ThermionicScott 

That sounds like a really wasteful way to go about it, but if you have the budget...

pastorbobnlnh 

At $15 each, yes, it is a "wear" item. But it is a cheap Chinese POS, which for the most part, cannot be serviced. The cogs cannot be removed for cleaning and the internals cannot be opened for cleaning and lube.

Gearing is very individual to the rider and the terrain they ride in. For instance the smallest cog on any of my bikes is a 32T and they all are equipped with triple cranksets. If I lived in south Florida, I'm certain I'd never use a cog over 26T (maybe even a 24T), and all would have double cranksets.

noglider 

I'm cool with my Chinese POS. In fact, I like it. Service the bearings? You're the last soul on earth who still does that. I quit doing that in 1981. Change the cogs? I bet less than .01% of the people want to do that.

Since freehubs are so superior, I'll save my complaints for them.

southpawboston

I don't think those bearings ever wear, since there's never a load on them.

miamijim

But they go to hell real quick if you ride in the rain and let them sit. Half of my 30+ freewheels need a thorough flush-n-lube.

noglider 

When freewheels have a problem with bearings, 99% or more of the time, flushing with lube does the trick. Repacking them with grease is way too involved for anyone but Pastor Bob. He enjoys it.

ThermionicScott 

And that's something Pastor Bob never likes to see, if he can prevent it.

Chombi

I always try to open up FWs to clean and re-pack them if I can (I think the only one I haven't manage to open is is Maillard Super Compact 7S FW that requires a special fine toothed lockring remover that I do not have). I guess I'm a bit anal and I don't want to miss the smallest bits of dirt hiding in the FWs. Anyway, it's fun to find out how each FW brand and model works as you'd be surprised that they are quite different from each other inside.....

RubberLegs

I do so HATE ( I know it isn't nice to HATE) that gritty noise of FINE Florida sand in the freewheel...It isn't rocket science, but it DOES take some time and patience...

gaucho777 

Sorry, Tom. I'm going to respectfully disagree. I've taken to servicing my old freewheels. A neighbor gave me a bag of about 7 or 8 nice used freewheels. Added to the ones I already had, I now have about a dozen spare freewheels, all of which will eventually get serviced. I used to simply flush then soak in solvent, followed by another soak in oil. Now, I won't hesitate to give them a full service before putting a FW into operation. I used to be afraid of those mysterious buggers, but it's not nearly as daunting as I thought it would be. Say what you will about modern HG freewheels being so much superior, Regina FWs are still my favorite. I have a some extra Regina cogs (wish I had more) and I do play around with the gearing. I used to change out cogs based on a race profile fairly regularly. If you have the extra cogs on hand, it only takes a few minutes. Some day I'd like to build up a custom wide-range Regina FW for use with my Chorus RD (32t capacity) if I can find all the necessary cogs. In addition, I sourced some NOS Dura Ace 7400 HG cogs and rebuilt the FW to my gearing preferences when I restored my Park Pre. The per cog prices for NOS cogs can be pretty steep, but I do keep my eyes out for "lot" listings of FW cogs for this purpose.

jeirvine 

To each their own. I personally run a SunRace 6 speed FW on my '86 Masi. Shifts great, is shiny silver, and was like $12.

noglider 

Well waddya know. Thanks for letting me know, Chombi and gaucho777. I didn't know others enjoy overhauling freewheels.

Then again, why not? I fix laptops among the various things I do for a living. I just received a contact from a new client, asking me to teach him how to take apart laptops and put them back together. And why not? It's a similar thing. It's not terribly hard. The patience is the key. Keep track of all the tiny little parts.

Pars 

I have a Sunrace 13-25 on one of the Treks and am pretty impressed with it so far.

T-Mar

A riding partner once had a freewheel cover plate back off during a ride on an isolated road. We sat in a cold pouring rain, picking as many bearings as we could find, out of the cracks in the asphalt. After what seemed like an eternity, we eventually reassembled it and managed to complete the ride. After that, overhauling a freewheel in the luxury of my workshop, with all the proper tools at my disposal, is a piece of cake (but I still avoid cake whenever possible).

On the customer side, I stopped servicing freewheels years ago. The price of replacement is far cheaper than servicing and in the process you can provide the customer with a Hyperglide compatible unit that will shift better. The only drawback is the more limited ratio selection. Still, that's not an issue for the vast majority of customers and even if it is a concern, they invariably opt for the less expensive solution when they learn the relative costs. I can't remember the last time that I serviced a freewheel for a customer. (98)

southpawboston

I replaced an old high-end Shimano 600 6-speed freewheel (the twist-tooth type) with a new $15 Sunrace with HG ramps, and the 6-speed SIS shifting improved dramatically. Smoother, quieter, quicker shifts. An example of technology trickling down and making a low-end item superior to what was once considered a high-end item.

Campy12

I'd say my beloved road bike is worth spending $250 every 4-5 years to keep a vintage bike vintage and functioning perfectly. Besides if you regularly service your parts and ride properly it can last way more than that.

jeirvine 

It is funny that in 2013 we are in a golden age of cheap, high-performing freewheels.

ThermionicScott 

I agree with most of that. My thrust was that those pricey freewheels and chainrings might last even longer if you replaced the chain (the cheapest part of the system) regularly or rotated through several, rather than allowing it to wear out the whole system and determine the replacement interval. Did I misread your protocol?

Campy12

This may be true if the chain wasn't the most expensive part. I use a Regina Superleggera nos $130 sun tour winner pro nos $50 and Campagnolo chain rings $20-50 the whole system including chain shifts and rides without issues for about 5 years. It's lightweight, performs great and weighs in low.

ThermionicScott 

A $130 chain... okay, I'm out.

Pars 

^ Same. Sedisport was/is a better chain anyhow The Regina SLs do look cool though.

Though as iab pointed out in a recent post, in these days of $900 modern cranksets, etc., $130 doesn't sound so bad.

Chombi

Everything is going up in value.
Just a couple of years ago, you can still get an NOS Regina America Superleggera (Hybrid Al/FE construction) FW for less than a hundred bucks. Now that many have given up finding a Campagnolo Aluminum FW for any kind of sane price, I think the weenie FW buyers are now moving over to the Hybrids, so the Reginas and Zeus Hybrid FWs are now getting out of reach price-wise for most C&Vers too....
Bad part is, it is hard to find good used ones as they usually have significant wear on their Al cogs....

Campy12

Actually good point with the hybrids. Found a hybrid Zeus. 13-20t at 260grams. All stell except for the 20 and 18 cogs. Asking over $200 for it too. You can get a full alloy Zeus for less.

spacemanz

I actually just salvaged an old Sedis chain recently, but haven't tried it on the bike yet. It's a little heavy, compared to today's stuff, but very smooth-feeling, after a good bath in chain-lube. Plus I have a SRAM master link, to make things easier.

pastorbobnlnh 

It's intersting how this thread has evolved!

One way to make your freewheel last longer is to remove the cogs once a year and remove the grit and grime. At the same time completely bathe and service the drive train. Your bike will love you for such devotion!