Bullseye freewheel

[1552]

I have a set of bullseye's but need a freewheel/cassette for them.
Can I get an 8 speed?
What do I need to look for to be compatible with xtr m900?

 

[gtturbo]

You need a freewheel, not a cassette. But yes you can get 8 speed freewheels and should work fine with m900 although as they are not Shimano cassettes with profiled ramps the shifting is not quite as slick but it's good enough. 11-32 ratio would be my choice if your running a triple up front.

 

[1552]

Could you recommend a make?

 

[gtturbo]

Not a lot of options these days. I would have said Sach back in the day as they seemed to last the longest for me over some of the posher ones I had. Just had a look myself as I need 2 as well and there really doesn't seem to be a lot of choice at the moment.

 

[pete_mcc]

One point of caution. Bullseyes are old hubs and they were often set up for 6 and 7 speed freewheels. Fitting an 8 can sometimes require the movement of washer spacers from non-drive to drive side to ensure that there is enough space at the dropout to allow the chain to sit on the lowest cog and freely move. This may also then require an element of redishing the wheel to get the rim central again. All easy stuff though

 

[1552]

One point of caution. Bullseyes are old hubs and they were often set up for 6 and 7 speed freewheels. Fitting an 8 can sometimes require the movement of washer spacers from non-drive to drive side to ensure that there is enough space at the dropout to allow the chain to sit on the lowest cog and freely move. This may also then require an element of redishing the wheel to get the rim central again. All easy stuff though

That's great advice thank you!
I have found a bunch of screw on 8spd freewheel units on ebay, are these not the correct fitment?
Will try and add a link

 

[Once A Hero]

*Tries Jedi mind trick*

If they are 36H and 135mm, then you should abandon your plans and sell them to me…

I seem to recall a Sachs LY 97 was a good option, heavy but long lasting.

 

[Dr Dremel]

I too would be careful with 8spd, they could be wider than the 6/7spd the hub was made for. Never tried one myself though. My suggestions would be:

Dura Ace 7400 (hard to find in MTB specific gearing, no Hyperglide means average shifting performance)
Sachs/Maillard Aris (the "LY" moniker was just the designation for the different tooth counts, LY=13t; superior sealing; no HG)
But just about any cheap 7spd shimano freewheel should fit (horrendous looks, but shifting is best on these thanks to HG tooth profile)

They all will be relatively heavy, offset by the lightweight hubs.

 

[1552]

I too would be careful with 8spd, they could be wider than the 6/7spd the hub was made for. Never tried one myself though. My suggestions would be:

Dura Ace 7400 (hard to find in MTB specific gearing, no Hyperglide means average shifting performance)
Sachs/Maillard Aris (the "LY" moniker was just the designation for the different tooth counts, LY=13t; superior sealing; no HG)
But just about any cheap 7spd shimano freewheel should fit (horrendous looks, but shifting is best on these thanks to HG tooth profile)

They all will be relatively heavy, offset by the lightweight hubs.

That's great thank you.

So I'm guessing most of these 8 speed freewheel sets I'm seeing on ebay are not really advisable?
Maybe I will just go 7 speed, don't want to risk damage to the hub.

 

[Dr Dremel]

As said, I never tried 8spd freewheels. The problem is not so much risk of damage but wether they will actually fit. As @pete_mcc said you could get away with rearranging the hub spacers.