According to "Le Monde De Daniel Rebour", page 176, there is a Cyclo freewheel (French) six speed freewheel dated 1963. I guess the French had it way back then. I don't have a reference for it's application (on a cycle), but you can be sure that someone used it. ken denny boston
>From: "Hilary Stone" <Hilary.Stone@Tesco.net>
>To: chuckschmidt@earthlink.net, RALEIGH531@aol.com
>CC: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>Subject: Re: [CR]Now: Six-speed freewheels Was: catalogue #3
>Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2001 09:01:02 +0000
>
>As far as I am aware the first production bike with a six-speed freewheel
>was the Moulton Speed Six in 1964/5. Although not common it was a genuine
>catalogued production machine built in reasonable numbers. It used a
>special
>freewheel with small top sprockets and a modified Cyclo Benelux P60 rear
>derailleur (modified by Cyclo not Moulton).
>Regards
>Hilary Stone
>
>----------
> >From: Chuck Schmidt <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net>
> >To: RALEIGH531@aol.com
> >Cc: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> >Subject: [CR]Now: Six-speed freewheels Was: catalogue #3
> >Date: Fri, Feb 23, 2001, 7:40 am
> >
>
> > RALEIGH531@aol.com wrote:
> >>
> >> Thanks for the catalog pages.
> >> I was surprised to see a 13-26 six speed Regina freewheel in 1964(?)
> >> Was this intended for touring and would it have required 126 spacing?
> >>
> >> Pete Geurds
> >> Douglassville, Pa
> >
> >
> > Good question!!! This always puzzled me. In the mid-1950s the racing
> > bikes came with 4-speed freewheels, even though there were 5-speed
> > freewheels available. In the mid-1960s the bikes came with 5-speed
> > freewheels even though there were 6-speed freewheels available.
> >
> > I have heard that the early 70s Raleigh Professional was the first
> > production bike that came with a 6-speed freewheel (Atom) and I don't
> > think 6-speed freewheels were generally in use until the mid-1970s.
> >
> > Seems like there was a ten year lag each time before anyone decided they
> > really needed another gear. Quite a contrast to today's drivetrains
> > with the number of speeds in the rear increasing every couple of years.
> >
> > Chuck Schmidt
> > South Pasadena, California
> > http://www.velo-retro.com (NEW list of reprints and T-shirts)