Options For Changing 6 spd Uniglide To Something Modern?

[woodbine]

BIKE DETAILS: Late 80s British Eagle MTB, 18 speed (6 gear Uniglide & 3 sprocket oval Biopace), Deore derailleurs and Deore SIS shifters

This is, for now, a hypothetical question, so please don't put too much effort into going into this deeply. However, 6 speed Uniglide freehubs and sprockets from the 80s are getting hard to find and expensive. Also, when I posted another question on here, someone posted a link to new, different 6 speed casettes on Ebay that were selling for a few pounds, eg Tourney.

So, it got me thinking that when my current hub, sprockets are worn out, a complete change may make sense to 'future-proof' my bike. But is it feasible? I must emphasise that I only want 6 speeds on the rear.

What sort of quality (Shimano??) 6 speed cassette would fit? Presumably I would need to change the Deore derailleur - but to what? Then the hub, that would need changing to what? I would want indexing, so would I need to change shifters? Does the space between frame dropouts decide what I kit I can fit? Can I get the same/similar gearing to existing?

Just interested to see what's possible, if anything. Would be interested to hear suggestions, or maybe experiences of updating old set ups like mine.

 

[xxnick1975]

Can't imagine it would be too difficult to get a block for that, but if it did then the easiest change would be to get a new(but period) back wheel and run 7 speed, as 7 speed hyper glide cassettes or equivalent are cheap and easy to get hold of.

I m guessing but probably it's most likely 130 oln spacing on your frame, so that would be the only thing to look out for on a new wheel.

Then everything else would work with that and you wouldn't need new shifters, chains, cranks, bottom bracket etc

Stick a wanted ad on here if you go this way, it's the kind of thing you might even get karma'd

You would do a ton of money sticking a modern drivetrain on this, so to honest if that's something you are interested in you might as well bite the bullet and get a modern bike

 

[drcarlos]

You can simply stick a new freehub body on the hub and add the new wider axle, you will have to spread the frame slightly too but nothing major. Another option to extend life of the uniglidge is to disassemble it and turn all the cogs around as they are identical both ways around.

Carl

 

[xxnick1975]

As per http://www.sheldonbrown.com/k7.html#transplant

 

[JoeG]

So you've gone from looking for one threaded Uniglide small cog to a whole new drivetrain! Bravo!!

Your freehub body looks like Uniglide only (no inside threads for a cassette lockring). But if you do the freehub body transplant as above, you need a Hyperglide cassette. Which I believe started with 7 speed (no 6 speed*). Which means a new 7 speed shifter at a minimum, as well as the move to 135 mm OLD (axle, spread dropouts, chainline, etc).

If everything works fine except for the smallest cog, then I'd do one of 2 things:

1. Be patient and wait for one to come up on ebay. Set up a saved search and turn on the email notification. And check back often as sometimes the seller won't describe it in a way for the saved search to pick it up. Put it in the wanted section here as well.

1. Buy a small cog with a different tooth count. That will get you back riding. You can always replace it with your preferred tooth count if/when you find one.

* If you google 6 speed cassette, there are a lot of results. But the vast majority of them are freewheels, not cassettes. The few good quality unglide cassettes that I have seen cost $$$; there's an XT one on ebay for over $110 IIRC.

 

[drcarlos]

So you've gone from looking for one threaded Uniglide small cog to a whole new drivetrain! Bravo!!

Your freehub body looks like Uniglide only (no inside threads for a cassette lockring). But if you do the freehub body transplant as above, you need a Hyperglide cassette. Which I believe started with 7 speed (no 6 speed*). Which means a new 7 speed shifter at a minimum, as well as the move to 135 mm OLD (axle, spread dropouts, chainline, etc).

If everything works fine except for the smallest cog, then I'd do one of 2 things:

1. Be patient and wait for one to come up on ebay. Set up a saved search and turn on the email notification. And check back often as sometimes the seller won't describe it in a way for the saved search to pick it up. Put it in the wanted section here as well.

1. Buy a small cog with a different tooth count. That will get you back riding. You can always replace it with your preferred tooth count if/when you find one.

* If you google 6 speed cassette, there are a lot of results. But the vast majority of them are freewheels, not cassettes. The few good quality unglide cassettes that I have seen cost $$$; there's an XT one on ebay for over $110 IIRC.

7s cassette can be used with a 6s shifter. There is a hidden click that works with the extra speed and has been used by lots of people on here to good effect.

Carl

 

[legrandefromage]

I havent read all of this but a quick glance at the pictures leads me to think that you have a 7 speed width freehub body there anyway.

I have had TWO, yes TWO (count them!) very early British Eagle bikes- one from 1987 and the earliest I've seen so far, 1986.

Both were 6spd, the pink/ blue 1987 is Deore MT60 as with yours.

The transplant of the Uniglide freehub body took about 20 minutes and while I was at it I swapped to quick release axles. It now has a 7spd cassette body which extends its useful life for the next upteen decades or until the world's supply of 7spd cassettes runs out - which is a bit like oil, either 40 years or 140 years depending of whomever you believe.

That would leave the whole MT060 gearing alone too. You adjust the rear mechs' reach to take into account the extra width. As above, theres a 7th indexed click on the thumbshifter and the spread is enough to shift across the whole cassette without too much issue.

Incidentally, these early Deore mechs also work perfectly well with a 9spd cassette when using 9spd shifters so dont think they are incapable of anything else or let anyone tell you otherwise.

And any pictures of the whole bike?

 

[legrandefromage]

I notice now that you only want 6spd - thats kind of limiting yourself and any options for a quick and easy repair. It is easier to change the Uniglide freehub than it is to source new or usable Uniglide parts. Changing the hub to a screw on version is a backward step as the hubs ' bearing surfaces are brought further into the wheel and most are made of quite cheap materials leading to broken axles.

Then you have the quality of the freewheels themselves. The cheap Tourney freewheels are not anywhere near as long lasting as your existing Uniglide. You'll be replacing a six speed far more often or having to spend 3 times the cost of a reasonable 7spd cassette to buy a good quality 6spd freewheel!

Phew!

http://store.interlocracing.com/cl5fr.html

 

[woodbine]

So you've gone from looking for one threaded Uniglide small cog to a whole new drivetrain! Bravo!!

Whole new bike - next stop! :shock:

Seriously, really just toying with a few ideas, as I'm not very clued up at all on the mechanical side. The bike was bought second hand in early 90s and has been with me a long time. Can't really contemplate riding anything else.

Will keep on for the new sprocket for now. May buy a spare wheel and build it up to try out some options. Thanks for the info.

 

[woodbine]

7s cassette can be used with a 6s shifter. There is a hidden click that works with the extra speed and has been used by lots of people on here to good effect.

Carl

Thanks. Didn't realise that.

Are 6 and 7 speed freehubs the same size, or is the 6 shorter?