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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!whuxl!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!uw-june!wagner
From: wagner@uw-june (Dave Wagner)
Newsgroups: net.bicycle
Subject: Ultra freewheels - good or bad?
Message-ID: <50@uw-june>
Date: Wed, 3-Apr-85 21:07:40 EST
Article-I.D.: uw-june.50
Posted: Wed Apr  3 21:07:40 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 5-Apr-85 02:27:46 EST
Organization: U of Washington Computer Science
Lines: 31

I'd like to draw on the collective experience of net.bicycle concerning
freewheels shifting performance.

I'm about to completely replace my drivetrain.  The gear setup I am building
is an ultra-wide range touring setup (about 22-102 gear inches).  Obviously,
this requires a pretty wide range of cogs and chainwheels (26-49 triple on the 
front and 13-30 on the rear).  It's safe to say that I'll be giving the 
derailleurs a pretty good workout on this!

The question is:  will I experience a noticeable degradation in shifting
ease if I use a narrow-spaced freewheel (i.e., Suntour ultra-6) as opposed
to one with standard spacing?  Will it be a (significantly more) tedious and 
frustrating job trying to change gears on an 18-speed as opposed to a 15-speed?

I'd like to here from people who have used BOTH standard- and narrow- spaced
freewheels, and your impressions.

P.S.  I've been diddling around with a PASCAL program that plots (on a 
logarithmic scale, of course) a given gear setup, and also is able to "suggest"
the proper chainwheels to obtain a half-step plus granny setup from a
given freewheel.  (If any of you have spent time plotting gear ratios, you
know how tedious it can be.)  Anybody interested in being a "Beta-site" for 
this *wonderful* tool before I post it to the net, please mail me a request
and I'll send you the source.

			Dave Wagner
			University of Washington Comp Sci Department
			wagner@{uw-june.arpa|washington.arpa}
			{ihnp4|decvax|ucbvax}!uw-beaver!uw-june!wagner

"Oh no!  I've got . . . . .   HAPPY FEET!"