rear cassette/ gears

peejay78

hi everyone,

i recently obtained a colnago super from 1979.

the rear is a 6 speed maillard, but the wheel is a gp4 tub. i want to change the tub to a clincher, and was going to swap the rims out. (obv, 32h to 32h)

however, would the block or cassette (i'm not sure which one it is, but it is red between the cogs, which are close ratio 14-20, pretty much one tooth jumps) fit an MA40 clincher, meaning i can avoid swapping the rims out... ?

Monty Dog

Your rear wheel will definitely be a freewheel and will have a 126mm OLN rear hub. I'm presuming your reference to MA40 is for another wheel you have (MA40 is a Mavic rim model) - whether it fits will depend on whether the hub accepts a freewheel and the OLN dimension - more modern hubs are 130mm, but steel frames can usually be 'sprung' by hand to take a slightly wider hub.

peejay78

thanks monty.

sorry - it's a maillard 5 speed block, i'm fairly sure.

i guess swapping out the rims would be best - the ma40 is a rim, yes, i was thinking about getting a pair of they bay because they are cheap, then swapping the clincher ma40 for the gp4 tub rim, that way i'd keep the record hubs.

trying too avoid coldsetting the rear on this one.

any rear wheel i get (built up) needs to be 126mm OLN then? yes?

Monty Dog

For the sake of 2mm either side, fitting a 130mm OLN hub isn't difficult - steel frames are naturally 'springy' . There are still plenty of 126mm OLN hubs for sale on ebay - I sold a Record a while ago for only a tenner, so one will come up sooner or later. Wheels of that vintage often chrome-plated spokes rather than stainless, so fitting modern spokes is a good idea.