Restoring Vintage Bike advice

[DebW]

A 1975 bike will have a freewheel, not a cassette, and it will have 5 cogs on the freewheel. The rear dropout spacing will be 120 mm, rather than the 126 that was standard in the later 80s or the 130 that is standard now. That means you can't put a modern wheel in it. So if the rim is shot, it's a good chance to learn to build a wheel on the old hub. You can get 27" rims. If you need a new chain, ask for an 8-speed chain and that will work fine. Be warned that putting a new chain on with an old freewheel may lead to skipping, so locate a 5-speed freewheel before you replace the chain.

[warneral]

Thanks Deb for the help!

Can I purchase any old 5 speed freewheel or does the french threading mean I need to purchase a special type?

I did see these on ebay - if I want to replace my wheels, would it work to purchase a new freewheel plus these?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Avenir-36H-Steel...57527515268143

[warneral]

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/french.html

Here it says that most french bikes sold in the US used standard threading. But many past googled forum conversations let me to believe otherwise. I suppose I could order through my LBS where I think these guys would be pretty helpful: http://www.revolutioncycles.net/mtalk.html

[DebW]

Thanks Deb for the help!

Can I purchase any old 5 speed freewheel or does the french threading mean I need to purchase a special type?

I did see these on ebay - if I want to replace my wheels, would it work to purchase a new freewheel plus these?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Avenir-36H-Steel...57527515268143

You need to check the over-locknut dimension of the hub. If it can take a 7-speed freewheel, then it's probably a 126 mm hub and will not work on a 1975 bike. Though you can potentially play games with the axle spacers and make it work for a bolt on hub.