Steve- While I can't commnet on your speculation that "an all-threaded cog freewheel is an inherently flawed", you are correct in assuming that Regina and Atom had a commercial relationship. While I can't give you the exact years of this relationship, Regina made Atom FWs from something like the early 60s to the early 70s. Those of you with that vintage Atom FWs, will also find Regina Made in Italy stamped on the right side of the FW body. Cheers, Dave Anderson Cut Bank MT
In a message dated 12/22/02 4:11:57 PM PST, steve@sburl.com writes:
I have always wondered if there was any business relationship between
Regina
and Atom. I have a few of the older (early 70's) Atom freewheels that have
an all-threaded body, very similar to Regina's. In fact, the threading on
the cogs is identical, though the cogs are not exactly interchangeable. I
have done it, but the spacing on some of the cogs does not come out right
without shimming. The concept of an all-threaded cog freewheel is an
inherently flawed one. Not only is it difficult to remove all the cogs from
a body, but the largest cog has a tendency to become dish-shaped when
tromped on by a strong rider, especially in sizes larger than 21 t. This
increases the spacing between the last two cogs, causing the chain to tend
to skate across the top of the notched teeth.
Was there a licensing agreement at one time between these two companies?