freewheel question

[roadmaster]

i will keep this short and sweet. i am doing a build up for an old hawthorne and am going to convert it to caliper brakes for my wife. i have a pair of chrome 26" doner wheels for the project off a 90's huffy 18speed mountain bike, but i need to remove the 6speed shimano freewheel on it and want to put on a single speed freewheel, like the bmx style i guess.

my question: is it a 30mm or a 34mm freewheel? tried a claws freewheel off a 20" bmx last summer for a similar project and it didn't fit at all. i think 5 and 6speed conventional freewheels use 34mm threading, but am not 100% sure. can anyone help me out on this one?

 

[Slick Rick]

LBS can answer that one. There is a kit w/spacer to convert a multi speed cassette type wheel to a single frewheel. :wink:

 

[roadmaster]

the problem is is that my lbs can't. and the wheel i have is set up threads for a freewheel, not a cassette. guess i can take the wheel down there, since i allready have the freewheel (6speed) removed, hope they may have one there that fits, or at least figure out what will work and order it in. heck, if it wasn't for my wife and i had a welder, it would allready be a fixie.

 

[Bendix]

the problem is is that my lbs can't. and the wheel i have is set up threads for a freewheel, not a cassette. guess i can take the wheel down there, since i allready have the freewheel (6speed) removed, hope they may have one there that fits, or at least figure out what will work and order it in. heck, if it wasn't for my wife and i had a welder, it would allready be a fixie.

any bmx freewheel 16t or larger will spin right on. 16t is far and away the most common size for a shop to have in stock, 17 and 18 less so, anything larger isn't used much. you may want to move axle spacers around and re-dish the wheel to get your best chainline. i can't imagine a shop not having one in stock, but you never know.....

 

[roadmaster]

tried that with a 16t claws fw, but it wouldnt even tread on cuz the threadded end of the hub was too big for the smaller threaded freewheel body. think i will just take the wheel down there this morning and with as slow as its been there, go in the back and see if they have something that will tread on. first one i get to thread on, i buy. so not picky at this point.

 

[Bendix]

tried that with a 16t claws fw, but it wouldnt even tread on cuz the threadded end of the hub was too big for the smaller threaded freewheel body. think i will just take the wheel down there this morning and with as slow as its been there, go in the back and see if they have something that will tread on. first one i get to thread on, i buy. so not picky at this point.

you grabbed an odd one (our 2 largest distributors don't even catalog that combo)! usually the smaller thread diameter is spec'd on bikes for park riding with tiny chainrings and very small (13t) freewheels or the 'flip' side of a 'flip-flop' racing hub and a 14 or 15t f/w. you really should have no trouble getting what you're looking for at just about any shop since you're looking for the 'normal' one now!

 

[OUTLAW]

i do em all the time on any freewheel, no prob.

Outlaw

 

[roadmaster]

got it all figured out and a new 18t ordered. i guess the question i shoulda asked was 1/8th or 3/32nd. 3/32nd was correct i found out today. thanks.

 

[Bendix]

got it all figured out and a new 18t ordered. i guess the question i shoulda asked was 1/8th or 3/32nd. 3/32nd was correct i found out today. thanks.[/quote

hmmmmm......why does your lbs think that has anything to do with the threading :?:

 

[roadmaster]

you know. i asked that same question to myself. so i brought the wheel in, sans a freewheel on it and we started to try different ss freewheels. found a 16t that fit and threaded on, so as we looked them up in the books i found the same brand in a 18t variation, cross referenced the ordering numbers from the box that had the 16t that fit and i found and ordered the same 18t variation. it will be here wednesday.

the question now is, why he let me look everything up.

 

[Bendix]

you know. i asked that same question to myself. so i brought the wheel in, sans a freewheel on it and we started to try different ss freewheels. found a 16t that fit and threaded on, so as we looked them up in the books i found the same brand in a 18t variation, cross referenced the ordering numbers from the box that had the 16t that fit and i found and ordered the same 18t variation. it will be here wednesday.

the question now is, why he let me look everything up.

all's well that ends well.