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Would a very rare 8 speed freewheel fit on a 6spd wheel? From what I've read the 8spd freewheel is longer than that a 6 or 7spd freewheel. Does this mean it needs a longer axle and extra wide spacers?
This is an acedmic question as I don't have an 8spd freewheel to hand. In fact I only discovered them yesterday and have never seen one in 8 years as mechanic. But apparently they did exist briefly in the early 90's.
I don't know the answer to your question but you can get 9 & 10spd freewheels now!
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/freewheels-dept75_pg1/
Road wheel or MTB wheel? 6 speed road wheels were generally 126mm OLN whereas 8 speed are 130mm - you need to fit a longer axle and probably re-dish the wheel to make this work. The reason the 8 speed freewheels didn't catch-on is that they put a lot of load on the hub bearings / axles - on a cassette hub the bearings are more widely spaced.