Sorin

Hello,
I am in a middle of restoring a PA10L '75 Peugeot bike. As wheelset i have original Normany high flange hubs on Mavic aluminium rims for tubular tyres.
Freewheel was this one :
https://i.postimg.cc/wBPHvKzD/20220929-162609.jpg


I have found some broken teeths and is not spinning well too. I am going to break the bank and try to replace it with some NOS parts . As i see my options are some original Atom 5 speed freewheel, or Shimano 600 or a Suntour winner with custom sprockets. I would love to have a 14-24 or 14 -26 range cause my chainrings are Stronglight 52/45 which i intend to keep it. What's your oppinion? Go with Atom ...maybe 14-22, Shimano 600 or build a suntour ? In this cases which new chain are compatible this days? Best regards,

Bianchigirll 

Is the 600 the twist tooth type? If so that might shift a bit better. I have mostly 7spd bikes and mostly use one of the basic KMC 6/7/8 spd chains.

Sorin

Yep, 600 is twist tooth on first 3 sprokets , cost 50$ , and i think i can find some spare sprokets too :https://www.velosaloon.com/products/...read-from-1980 . Problem is that gearing ratio isn't great with that 52/45 chainrings with some high heels i have around. I will look for some replacement sprockets is that freewheel is wtg. Thank you! About chain i can found it for about 20$ SRAM 870.

Mr. 66

Just checking, are you certain that the freewheel threading is compatible with your Normandy hubs. 1975 is possibly Frenchy

Classtime 

So, we can assume the hub is English thread because of the Shimano freewheel? My 73 PA-10 is French.

Road Fan

I agree, this is one of the most critical points - Need to measure the OD of the hub threading precisely with a dial, vernier or digital caliper. Also, the hub thread must be measured with a metric/English set of thread gauges, because it could go either way. The wrong thread on the freewheel could destroy the hub threading. Its not like a lot of other mis-threadings in bike parts, where a misfit is a no-go. The aluminum is so soft and the available leverage is so great that it is easy to destroy the old Normandy hub. And when you buy a replacement hub, you still have to verify the thread compatibility or you will be in same soup again.

If that Shimano 5-speed is what came off of the bike with Normandy hub, you can with care measure its thread, or try a known English one and gently see if it works.

But whatever work you put into checking the threads, it is small compared to finding a replacement 120 mm hub, unlacing the old one, and re-lacing a new one. If you need new spokes, cost is anywhere from about $1 per spoke to $3 per spoke.

Sorin

I asume the threds are English, but just because old Shimano UG that came with the bike, or maybe that one can be french thread too I am not sure yet, just checking what is available on the market . I will despoke old rim and clean/polish then reasemble it anyway. I will try to find compatibility before purchase anything. .

Bianchigirll 

Are they marked like a Campi?

bikemig 

There may be markings on the freewheel and/or the hub to indicate the threading but yeah you will likely have to measure this. Still there is no reason to buy NOS; there are plenty of decent 2d hand freewheels available. Also if you want better gear ratios, it may be possible to swap out the inner chainring. Does this bike have a cottered crank?

Some pics of the bike from the drive side would be helpful.

Sorin

Yep , cottered crank , Stronglight steel 52/45 chainrings , Simplex derraileur.

I live in Europe so Ebay/Amazon availability is limited. I have found some online shops with some parts from France, Holland , Austria , Germany, but also cause i am really new to this restoration process. All parts are original, except freewheel , chain, saddle & maybe seat post. I am also thinking to try for an Atom 5 speed and Sedis chain to keep as original , but i don't know if ratio will be enough.

Charles Wahl

I am not convinced (by your single photo) that there is anything seriously wrong with your freewheel. An UltraGlide FW probably has some shorter teeth on each cog as a stratagem to aid in smooth shifting; those are not "broken" but designed to be that way. Poor spinning is often just a congealed lubricant problem, not a "replace this freewheel" one. Soak the FW in kerosene or mineral spirits or naphtha for a few days, then spin it for awhile in that stuff (wearing gloves), change for new solvent and repeat. In the end you will probably have a FW that spins like new, and you can lube it through the annuli on the backside and frontside. I use something a bit heavier than thin motor oil, like manual transmission oil (not automatic transmission fluid), but others may recommend their own favorite.

Check carefully for marks on the freewheel and hub that may indicate threading; these might be punch marks, one or more rings incised, some knurling, or (more recent) actual text saying what thread standard the item has. If the freewheel is a replacement (which on a '75 cottered crank bike it almost certainly is) then don't assume that the replacement was a proper match. Look carefully at the (aluminum) threads on the hub, after cleaning them up. Are they messed up in any way? If so, then the chance is good that you have a mismatch.

Since nobody else seems to have quantified what the thread standards are, I'll leave you with this:

Sorin

I have seen a few ones that seems broken , i didn't shift this bike for more than 15 years, was abandoned at my country house . When i try to turn it clearly is not smooth, feels like sand rubbing ...and that's why i was thinking to change it , either for a new better one, either for an original ATOM. Chain will be changed for sure .

bikemig 

+ 1, that photo does not convince me either that there is anything seriously wrong with the freewheel.

repechage

After the initial loosening, did it spin off with little effort? Way back there were uninformed mechanics.

repechage

what I see are not broken teeth but reduced height teeth to help aid in shifting.
a feature of Uniglide freewheels.

Sorin

Yep, not really an effort to remove it with special Shimano removing tool clamped and rotate the wheel. Verry easy.

Sorin

I have looking to others UG sistems and all sprokets was equal, that's why i have thinking is damage. Then i will try to clean in diesel fuel then relube with some transmision oil . Even with friction sistem vs indexed you feel the diffetence from UG...HG and old ones? Thank you all for your imput!

repechage

Uniglide evolved.
Uniglide spacing is different from Hyperglide spacing- Hyperglide arrived after SIS, less distance between the cogs. You might get a Uniglide to index but not as well.

oneclick 

Maillard/Normandy/Atom hubs with a ring-groove between the freewheel seat and the spoke flange are imperial threads.

Sorin

If i remember correcly i have that ring, is like maybe 2 mm widh. I will check tommorow! Thanks!

pastorbobnlnh 

Since the bike/freewheel sat, unused for 15 years, and the freewheel, when turned or spun, "...feels like sand rubbing...," no amount of soaking in "diesel fuel" or any other solvent will fix what truly ails this freewheel. Most certainly, moisture and/or salt have contaminated the interior and it has been slowly corroding the bearings, pawls, springs, and interior walls. The "sand" is certainly an abundance of rust particles.

Short of a full cleaning, new bearings, and full rust removal, this freewheel needs to be retired. I'm also seeing wear on the front of sprocket teeth. Generally, the wear can't be seen until the sprockets are removed and flipped over and the backside examined.

Just my two cents.

Sorin

I have no problem order a new one, but still thinking which options to choose from : ATOM , Shimano 600 or Sunrace Winner - all of these are NOS . I have found a NOS Sedis chain but i think i will stick with newer SRAM , KMC in the end .

These are the threads , and the " ring " is there so this might be imperial .

JohnDThompson 

I agree with @repechage; the truncated teeth are intentional, to improve shifting. IMO, those Shimano 600 and Dura-Ace "Uniglide" freewheels are among the best ever brought to market, much better than any Atom freewheel.

Have you tried flushing it out? Those Shimano 600/Dura-Ace freewheels have an oil port, accessible after removing the sprockets.

N.B. if you change the chain, you'll likely need a new freewheel, as new chains often have trouble seating on worn sprockets, particularly the smallest sprockets. If you do decide to replace the freewheel, I'd suggest a modern one with Hyperglide profile teeth. Mechanically, they're not as nice as the old Uniglide freewheels, but they shift beautifully, and they're cheap enough to replace if/when they give you trouble.

Sorin

Is there any freewheel with hiperglide, 5 speed available? A NOS DuraAce, vintage, who might fit is 100$ ....lol.

JohnDThompson 

The pictured freewheel is an older version and uses a different removal tool than the one you used for your freewheel.

The individual sprockets listed on that page are for Uniglide cassettes, and won't fit on a freewheel body.