Is there much difference in quality between cheap freewheels and the name brands?

[retrobiker273891]

I am eyeing VG sports and seems mostly people are happy with them on amazon yet some say cheap tat.

I have seen similar complaints even about shimano though with lackluster quality of their lower end freewheel products.

Also it seems people have to change their freewheels sooner or later anyhow through wear the question is whether the sooner or later depends much on the brand!

So is there much in it or much of a muchness?

As in justified to pay 2x or 3x the price for established names such as shimano or sunrace?

 

[greencat]

That's a cassette rather than a freewheel. And doesn't seem particularly cheap for 8 speed.

I would say at the low end of the market at 6-7-8 speed - there's probably not much in it, providing they have the right spacing for your gears (assuming you need indexing). The indexing can be a bit rougher on the cheaper brands at 10+ speeds.

 

[retrobiker273891]

That's a cassette rather than a freewheel. And doesn't seem particularly cheap for 8 speed.

I would say at the low end of the market at 6-7-8 speed - there's probably not much in it, providing they have the right spacing for your gears (assuming you need indexing). The indexing can be a bit rougher on the cheaper brands at 10+ speeds.

Oh yes, but the specific one I am looking at is this, which is freewheel.

Same price as shimano 7, 34, which has a huge jump to lowest gear. With this 10 speed it would offer smoother gear changes/range and also 36t max. Also only a couple of quid more than shimano megarange so if not much in it quality wise I would choose the VG one. Would offer a lot more options for gearing on long hills in tandem with 3x chainset I am thinking.

Also, my shifters are unindexed. I checked my wheel spacing and although it currently has a 5 speed there is just over 40mm of spacing between wheel and dropouts so this 10 speed shouuld fit on right?

 

[greencat]

If you can, perhaps try before you buy. IME, the nature of freewheels is they tend to be wobblier than cassettes, and more cogs will make it harder to find the gear if unindexed (although likely you will develop muscle memory over time). Once upon a time, I ran an 7spd freewheel, and it was tough to find the right gear due to freewheel wobble and I broke several axles too.

When I've been touring/carrying heavy loads uphills, it's less the jumps or number of gears that makes the difference as having a nice low granny gear. The Shimano mega range is quite a good option - close together for flat/downhill, but with the option of a super low gear for hills.

 

[retrobiker273891]

If you can, perhaps try before you buy. IME, the nature of freewheels is they tend to be wobblier than cassettes, and more cogs will make it harder to find the gear if unindexed (although likely you will develop muscle memory over time). Once upon a time, I ran an 7spd freewheel, and it was tough to find the right gear due to freewheel wobble and I broke several axles too.

When I've been touring/carrying heavy loads uphills, it's less the jumps or number of gears that makes the difference as having a nice low granny gear. The Shimano mega range is quite a good option - close together for flat/downhill, but with the option of a super low gear for hills.

Well if buying online your consumer rights always allow to return for refund or replacement so long as the item is in resalable condition.

I have never had a problem with unindexed and didn't know it was an issue until I read about it online. I had indexed I remember way back in the day and I can say I prefer unindexed and 'feeling things out'. Not only was indexed more of a nuisance to tweak to get the gears right for the clicks, when doing maintenance, none indexed just felt more intuitive to me and given the option I will choose the latter.

I currently have gripshift ones. The last bike I had I had a big chubby thumb shifter as a replacement and it offered both indexed and none indexed, and, given the reasons above, I quickly went back to none indexed.

People must be more fussy nowadays but I just sweep the shifter up and down while pedaling until I find a suitable gear . The sweeping range lessens I guess as I get used to the bike.

 

[greencat]

Finding the gear will be tougher on a 10 spd cog over a 5 spd one. Everything's narrower and will require more subtle movements.

 

[retrobiker273891]

Finding the gear will be tougher on a 10 spd cog over a 5 spd one. Everything's narrower and will require more subtle movements.

Sure but the last bike was 7 so a bit closer and didn't have an either there either . More subtle means it will just take a little longer to get used to.

 

[nstarmore]

Given the propensity for 7 speed freewheels to snap axles (or rather the offset and therefore spacers they require) I don't think I'd want to be putting a 10 speed one on. I'd hazard a guess that the rotary hubs referenced were designed with this in mind and maybe had strengthened axles?

Extra ratios aren't going to add much to a fairly low end pub bike (and make shifting more difficult with friction shifters) so if you're just looking for a super low granny gear just get the cheapest mega range 6 or 7 speed feewheel you can find and be done with it.

In the nicest way possible, I think you're massively overcomplicating what is essentailly quite a simple thing to achieve. Multispeed freewheels have been completely replaced by cassettes for all but the most basic of bikes so you're not going to see much in the way of quality difference as any still on sale are designed to be cheap primarily.

If you want a lower gear buy a 6 or 7 speed megarange freewheel as long as you derailleur can handle it, when it wears out/breaks buy a new one, rinse and repeat.

 

[retrobiker273891]

Given the propensity for 7 speed freewheels to snap axles (or rather the offset and therefore spacers they require) I don't think I'd want to be putting a 10 speed one on. I'd hazard a guess that the rotary hubs referenced were designed with this in mind and maybe had strengthened axles?

Extra ratios aren't going to add much to a fairly low end pub bike (and make shifting more difficult with friction shifters) so if you're just looking for a super low granny gear just get the cheapest mega range 6 or 7 speed feewheel you can find and be done with it.

In the nicest way possible, I think you're massively overcomplicating what is essentailly quite a simple thing to achieve. Multispeed freewheels have been completely replaced by cassettes for all but the most basic of bikes so you're not going to see much in the way of quality difference as any still on sale are designed to be cheap primarily.

If you want a lower gear buy a 6 or 7 speed megarange freewheel as long as you derailleur can handle it, when it wears out/breaks buy a new one, rinse and repeat.

Yes I abandoned it now. I will just look for a 58bcd crankset I can use with this and will put it on another bike if/when the time comes to replace it which will not suffer compatibility issues.

 

[Stacy743]

I'll tell you this, the quality of cheap freewheels is a bit of a gamble. VG Sports might work for you but don’t expect miracles. Shimano and SunRace use better materials and have more precise craftsmanship so they might last longer but even their lower-end stuff can be hit or miss

If you’re riding casually a cheap one might be worth the risk, but if not then better to invest in something reliable