Old Suntour 5spd clusters?

Hi All;

Does anyone have any old Suntour 5spd stupidly large range clusters
(14-38 or 14-34) they'd like to sell me? I'm trying to do a rebuild
of an early 80s touring bike I picked up recently?

Cheers (and thanks!)

Joel

Joel Mayes wrote:

Does anyone have any old Suntour 5spd stupidly large range
clusters (14-38 or 14-34) they'd like to sell me? I'm trying
to do a rebuild of an early 80s touring bike I picked up
recently?

Back then I standardised on 14, 17, 21, 26, and 32 sprockets
because of the even gear-inch progression. So I've probably
got unused sprockets in at least some of those sizes. I'm not
sure how many Suntour clusters I've got, but there's at least
one fitted to a bike.

Unless I've thrown them out, I've got lots of 5-speed Shimano
clusters somewhere with worn-out sprockets (usually the 14 and
17 tooth ones wore first).

A couple of years ago, I saw a big range of unused Suntour
sprockets in the workshop at:

Bike Superstore
20 Essignton Street
Mitchell ACT 2911
http://www.bikesuperstore.com.au/

but the owner was very protective of them, saying that none were
for sale. Perhaps they've changed their mind.

John

"Joel Mayes" wrote in message
. ..
Hi All;

Does anyone have any old Suntour 5spd stupidly large range clusters
(14-38 or 14-34) they'd like to sell me? I'm trying to do a rebuild
of an early 80s touring bike I picked up recently?

Cheers (and thanks!)

Joel

These guys have some 13 - 32 high quality freewheels ( clusters )

http://www.interlocracing.com/freewheels_steel.html


If you can fit a 7 speed in you could use the Shimano megarange freewheels,
these are quite cheap and easy to obtain and give a very large spread of
gears, I am using one on my mountain bike it has 11 to 34 and is quite
decent in quality.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/mega7/

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-S...wheel-1240.htm

Joel Mayes wrote:
Hi All;

Does anyone have any old Suntour 5spd stupidly large range clusters
(14-38 or 14-34) they'd like to sell me? I'm trying to do a rebuild
of an early 80s touring bike I picked up recently?

The 38 didn't exist as far as I know and the 34 was close to as rare as
hens teeth. Common clusters were (13)14(15)-28, 30/32 at best, but very
hard to get.

If I had one, the answer might be see my widow. {:-).

To overcome this problem, I invested in TA cranks and started buying
smaller front cogs.

Boostland wrote:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/mega7/

1. if you use real grease in hubs, you don't get the tick...tick...tick,
which makes it really good for frightening the bejsus out of people that
you glide up on {;-).

2) what derailleur do you use with that 34 tooth?

Terryc wrote:

The 38 didn't exist as far as I know and the 34 was close to
as rare as hens teeth. Common clusters were (13)14(15)-28,
30/32 at best, but very hard to get.

I know Joel's after Suntour, but the Shimano 14, 17, 22, 28, 34
cluster was common on 10-speed bikes (with 40 and 52
chainwheels).

If I had one, the answer might be see my widow. {:-).

To overcome this problem, I invested in TA cranks and started
buying smaller front cogs.

I went for a Shimano 600 crankset (3 arm), and ran 34 & 50
chainwheels on the front, with a Suntour "long arm" rear
derailleur.

Shimano is just not the same. See
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~hadland/page35.htm for those
who want to know about Suntour.

John

On 2007-04-14, Terryc wrote:
Joel Mayes wrote:
Hi All;

Does anyone have any old Suntour 5spd stupidly large range clusters
(14-38 or 14-34) they'd like to sell me? I'm trying to do a rebuild
of an early 80s touring bike I picked up recently?

The 38 didn't exist as far as I know and the 34 was close to as rare as
hens teeth. Common clusters were (13)14(15)-28, 30/32 at best, but very
hard to get.


I've wees at least two, at bicycle recycle places over the years (all
before I wanted one damn it!) both times I had to stop and count the
cogs twice.

Cheers

Joel

On 2007-04-14, Boostland wrote:

"Joel Mayes" wrote in message
. ..
Hi All;

Does anyone have any old Suntour 5spd stupidly large range clusters
(14-38 or 14-34) they'd like to sell me? I'm trying to do a rebuild
of an early 80s touring bike I picked up recently?

Cheers (and thanks!)

Joel

If you can fit a 7 speed in you could use the Shimano megarange freewheels,
these are quite cheap and easy to obtain and give a very large spread of
gears, I am using one on my mountain bike it has 11 to 34 and is quite
decent in quality.

Yeah I know about these, I don't like the 10 skip between the last two
cogs. but thanks anyway.

Cheers

Joel

John Henderson wrote:
Terryc wrote:


The 38 didn't exist as far as I know and the 34 was close to
as rare as hens teeth. Common clusters were (13)14(15)-28,
30/32 at best, but very hard to get.


I know Joel's after Suntour, but the Shimano 14, 17, 22, 28, 34
cluster was common on 10-speed bikes (with 40 and 52
chainwheels).
What years and where was this available?

If I had one, the answer might be see my widow. {:-).

To overcome this problem, I invested in TA cranks and started
buying smaller front cogs.


I went for a Shimano 600 crankset (3 arm), and ran 34 & 50
chainwheels on the front, with a Suntour "long arm" rear
derailleur.

TA Stronglight triple, Top 56-40, middle 4?-36, bottom, 28 or 26.



Shimano is just not the same.
That was actually the problem with suntour. The name was sold at one
stage and used t dump cheap junk.

See
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~hadland/page35.htm for those
who want to know about Suntour.

Unfortunately, he doesn't say when the 14-3? gears were actually first
produced. I did find a 5 speed 14-30 Suntour in my bicycle cupboard, but
it had so little use that it must have been a late emergency purchase,
aka people had moved onto 6 speed 14-3x gears anyway.came out.


I loved the line about Sun Tour front derailleur levers working the
correct way. It is really hard to move away from them and gho backwarsd
to other brands.

Bing "In 1974, SunTour was making Perfect, Procompe, and Winner
freewheels. The quality was uniformly high. Gear freaks could get a
complete range of sprockets from 13 to 34."

I basically started bicycle touring seriously in 1974, but I never saw
any of the 14-34 clusters available around Sydney/Newcastle. Does anyone
know if they were available in Australia then?

None of my stuff from the 70's, Suntour and Shimano had any rear
clusters over 28 teeth. Yes, I still have the boxes and demolished
clusters. {:-).

Joel Mayes wrote:

I've wees at least two, at bicycle recycle places over the years (all
before I wanted one damn it!) both times I had to stop and count the
cogs twice.

That explains a lot; Melbourne.