donald gillies wrote:
> Brian Baylis is right, most 1970's alloy freewheels are conversation
> pieces, they are not serious equipment for day-in, day-out use. The
> teeth wear quickly and the ones with alloy bodies develop cracks or
> the remover interface gets mangled.
>
> I have a suntour Winner 1st-gen alloy (5 speed, 1975), and an everest
> (6 speed, date unknown), and a Maillard alloy freewheel (6-speed). I
> also have a Suntour Microlite (60-speed, late 70's.) I'll try to
> weigh them all and post the gear ratios and weights.
>
> I bought them as conversation pieces to mount on weight-weenie bikes
> when I'm trying to show off.
>
> The maillard (used on raleigh team pro's starting in 1974 or 1975) is
> likely the lightest, as it is the only one circa 1975 with an alloy
> body. These are still available NOS and in stock at Euro-Asia
> Imports, according to the online catalogue.
>
> In my opinion, the Suntour Microlite Winner will beat all the other
> freewheels, at roughly 180 grams complete (alloy body).
Nobody's mentioned the Zeus 2000 freewheel, which used alloy cogs. I have a couple of these, along with a bag of NOS cogs, but I'm reluctant to use them.
--
-John Thompson (john@os2.dhs.org)
Appleton WI USA