Recommended Single Speed Freewheel?

annoyingtwit

I suspect that the freewheel on my single speed Viking bike is wearing out. I'm experiencing a number of symptoms that suggest that it at least needs a service. Occasional clicks combined with a feeling of slipping a bit. I'm going to try checking for stiff chain links and also to clean and lube the freewheel as I see advised on other threads here. But, I must admit that I'm planning on replacing bits of the drive train. The bike is only two years old but it is very heavily used, for commuting, cross country rides, and triathlons. When I bought it was only meant for commuting to work which is only a few miles away, but I find it quite rideable and use it extensively.

Could some kind people please recommend some replacement gear? A suitable brand of 16 tooth SS freewheel, and a matching chain. The front sprocket doesn't look too warn, there is no sign of the asymmetrical 'cresting wave' shape. There is a local shop in Leicester that rebuilds bikes into branded single speeds, but they only had an unknown brand freewheel last time I asked. They said that they were absolutely fine and they use them on their own bikes. But, given how much I use the bike, I would prefer to buy a better item if there is £10 or £20 difference in the price or so. (Yes, I wish I had applied this strategy when I chose my brand of bike in the first place, but it is doing the job).

47p2

You won't get much better than a White Industries freewheel, but they are expensive at around £75.00-£95.00

I've been using the much slated Shimano MX30 for over a year now and never had a problem with it, just give it a clean and oil every now and then and it's still like new.

Also check eBay for NOS vintage freewheels that were Made in England, they are usually good quality and at around £15.00-£20.00 good value

dork_knight

After failing to win a couple of white freewheels on ebay I purchased a halo clickster, which seem Ok and comes in a 16t version;

http://www.charliethebikemonger.com/hal ... 1436-p.asp

I tend to stick with Izumi chains, but there are a lot of other options like KMC;

http://www.kinokocycles.com/cycling/com ... e/p/2.html
http://www.evanscycles.com/categories/c ... s#!Speed=1

47p2

There's a 16T x 3/32" Suntour on the bay now for £12.95 inc postage. Not sure how good it would be but Suntour was a highly respected manufacturer back in the 80s so worth considering

If you require a 16T x 1/8" freewheel and have a bit of cash to splash there is a lovely Regina on the bay for £42.00 inc postage

redvee

47p2 wrote:

You won't get much better than a White Industries freewheel, but they are expensive at around £75.00-£95.00

Bagged one off Ebay.com for £55

47p2 wrote:

I've been using the much slated Shimano MX30 for over a year now and never had a problem with it, just give it a clean and oil every now and then and it's still like new.

Upto £30 for 2 years use if looked after, mine would last monger if I didn't ride through flooded subways with 10" deep water but a 15 minute job to open it up and dribble some chain lube on the bearings makes it good again.

annoyingtwit

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I dropped into an independent shop today. They had the same inexpensive freewheel that the other shop has. It's a "Dicta", with the box looking like this:



I've just googled dicta freewheels, and the first thread I found was a LGSS thread "How sh*t are Dicta freewheels?" which includes a very graphic image that people won't want to see near dinner time. The actual opinion seemed to be negative.

They said that they can order me a Shimano, which would be about £20, but I forgot to ask the model. The standard Shimano freewheel I see online costs about £23, so it might be the same one but cheap if he can actually get it for £20. They also have the tool for changing freewheels for about £10. They said that if I bought the freewheel and the tool, that they'd demonstrate how to use it by swapping freewheels. Which seems to be a good deal to me as it would mean that I could change freewheels myself into the future. I suspect that I haven't been looking after my current freewheel properly, so should be more careful with any future freewheel. E.g. riding it in all weathers on all sorts of roads, through fords, etc., and then not cleaning it regularly. Perhaps having a maintenance schedule would be more of an improvement than the best quality wheel.

I'm off to ebay to look for some of the brands and types (e.g. NOS made in UK) recommended here. The Halo looks interesting, but that's mainly going on an assumption of a linear relationship between price and quality, which might be wrong. There's also a Sturmley Archer freewheel. Any good?

redvee

For £25-£30 go for Shimano MX30, limited sizes, 16, 17 oe 18t but will last if lubed and cleaned every 6 months or so depending on weather conditions you ride in. As mentioned I just open mine whilst it's still on the wheel and dribble some Finish Line chain lube into it. You'll know when it needs lubing as it makes a loud noise. Go for the Park Tool FR6C to remove the freewheel as it has a deeper body to fir over locknuts etc. You'll need a 15" jussie too for the leverage needed on stubborn freewheels.

47p2

I lube the Shimano MX30 or a regular basis but several different ways depending on how bad it sounds

For a general lube without removing the wheel you can place the bike down on its side and dribble some oil in between the cover and the freewheel while turning the wheel. This allows the oil to seep through into the ballbearings and pawls.

If I decide to go further I remove the wheel and freewheel cover but leave the freewheel attached to the hub/wheel and pour some oil onto the bearings, replace the cover and refit the wheel.

For a deep cleanse remove the wheel then remove the freewheel, loosen the cover but leave it on by a couple of threads, this prevents the ball bearings spilling out, then immerse the freewheel into some turps or paraffin and give it a good swish around to clean the muck from the inside, you may have to do this a few times using clean turps/paraffin until the freewheel is clean. Towel dry and leave face down overnight if possible on a piece of kitchen towel to allow the remaining turps/paraffin to drip/wick out. Once it's nice and dry re-lube, tighten the cover and refit.

If you're feeling confident it is possible to remove the bearings/pawls and body to allow access to the rear bearings, but be warned it can be awkward refitting it all together...Best practise on an old freewheel first

The oil I use is a heavy duty SAE40 car oil for the freewheel

redvee

47p2 wrote:

The oil I use is a heavy duty SAE40 car oil for the freewheel

I've done the full disassembley in the past but now just remove the cover to lube. I learned the lesson of too heavy a lube when I used grease and the freewheel kept jumping. Chain lube is the heaviest I have.

47p2

Never use grease to rebuild a freewheel, it jams everything up. The SAE40 is heavy enough to stick to the internals but still light enough to not interfere with the workings