Single Speed Freewheels - best quality recommendations ?

[Bullpup]

Good afternoon

I am looking for a replacement singlespeed Freewheel.

The one I have is a Dicta Brand ( 17T ) are there better quality alternatives and if so which please?

I am not sure of threads etc, but it fits a DMR Hub.

 

[TreaderSteve]

EDIT: I mention not that impressed with the Shimano (£20-odd) one was that it didn't run concentrically from new (went up and down) and some play was felt in it. On it went, was graunchy and nasty in a less than a year although that could be my bike maintenance!

I've used Shimano ones - not very good quality I'm afraid. Good enough for a kids BMX or lightly-used bike for pottering on.
I'm running my second Halo Clickster - only had to buy a second as needed a different ratio. They feel very well put together, the first one lasted, and terrifies grannies and dog-walkers when you sneak up behind them and pedal backwards! (Loud click = Clickster....)
Never used White Industries-priced ones - too spendy for me.
I believe there's a really small diameter BMX thread so you can run a cog with a small number of teeth. You probably don't have that so you'd be fine with a Shimano or Clickster.

EDIT - I now see 'best' quality recommendations....probably the most expensive you can find! I'll be getting another Clickster for this summer's project though...

 

[moonlite]

Interesting to hear that Shimano aren't rated, as they seem to be quite a lot more expensive than the Dictas of this world. They seem to do a range from cheapish to not-so-cheap. A quick eBay search shows the Halo Clickster as being pretty much the top in terms of cost, and then there's White Industries. There don't seem to be many other options out there.

 

[Bullpup]

Thank you.
I'm also surprised the Shimano aren't rated -especially the DX versions.
It seems that dismantalling to service is likely to end up with missing balls!
So maybe the Clickster it is - especially if it sounds like a playing card in the spokes.

 

[kanerdog1x1]

Re:

I run a fleet of dx30 Shimano ones. Most are 16t, and most have been in use since 2002/3. They need a rebuild every so often, as washing the bike tends to wash some of the grease out and some of the mud in. I bought a tub of the ball bearings from the bike shop years ago. As they wear in, you can remove one of the preload shims inside to get them silky smooth without any play
Nothing but praise from me.

 

[slomo]

Re:

Shimano all the way for me.
Cheap, light, reliable, readily available - no nonsense workhorse.
I fit and forget - by the time it needs replacing i've more than had my monies worth.

 

[-Niellesie-]

Re:

White industries eno, best freewheels ever made.
Maybe the most expensive but the best ive ever used.

 

[torqueless]

Re:

If you get a Shimano- or for that matter a Halo or white- get the dedicated four-prong remover at the same time. You won't regret it. That's really what makes an up-market freewheel desirable imo- the fact that you can get it off the hub..

 

[hamster]

Of the ones I've run on my singlespeed in the past 12 years, Shimano have to be close to the bottom They have no seals at all, muck works its way inside fairly rapidly. If you are happy to spend time maintaining them, they will last as the innards are quite good quality. But there's a lot of dismantling and grease gun fun. Up to you.

I've run White Industries for the past 8 years or so and they seem to last about 5 years on a set of bearings, which are sealed and replaceable from the average bearing factor for around £7. I then run a little light oil every few months into the ratchet...and that's it. They truly are fit and forget.

My singlespeed is my main bike and gets ridden 50+ miles weekly off road in the winter.

 

[Bullpup]

Thank you all for the advice.