New-Old-Stock Shimano Sante UniGlide 6/7-Speed Freehub (32 Hole / 126mm Spacing)...Model FH-5000
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Product Description:

This offering is for a new-old-stock Shimano Sante UniGlide freehub (model FH-5000). This is a very good quality, late 80's freehub that is polished to what may best be described as a pearl silver finish. Please understand, the finish work is high-end, but it's intentionally an understated appearance.  Detailed specifications include the following...

  • Hole count: 32H

  • Locknut dimensions: 126 mm

  • Cluster compatibility: 6/7-speed (non Dura-Ace) UniGlide cassette (although, refer to HyperGlide hub body swap discussion below for more cassette options)

  • Axle type: hollow type with Shimano branded quick release skewer (but not a factory match)

  • Weight: 427 grams

  • Other specifications: For those that want to know the specific hub body length (or said another way...the length of the splines on the hub body), we measure them to be 31 mm...and this includes an 8 mm external threaded section for either a 6 or 7-speed (non Dura-Ace) UniGlide cassette.  As alluded to above, please also keep in mind there is a fairly common procedure that increases the cassette options of this freehub by way of a HyperGlide hub body swap (which is discussed in more detail below).

Shimano literature further indicates this model freehub has a one-pieced forged aluminum alloy design...so a very strong and durable offering that should hold up well under stressful conditions.. This same reference material also indicates the cup-n-cone bearing design is enhanced to include some sealing properties that should help reduce internal wear. Now I will be the first to admit these sealing properties are not on par with more current cartridge bearing designs, but I believe Shimano's claim still holds some merit.

It's probably also worth noting the extremely short production run for the Sante groupset.  The best I can tell the groupset was introduced in the late 80's, but appears to have been discontinued by 1990 (so a 1-2 year production run is all that we appear to have with this groupset).  This limited production run is consistent with what we see on the market today...and that is very little in the way of new-old-stock Sante components (at least relative to some of Shimano's other high-end road components from this same era).

As for condition, this is a new and unused freehub with no evidence of lacing on any of the spoke holes. The freehub is not retail boxed, so expect some minor shopwear, but overall the anodized understated pearl silver finish still shows well. Lastly I want to confirm that while the skewer pictured and included is Shimano branded, I am certain it is not a Sante factory matched skewer. I am looking for rear Sante skewers, but like these freehubs, such skewers in any condition are an extremely tough find in today's market. So for now, I will sell these freehubs with Shimano branded skewers, but they are not Sante factory matched skewers. Lastly, I should confirm I have been updating the pictures to reflect the next one of these freehubs that will sell/ship.

HyperGlide hub body swap information...
We've had a number of customers ask us if these hubs are a good candidate for a HyperGlide freehub body exchange (since the 126 mm spacing is so rare in a nos Shimano freehub in any model...so it might be worth the effort). We have not attempted to do this, but all our research indicates these freehubs do have Shimano's interchangeable hub body parts that will allow for the replacement of the existing UniGlide hub body with a HyperGlide hub body. From what we can tell, after you remove the axle, there is a hollow fixing bolt that requires a 10 mm allen wrench. This bolt has conventional threading, so it should unscrew with a counterclockwise turn of the wrench...and once removed, the freehub body should be loose and may be uninstalled. Our understanding is the HyperGlide repacement body should install in the same manner.

I guess the one area where problems may result is the right side cone and dust cap that helps to hold the bearings in place may be different...meaning these UniGlide hub bodies may have slightly different cones/dust caps compared to what is needed for the HyperGlide replacement body. We believe some customers have worked around this problem by using the necessary HyperGlide freehub parts from an otherwise worn out HyperGlide freehub (where the handful of parts needed to do this exchange are still serviceable). We're not exactly sure on all the details here, but we still thought the above information might be helpful to those considering one of these freehubs for such an exchange.

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