Freewheel stuck on hub: help!

Sea_Green_Incorruptible

A couple of months ago I bought a Pearson Touche with Halo Aerorage wheels and a flip flop hub. Great bike, currently doing 100+ miles a week on it. So far so good. However, it came with the cr*ppiest, noisest freewheel attached. It is SO noisy on fixed it beggars belief and annoys the hell out of me on SS. So...

I took it to my LBS to get them to take it off. They claimed they couldn't do so as they didn't have the right tool (it is an awful old two tooth fitting). In the meantime (as has since become apparent) it seems they had had a go at it with a hammer and scredriver, messing up the 'teeth' on the thread. Anyway, I took it to another LBS today who had a go at it with the proper tool. Again, no joy though, in part because of the damage done first time round.

What can I do? Anything? Or do I have to live with it? Is my only option a new wheel? Help and advice appreciated...

redvee

If the freewheel is the noisy item then you can knock seven shades out if it and dismantle it on the hub. Try and get a punch or similar in the small gap where the bearings are and then you can pull the sprocket off and attack the body with mole grips. This worked on a kids bike but think it might not on an adult bike.

Sea_Green_Incorruptible

Cheers Redvee. Hmmm. As a last resort I might try it. Mole grips did wonders for a fused in seatpost I had once...

KeithGlos

Most freewheels have a left hand thread outer bearing plate which is easy to tap off with a small punch. Then drop the bits off. Probably need about 12 inches of leverage, bench vice or pipe grips to unscrew the centre part. If you grip it too tightly it will deform and grip the threads.
What sort of bike shop can't do this.

Sea_Green_Incorruptible

Bloody lazy 'can't be arsed because all the easy money's in adjusting gears' ones it seems... :roll: I will try a third one before I have a crack at myself...

mz__jo

Taking freewheels apart by unscrewing the outer bearing cone and using a bench vice on it has been a stock method of mine for nearly 40 years. Never had any trouble getting them off or putting them back together afterwards. Take the ratchet pawls and springs off and you will have two (or three, which is not so handy for this operation) little flats that you can use. A vice is the best because your leverage is the diameter of the wheel and the force is even, but in the absence a 24" adjustable spanner or a large pipe wrench (known as a Stilson or are they meant to come in pairs?) will do. The bit where the pawls are located is usually pretty thick, relatively little chance of doing terminal damage if you clamp just hard enough to block the body of the freewheel without squashing it.
This is a single freewheel, the torque that has locked it in place will be less than that seen by a freewheel on a tandem with a 34T bottom sprocket and they still come off. Very few shops have a remover for single freewheeel unless they are heavily into BMX or the like. I have never seen one, they are larger than the old "normal" Maillard or Suntour type removers.
Most garages will lend you the use of a vice for 5 minutes if you ask them nicely.
There used to be lots of good bike shops in Bristol, I can't believe that they have all gone.
Cheers Jo

nicklouse

pics and a how to do mz__jo way.

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=46

Sea_Green_Incorruptible

Thanks everyone.

Took it to Mike at Strada Cycles in Southville this morning. 10 minute job for a minimum labour charge. Another feather in the cap for Strada (http://www.stradacycles.co.uk/). Just goes to show, if you want something doing properly take it to a proper bike shop.