Jackshaft. Rear wheel freewheel cassettes

[GreasyChris]

Hi all. I have a question regarding jackshaft and rear derailleur setup. How many people are using this and what freewheel are you using on the rear wheel? I am currently using a 5 speed shimano. I ask because I keep breaking them and would like to know of a solid long lasting freewheel. In the fall when I first put my bike together it came as a single speed and I really wanted to try it out so that's the one I used and within 10 mins of riding I broke the single speed freewheel on the rear wheel. I figured it was a cheap Walmart bike and cheap freewheel. My 5 speed shimano cassette arrived over the winter and I finished building my bike. The nicer weather is here and I got to get my bike out for a few runs and get the carb dialed in and running right. And now today I noticed the 5 speed cassette is very sloppy and isnt going to last alot longer. Anybody else run into this? I thought all my freewheel problem were going to be with the freewheel from the cheap jackshaft kit and not the back wheel.

 

[FurryOnTheInside]

You don't have a cassette, and that's not me being semantic. It's important because you do have a multi sprocket freewheel called a freewheel cluster. There's a huge difference in the way the two are built.
(Search for the Sheldon Brown article, I cba to do the link thing right now lol.)

The cassette and freehub was invented because you can invest more money in the freewheel if the sprockets (part that wears out quickest) are separate from the freewheel. The Shimano or Shimano pattern freehub has its own pair of sealed bearings to support it on the axle, and it has a better made ratchet mechanism because with no permanently attached sprockets it can cost £90+ and be worth it, because you don't have to throw it away when the sprockets wear out.

The five speed freewheel cluster has not been state of the art technology for many many generations so the top of the range professional cyclist quality level of five speed clusters are not available unless you can find new old stock.
99.99% of five speed clusters that are out there in the world are either old and worn or are a bottom of the range much cheaper level of quality that usually is only fitted to very cheap low quality Chinese [bike shaped objects!].

Even a NOS freewheel cluster would still have a much less suitable design for high torque and power.
The freehub and cassette rules (for cycling).

You might not like having to flick through loads of cassette gears when you accelerate; but for that there's internally geared hubs, and even a CVT hub which, I reckon, would be the ultimate system for most people who really want to play.


I don't have any shift kit yet.

 

[JerboaJohn]

so many more gearing options and levels of quality if you can have or make room for a 7 speed cassette hub (or 8, or 9!)