How to remove a Free Wheel The Easy Way

[Sinner4]

Not sure if this has been shared, but after trying 2 park chain whips and a socket to remove a 5 to 8 speed Free Wheel, I found this the sure fire easy way for the removal. Chuck up the Free Wheel remover in your trusty vice on your work bench. Install the wheel with the free wheel face down and lock into place.

Then depending on how tight, rusted the free wheel is installed, give a big Ole Left Hand Turn and spin the wheel off of the Cog.

Some BMX and the other odd 4 and 2 notch might not work so well. There is another method of removing those.

Some Pic's

I just say, "Left Turn Clyde"

 

[CRASH]

Finding that freewheel tool in the size that fits the old 60's freewheels is the trick. I haven't been successful so far.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Cool idea, great way to get more leverage!
If your not worried about the freewheel (if it is being replaced for instance) I just weld them up so they dont freewheel anymore and unwind them with the chain whip... Kinda destroys the freewheel but gets it off the hub so it can be replaced...

Luke.

 

[Sinner4]

Finding that freewheel tool in the size that fits the old 60's freewheels is the trick. I haven't been successful so far.

I have found all of the removers but one. Its large and splined. Got lucky and for $6 i found one of the hard ones to find.

 

[expjawa]

Finding that freewheel tool in the size that fits the old 60's freewheels is the trick. I haven't been successful so far.

That's the issue I've got. I can't one that fits the freewheels on '60s-'70s vintage Schwinn wheels, and I came across an old Shimano freewheel on a Miyata that I redid that was smaller than any common one I could find today. Also, I came across one that was different then I'd seen before last week on a coworker's Schwinn road bike. I'm guessing it was an early '90s vintage, aluminum framed. It required a freewheel removal tool to take off the smallest cog (a chain whip was needed to hold the rest of it from rotating). Once that was off, there was a different removal tool for the main freewheel body, one that was bigger in diameter.

 

[Sinner4]

Post up some pics, looked on ebay and found 3 different ones tonight that I don't have. I found one little stout unit (non park tool) that worked on some 80's Huffy road bikes. Huffy Road Bikes, sounds like a Oxy Moron, The ones that had the 26 1 3/8 tires. I wonder if the Schwinns take that extra large one. None of the LBS around here ever had one.

For comparison, the Part Tool FR-1 compared to the odd ball unknown Freewheel Removal tool. The Stout one.
Fr-1 is on the left

 

[expjawa]

I'm going to bring the couple of wheels that I haven't been able to take the freewheels off of to the LBS that I bought my Surly from (Peddlers). It's a small shop, but this guy was able to dig up a few links of skip-tooth chain for me once in a pinch. If there's anyone around that could help, it'd be this one. Well, maybe Towners could too, but they're hard to deal with...

 

[alecw35]

the 2 or 4 peg freewheels and removers can be tricky. Especially if there a single speed freewheel, so have been well tightened onto the hub, by forcefull pedaling.

You are supposed to put a wheel nut on the axle to hold the tool on. not tight, but very close to the tool. then turn the tool or wheel a bit. the wheel nut might be be tight now. loose it of a little bit.

I have got freewheels off by using a drift/ screwdriver, and fitting the tip into one of the little round holes on the freewheels face plate. then sharply hitting it anti clock wise.

There might be arrows on the face plate, going clock wise, thats to remove that part, and so take the whole freewheel to bits. I have done this before. Its good to hold onto the outer part of the freewheel and gently remove it over a big tray, to let the bearings, springs and washers fall into it. Theres various parts in a freewheel. The sprung loaded parts that catch in the saw tooth section of the outer body, are called Pawls. The pawls have a few different designs. some fit in a slot in the inner body. Others have a little peg bit that goes in a hole. I prefer the peg type. As if I cant get the freewheel off with a proper remover tool. I take the freewheel to bits and then put the inner body in a vice. With the pawl indents in the vice jaws. clamp it up tight. Will need a good heavy work bench, to stay put. then uncsrew the wheel from the inner freewheel body. If its the slot type pawls. maybe leave the pawls in, to keep the slot shape ok. If its the peg type pawls, take the pawls off before putting it in the vice. If the parts are undamaged, and you have all the parts still, none have dissapeared. The freewheel can be rebuilt. It can be tricky. As theres hundreds of tiny bearings, the pawl springs are sometimes thin wire, that can stick in your fingers. They are tricky to refit. Put a good bit of grease in the pawls reccess. That might keep the Pawl down long enough to get the outer body on.
Remember that there is a few different sizes of freewheel thread diameter and thread pitch. Regular 34mm, thats used on a lot of single speeds, racers and MTBs. 30mm size thats used on little kids bikes and some modern BMXs. Theres also some old bikes from France or Italy that might have stuff of there own sizes, that arent compatable with other parts.
Remember to grease the inner threads or the wheel threads before fitting a freewheel

 

[Sinner4]

Good tech there alecw35, I just ran into a free wheel I have no idea how to get off. Looks like it was never meant to be removed. Older Columbia 10 speed road bike with 26 1 3/8 wheels. I'll have to post up the pics of the 2 and 4 slot free wheel with the axle and nut trick. Even some of the freewheels on the stationary bikes were never meant to remover either. they aren't on that tight and you can take a punch and rotate them off some what easily..

 

[kingfish254]

Great post. Seems like I used the method above for the donor freewheel on Fugsley. I seem to remember a lot of bearings falling onto my vice though.

 

[alecw35]

If you have a freewheel with no tool fitting or holes. It can be removed. wrap an old chain round it. then open out the vice wide, so that the freewheel sits in it, then clamp down really hard on the freewheel. Maybe with a long tube over the vice handle. What your trying to do is squash the hard steel freewheel. so it jams up. Then when its tight enough, you can try to turn the wheel.
This will more than likely destroy the freewheel. It can also damage the threaded section of the hub. So is only a last resort option. It can be done with care, after you get the wheel to move, a little. Loosen off the vice jaws a little.

 

[Sinner4]

Pictures from alecw35 post, the 2 and 4 peg freewheels. This is from a huffy road bike, place 2 peg onto freewheel, snug the axle nut on. Get big wrench and break loose. When its broken loose, remove the axle nut and then finish the spin off.







And here is the freewheel remover I'm looking for. This freewheel if off a Schwinn Road bike. I tried a BB Tool from park, close but no match. I'll try ebay again.



And these wont work

 

[Bill in Houston]

definitey use the nut or QR skewer to hold the tool flat in the freewheel.

somebody on bikeforums might be able to ID that unknown freewheel.

 

[Sinner4]

definitey use the nut or QR skewer to hold the tool flat in the freewheel.

somebody on bikeforums might be able to ID that unknown freewheel.

I need the tool to pull them, so I can clean and service the hub and cog.

 

[Bill in Houston]

sorry, so that then you would know what kind of tool to look for. i said that part in my head, but didn't type it.

 

[clamdigger]

definitey use the nut or QR skewer to hold the tool flat in the freewheel.

somebody on bikeforums might be able to ID that unknown freewheel.

I need the tool to pull them, so I can clean and service the hub and cog.

When I just want to do service and can not get the whole assembly off I unscrew the outer ring that has the 2 spanner holes.Then I put my hand over the gear cluster to keep it from moving, and turn the wheel upside down over a large bowl.When you lower the gear cluster down off of the axle,the bowl will catch all of the front and rear ball beaings. After servicing,the loose ball bearings and pawls that go on the back can be held in place by wheel bearing grease while you put it back together.

 

[alecw35]

Maillard freewheel remover might fit that. They did a small diameter spline and the large diameter that is.

Im not sure if they were called Atom.


As used on a lot of Raleigh and other cheap european racer bikes

That particular block has sprockets screwed onto the front, so you have to use 2 chain whips to get the front cogs off, before you can get the block to bits, and get to all the tiny ball bearings and things that ping off across your garage floor.

Having said that, the large diameter centre bore means you can service the actual wheel axle and bearings with out taking the block of.

 

[Jpromo]

lol this is exactly how my LBS removes them. It's pretty legit.

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

Pictures from alecw35 post, the 2 and 4 peg freewheels. This is from a huffy road bike, place 2 peg onto freewheel, snug the axle nut on. Get big wrench and break loose. When its broken loose, remove the axle nut and then finish the spin off.







And here is the freewheel remover I'm looking for. This freewheel if off a Schwinn Road bike. I tried a BB Tool from park, close but no match. I'll try ebay again.



And these wont work

scroll down a little bit on this link... the Normandy Type, CT-3 is the remover you need. Probably expensive.

http://www.bicycleresearchtools.com/wheelt.html

 

[Sinner4]

I need the tool to pull them, so I can clean and service the hub and cog.[/quote]
When I just want to do service and can not get the whole assembly off I unscrew the outer ring that has the 2 spanner holes.Then I put my hand over the gear cluster to keep it from moving, and turn the wheel upside down over a large bowl.When you lower the gear cluster down off of the axle,the bowl will catch all of the front and rear ball beaings. After servicing,the loose ball bearings and pawls that go on the back can be held in place by wheel bearing grease while you put it back together.[/quote]


I defently don't want to get in the internals and remove the cogs. Just wanted to remove the freeweel and clean up on the back side, if you need to replace the spokes you need to remove anyway. I just use light oil down in the freewhwwl to the bearings, then get to the hub bearings and lube them up. If the freewheel is trashed, rusted and what not I still would like to save the rest.