weinmann, cleaned and recables
but the drive train....needed some homework
Come to find out, its a shimano FFS system....front freewheel system. You apparently and coast..and shift...at the same time
Not sure why, but ok, sounds great, she is quite heavy up front, but oh well, cleaned her up and unfortunately, she had not only caked but baked on grease and dirt, and the rear derailleur that went with the drivetrain was not working proper so i replaced w/downtube friction and a 400 series rear derailleur
Really, overall, she set me back $20 for that, $40 for the tyres and thats it
I am really looking forward to a Katy Trail ride next year!!!






Buddy gave me this free schwinn, a world tourer, the thing that caught my eye immediately was fenders! I loved them and started to refurb her to be a rails/trails bike for multi day touring next year. Fenders are a must for wet days and the ability to have panniers for bikepacking was a plus!!
Then the clean up, 5 spd rear end, and I spun it, and the crank started freewheeling.....yeah....thats what I thought. The rear...is fixed. Weird.
27" wheels, dry rot tyres-replaced
brakes-routine weinmann, cleaned and recables
but the drive train....needed some homework
Come to find out, its a shimano FFS system....front freewheel system. You apparently and coast..and shift...at the same time
Not sure why, but ok, sounds great, she is quite heavy up front, but oh well, cleaned her up and unfortunately, she had not only caked but baked on grease and dirt, and the rear derailleur that went with the drivetrain was not working proper so i replaced w/downtube friction and a 400 series rear derailleur
Really, overall, she set me back $20 for that, $40 for the tyres and thats it
I am really looking forward to a Katy Trail ride next year!!!
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...and rims; for some reason, blue seems to be what I wind up with when it comes to tubular rims:

Even my liberal version of poetic license struggles with these two particular things but when practicality comes into play as I suspect it did here with the rims scarcity and the red tires being a fairly good deal, it can skew the deal in a direction that might not normally be considered for me. 


The braking on the Davidson's new wheels was fantastic, and the ride felt like that of my other bikes with Vittoria Open Corsa SCs, until the bang. Once I get a reliable pair of tires taped up, this wheelset is going to provide a serious performance upgrade.
DD
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Oh, I've had colored tires before:

...and rims; for some reason, blue seems to be what I wind up with when it comes to tubular rims:

To be honest, I wouldn't have bought them if they hadn't (1) been fairly inexpensive, but decent quality, and (2) they didn't have a tan or brownish sidewall. I am really picky about sidewall hue
The braking on the Davidson's new wheels was fantastic, and the ride felt like that of my other bikes with Vittoria Open Corsa SCs, until the bang. Once I get a reliable pair of tires taped up, this wheelset is going to provide a serious performance upgrade.
DD

...and rims; for some reason, blue seems to be what I wind up with when it comes to tubular rims:

To be honest, I wouldn't have bought them if they hadn't (1) been fairly inexpensive, but decent quality, and (2) they didn't have a tan or brownish sidewall. I am really picky about sidewall hue

The braking on the Davidson's new wheels was fantastic, and the ride felt like that of my other bikes with Vittoria Open Corsa SCs, until the bang. Once I get a reliable pair of tires taped up, this wheelset is going to provide a serious performance upgrade.
DD
mr drillium: what info do you have on Alpina?? I found one recently at auction locally ($20) and seemed like a steal, I read it was a NE made frameset, but I couldn't really find much else. Yours appears to be much earlier than mine, mine was ~late 80s. thanks in advance
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Last week ,when riding my recently built Raleigh Pro , I noticed that the headset felt sticky while riding around the harbor with my wife. I have ridden this bike quite a bit since I built it and have gotten quite fond of it and never noticed any maladies.A sticky headset , to me , usually means it has been over tightened or poorly installed races. Fortunately it was a short ride so I only put 7 or 8 miles on it and there was no sign when we started our ride. Saturday I completely took it apart , cleaned , greased , and readjusted the headset. I saw no scallopings on the races and everything seems ok. It now steers smoothly , I even did my canyon ride Sunday and really cornered quickly on my downhill out . The only thing I can think of is that I had not tightened the top nut enough and the headset self adjusted while underway , but it seemed tight when I took it apart. Just another cycling mystery. I did something wrong when I assembled it or maybe something was binding in the cages , like dirt , I dunno.
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My first go-round with a stuck stem on my 1979 Fuji S12-S. Fortunately it did not put up much of a fight. 2 days soaking with first PB Blaster then Kroil and some mild heat from a heat gun had it freed up. Now onto a full service and cleanup.

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@Kabuki12 - The headset on the Pinarello, Campagnolo Chorus, appears to get loose once in awhile. Can't figure it out. It is always a bit tricky to adjust with gravity fighting you along with an angle inducing non-uniform force around the circumference.
The test is to clamp on the front brake and rock forward and back while placing a finger or thumb over the crown race and cup at the same time to detect movement.
The test is to clamp on the front brake and rock forward and back while placing a finger or thumb over the crown race and cup at the same time to detect movement.
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Most of my effort has bee focused on the 1971 Bianchi build - Page 4 - Bike Forums as of late.
Last two items I worked on were the handlebar tape and resolving the non fitting binder bolt issue. See last page referenced.
71BianchiDone14 on Flickr
The passive work is letting Kroil do the work on a stuck seat post on the Frejus
68FrejusSeatCluster on Flickr
I really don't want to go the lye route even though I don't have all the parts for a usable post.
Last two items I worked on were the handlebar tape and resolving the non fitting binder bolt issue. See last page referenced.

The passive work is letting Kroil do the work on a stuck seat post on the Frejus

I really don't want to go the lye route even though I don't have all the parts for a usable post.
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Bikes don't stand alone. They are two tired.
Bikes don't stand alone. They are two tired.
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Most of my effort has bee focused on the 1971 Bianchi build - Page 4 - Bike Forums as of late.
Last two items I worked on were the handlebar tape and resolving the non fitting binder bolt issue. See last page referenced.
71BianchiDone14 on Flickr
The passive work is letting Kroil do the work on a stuck seat post on the Frejus
68FrejusSeatCluster on Flickr
I really don't want to go the lye route even though I don't have all the parts for a usable post.
Last two items I worked on were the handlebar tape and resolving the non fitting binder bolt issue. See last page referenced.

The passive work is letting Kroil do the work on a stuck seat post on the Frejus

I really don't want to go the lye route even though I don't have all the parts for a usable post.
#5615
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27” to 700c swap using same spokes
I got a co-op Fuji a year ago with mismatched 27” wheels that were well used. A super champion gentleman and a black Matrix titan. The hubs however were some very nice spinning first generation Dura Ace. I purchased on the sales section some Weinmann concaves in 700c and looking at erd in spoke calc led me to try to keep the spokes.
On front, the spoke reached just to barely under the nipple screwdriver slot. On the rear, it was between the bottom of the slot and the top of the nipple. Successful it seems. I had to replace a couple spokes that were mismatched from sometime in the life of the wheel set. I was a bit surprised that a lucky coincidence like this could happen.
.
The rear was spaced at about 124mm rather than 120 as spec. I added another washer as I was truing them for 125.5mm OLD. It still gives about 3mm protrusion for the dropouts, so I think I am good for the 1982 Trek 412 I will try them on, and a compact 6 speed freewheel has clearance also.
On front, the spoke reached just to barely under the nipple screwdriver slot. On the rear, it was between the bottom of the slot and the top of the nipple. Successful it seems. I had to replace a couple spokes that were mismatched from sometime in the life of the wheel set. I was a bit surprised that a lucky coincidence like this could happen.
.
The rear was spaced at about 124mm rather than 120 as spec. I added another washer as I was truing them for 125.5mm OLD. It still gives about 3mm protrusion for the dropouts, so I think I am good for the 1982 Trek 412 I will try them on, and a compact 6 speed freewheel has clearance also.
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The other end
68FrejusRearDO on Flickr
And the front
68FrejusForkDOCampagnolo on Flickr
68FrejusHTUpperLug on Flickr

And the front


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Bikes don't stand alone. They are two tired.
Bikes don't stand alone. They are two tired.
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@Kabuki12 - The headset on the Pinarello, Campagnolo Chorus, appears to get loose once in awhile. Can't figure it out. It is always a bit tricky to adjust with gravity fighting you along with an angle inducing non-uniform force around the circumference.
The test is to clamp on the front brake and rock forward and back while placing a finger or thumb over the crown race and cup at the same time to detect movement.
The test is to clamp on the front brake and rock forward and back while placing a finger or thumb over the crown race and cup at the same time to detect movement.
Maybe an angle finder on a level for a straight edge but don't know how much off would create a big problem.

Might be time for a drop or two of SG.

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Another day, another puzzle. Today is all about freewheels. Firstly, I was just examining one Suntour Perfect 6S freewheel and looking for a replacement 15t cog (the one currently on has a cracked tooth) and then trying to figure out what on Earth is the other freewheel. It says Winner on the box, date code on the body seems to be Dec 81, the body doesn't look like the mid 70's Winner, but very much like New Winner. It clearly can take an additional cog (though seems to be fine with 5). I think I need to take off the currently smallest one (14T), keep it as a spare and look for another 14 to go on top of the 15t and 13t as the smallest. Also, I think the spacers were put on incorrectly (spacers in the penultimate photo were put together between 2nd and 3rd cog and nothing between 3rd and 4th), so now wondering whether I've done it right in the last photo (apart from having incorrect 14t and no locking 13t). Just got another Suntour Perfect 6s to overhaul, but since I don't want to cannibalize any Suntour freewheels which can be kept intact, I'm trying to source some sprockets now.









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mr drillium: what info do you have on Alpina?? I found one recently at auction locally ($20) and seemed like a steal, I read it was a NE made frameset, but I couldn't really find much else. Yours appears to be much earlier than mine, mine was ~late 80s. thanks in advance
1980 Saba. So why does it say "Alpina"? Read on...
Another bike found in London during my two-year tour in the mid-90s, this was in pretty bad shape paint-wise. Had it refinished in flo-orange by Condor Cycles, but they were unable to source decals. For a number of years it was built up in my now-familiar Campy fashion, but the lack of logos was irritating. While negotiating a repaint of a small Atala frame (for the ex), I was gifted some Alpine (the Washington, DC shop) decals from the painter, who used to work for Alpine. For the fun of it, around the same time, I'd been filing away on the Saba, thinning the lug spoons/points and modding the rear dropouts when I had an inspiration: since I couldn't find the correct decals, I'd make up my own using the Alpine set as a template. Bob Freeman at Elliott Bay Bicycles did the artwork for me, and I drewed all the Saba identification cues from the frame; then EBB painted it and affixed the new decals.
That's right: this bike is a fraud

I've used it as my drillium test bike. Last year I finally decided to mount up some tubulars and ride it a bit, although if I'm being honest it's a tad too small. It is, however, my second-longest serving bike (after the Colnago Mexico) and I've had a hand in modifying not only the parts but also the frame; my hands are pretty dirty from playing with this bike over the years. It also sports some interesting and uncommon components: a milled-head Campy NR seatpost by the late Jon Williams (he also milled the Cinelli 1A stem), Campy titanium BB (second generation) and Super Record pedals, a drilled/milled Portacatena system, and a Record crankarm pair with Mexico treatment - even the spider arms have been heavily profiled.


DD
Hope that clears things up - at least for this particular Alpina

DD
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Another day, another puzzle. Today is all about freewheels. Firstly, I was just examining one Suntour Perfect 6S freewheel and looking for a replacement 15t cog (the one currently on has a cracked tooth) and then trying to figure out what on Earth is the other freewheel. It says Winner on the box, date code on the body seems to be Dec 81, the body doesn't look like the mid 70's Winner, but very much like New Winner. It clearly can take an additional cog (though seems to be fine with 5). I think I need to take off the currently smallest one (14T), keep it as a spare and look for another 14 to go on top of the 15t and 13t as the smallest. Also, I think the spacers were put on incorrectly (spacers in the penultimate photo were put together between 2nd and 3rd cog and nothing between 3rd and 4th), so now wondering whether I've done it right in the last photo (apart from having incorrect 14t and no locking 13t). Just got another Suntour Perfect 6s to overhaul, but since I don't want to cannibalize any Suntour freewheels which can be kept intact, I'm trying to source some sprockets now.
SunTour did create a chart that listed the cogs and spacers used

high resolution version: https://live.staticflickr.com/4239/3...f69bc_3k_d.jpg
The drawing with the "5" shows the 5 speed configuration with regular spacing. It shows what types of cogs are used, as well as what spacer is used in each position. With the two letter code for the spacer, you can look to the right to get the thickness and inside diameter of the spacer.
The charts along the bottom also show the types of cogs and spacers for each cog. One of the features of the Winner freewheels are the many ways they can be configured. The downside of this is that the cog arrangements are complicated and require close attention. As such, the cogs are marked with a letter. Getting the correct cogs and spacers is the key to a happy SunTour Winner freewheel.

Steve in Peoria
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#5621
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Yesterday I lucked out and got SKS fenders at the campus bike shop. Mounted them in the evening, but I'll have to adjust the lines and trim the stays this weekend.
I rode it this morning... Lots of white, but not too slick...it's hard to tell snow from salt in the dark sometimes.
Studded Schwalbes are inbound...i was caught flatfooted this year.
cheers -mathias

1991 Rockhopper sport
I rode it this morning... Lots of white, but not too slick...it's hard to tell snow from salt in the dark sometimes.
Studded Schwalbes are inbound...i was caught flatfooted this year.
cheers -mathias

1991 Rockhopper sport
Last edited by steine13; 11-22-22 at 06:53 AM.
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#5622
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Overhauled a SWorks Diverge yesterday. Sram Red 1x. The owner takes good care of it making the overhaul easier than normal for a well used gravel bike.
Looks like a brand new bike and works even better.
Looks like a brand new bike and works even better.
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Wrenching on Lately?
Gave this Foosball Table to my Sister for about 17 years, then they had a pipe burst in their basement ...
I really did not need another project but my two Sons are looking forward to playing again!

Gave this Foosball Table to my Sister for about 17 years, then they had a pipe burst in their basement ...
I really did not need another project but my two Sons are looking forward to playing again!


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That freewheel is a New Winner. It's the only one that SunTour made with adjustable bearings.
SunTour did create a chart that listed the cogs and spacers used

high resolution version: https://live.staticflickr.com/4239/3...f69bc_3k_d.jpg
The drawing with the "5" shows the 5 speed configuration with regular spacing. It shows what types of cogs are used, as well as what spacer is used in each position. With the two letter code for the spacer, you can look to the right to get the thickness and inside diameter of the spacer.
The charts along the bottom also show the types of cogs and spacers for each cog. One of the features of the Winner freewheels are the many ways they can be configured. The downside of this is that the cog arrangements are complicated and require close attention. As such, the cogs are marked with a letter. Getting the correct cogs and spacers is the key to a happy SunTour Winner freewheel.
Steve in Peoria
SunTour did create a chart that listed the cogs and spacers used

high resolution version: https://live.staticflickr.com/4239/3...f69bc_3k_d.jpg
The drawing with the "5" shows the 5 speed configuration with regular spacing. It shows what types of cogs are used, as well as what spacer is used in each position. With the two letter code for the spacer, you can look to the right to get the thickness and inside diameter of the spacer.
The charts along the bottom also show the types of cogs and spacers for each cog. One of the features of the Winner freewheels are the many ways they can be configured. The downside of this is that the cog arrangements are complicated and require close attention. As such, the cogs are marked with a letter. Getting the correct cogs and spacers is the key to a happy SunTour Winner freewheel.

Steve in Peoria
I will probably stay with 5.5mm default spacing for most of the stuff and probably have to construct one in Ultra (5.0mm) spacing to test indexing possibilities on Suntour derailleurs. That's going to be an interesting search. In the mean time, I still have to overhaul the Suntour Cyclone derailleur I got and clean the Power Shifters I'm planning to use with it.
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"EVERY PERSON IS GUILTY OF ALL THE GOOD THEY DID NOT DO"
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Voice recognition may sometimes create odd spelling and grammatical errors
"EVERY PERSON IS GUILTY OF ALL THE GOOD THEY DID NOT DO"
Voltaire
Voice recognition may sometimes create odd spelling and grammatical errors
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