Changing freewheel

Ken Marcet said:

Okay I have never tried to change one before, but I need to change
out my back wheel. What do I need to do it? Is it something I
should learn how to do? Or should I just let the guys at the LBS do
it for me? I asked them about it today and the guy told me it was
like $12.00 seems like a reasonable price. Are the tools expensive?

I'm not sure whether you are using the terms for the parts correctly,
but why do you need to remove the freewheel from the rear hub as is
implied in the title of this thread? Removal of freewheels is one of
the problems that lead to cassette hubs because freewheels were such a
pain to loosen after much use. Always use anti-seize compound in the
threads between hub and freewheel.

If you choose to continue using this combination, you should probably
get the remover "nut" that can be used with a 12" Crescent wrench.
Finding replacement sprockets for many of these freewheels is getting
more difficult as time rolls on, most bicycles having one kind of
cassette hub or another, on which sprockets are not screwed on but
splines on and loosely held with a knurled retaining nut (easy to
remove).

[email hidden]

Ken said:

Okay I have never tried to change one before, but I need to change

out my

Quoted message said:

back wheel. What do I need to do it? Is it something I should learn

how to

Quoted message said:

do? Or should I just let the guys at the LBS do it for me? I asked

them

Quoted message said:

about it today and the guy told me it was like $12.00 seems like a
reasonable price. Are the tools expensive?

Ken

--
Remove "-dispose-trash" for email address
My personal webstie: http://kcm-home.tripod.com/
My blog: http://mind-dribble.blogspot.com/

Whether you have a freehub or freewheel, it is not a difficult job.
Removing the cogset takes a minute. You didn't say...

The tool will be manufacturer (and possibly model) specific. If you
have the following resources, you have everything you need:

* The removal tool - ten to twenty dollars.
* A bench vice - (optional) depends on your strength with an adjustable
wrench.
* Chain whips - for removal/reinstallation on some models, particularly
freewheels & threaded cogs.

You may also want to refer to Sheldon Brown's web page (start here:
http://sheldonbrown.com/k7.html#remove). Although I have not used his
site for this, I am confident that he would have detailed instructions
for this sort of operation.

If you expect to remove cogs often, it is best to learn how. You'll
save downtime, money, and eliminate an errand. If you go to the shop
during a lull, and you ask nicely, they may allow you to observe.

rsquared

Ken said:

Okay I have never tried to change one before, but I need to change

out my

Quoted message said:

back wheel. What do I need to do it? Is it something I should learn

how to

Quoted message said:

do? Or should I just let the guys at the LBS do it for me? I asked

them

Quoted message said:

about it today and the guy told me it was like $12.00 seems like a
reasonable price. Are the tools expensive?

Ken

The tools are not expensive, and this is easy to do. See:
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQcogs.shtml for instructions on
how to figure out what tools you need and how to do it.

Jeff

Ken said:

Okay I have never tried to change one before, but I need to change out my
back wheel. What do I need to do it? Is it something I should learn how to
do? Or should I just let the guys at the LBS do it for me? I asked them
about it today and the guy told me it was like $12.00 seems like a
reasonable price. Are the tools expensive?

If it _is_ a freewheel, it needs a special tool for that particular brand.

See: http://harriscyclery.com/tools/freewheel.html

Instructions are at: http://sheldonbrown.com/freewheels

If your bike is of decent quality and less than 15 years old, however,
you more likely have a cassette Freehub, not an old-fashioned thread-on
freewheel.

To tell the difference, see: http://sheldonbrown.com/free-k7

I have details on cassette Freehubs at: http://sheldonbrown.com/k7

Sheldon "Pages" Brown
+------------------------------------------------+
| Civility costs nothing, and buys everything. |
| --Lady Mary Wortley Montagu |
+------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

Ken said:

Okay I have never tried to change one before, but I need to change out my
back wheel. What do I need to do it? Is it something I should learn how to
do? Or should I just let the guys at the LBS do it for me? I asked them
about it today and the guy told me it was like $12.00 seems like a
reasonable price. Are the tools expensive?

If it really is a freewheel (see Sheldon's response), then you do need a
special tool. Even so, there is some special technique to getting it off,
as you have been tightening it all these years every time you ride it.
They are sometimes very, very stubborn. IMO for someone who doesn't do a
lot of his/her own work on the bike, it is probably not worth the hassle
to do it yourself. $12 is pretty cheap. Make sure you find an old fart
who actually has seen one before, rather than some kid who has no idea how
to remove it.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | When you are up to your ass in alligators, it's hard to remember
_`\(,_ | that your initial objective was to drain the swamp. -- LBJ
(_)/ (_) |

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ken Marcet said:

Okay I have never tried to change one before, but I need to change
out my back wheel. What do I need to do it? Is it something I
should learn how to do? Or should I just let the guys at the LBS do
it for me? I asked them about it today and the guy told me it was
like $12.00 seems like a reasonable price. Are the tools expensive?

I'm not sure whether you are using the terms for the parts correctly,
but why do you need to remove the freewheel from the rear hub as is
implied in the title of this thread? Removal of freewheels is one of
the problems that lead to cassette hubs because freewheels were such a
pain to loosen after much use. Always use anti-seize compound in the
threads between hub and freewheel.

Well as to why I need to remove the "freewheel" from the hub is that I need
to change the rear wheel which is bent beyond my ability to straighten. And
it is a "freewheel" and not a "cassette".

Quoted message said:

If you choose to continue using this combination, you should probably
get the remover "nut" that can be used with a 12" Crescent wrench.
Finding replacement sprockets for many of these freewheels is getting
more difficult as time rolls on, most bicycles having one kind of
cassette hub or another, on which sprockets are not screwed on but
splines on and loosely held with a knurled retaining nut (easy to
remove).

[email hidden]

"Sheldon Brown" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ken said:

Okay I have never tried to change one before, but I need to change out

my

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

back wheel. What do I need to do it? Is it something I should learn how

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

do? Or should I just let the guys at the LBS do it for me? I asked them
about it today and the guy told me it was like $12.00 seems like a
reasonable price. Are the tools expensive?

If it _is_ a freewheel, it needs a special tool for that particular brand.

See: http://harriscyclery.com/tools/freewheel.html

Instructions are at: http://sheldonbrown.com/freewheels

If your bike is of decent quality and less than 15 years old, however,
you more likely have a cassette Freehub, not an old-fashioned thread-on
freewheel.

Well I don't know the age of the bike, but it does appear to be a
"freewheel" and not the "cassette".

Quoted message said:

To tell the difference, see: http://sheldonbrown.com/free-k7

I have details on cassette Freehubs at: http://sheldonbrown.com/k7

Sheldon "Pages" Brown
+------------------------------------------------+
| Civility costs nothing, and buys everything. |
| --Lady Mary Wortley Montagu |
+------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

David L. Johnson said:

On Wed, 18 May 2005 14:58:54 -0400, Ken wrote:

$12 is pretty cheap.

Well it seems so. But this is the type of thing that most bike shops
(around here anyhow) usually do for free. A couple of years ago I got
an old bike with an Atom style freewheel. I didn't have the tool. A
local shop removed it for me (for free) and, when I asked, sold me a
spare tool for $10.

Tom

Quoted message said:

David L. Johnson said:

On Wed, 18 May 2005 14:58:54 -0400, Ken wrote:

$12 is pretty cheap.

Well it seems so. But this is the type of thing that most bike shops
(around here anyhow) usually do for free.

A shop I go to charged me $5 a month ago. $12 sounds like the usual
gouge and cheat the customer pricing used by local bike shops.

Freewheel pullers at most shops are about $5, and if you are able to
change to a new freewheel of the same type, $5 is all you'd spend to
remove this freewheel and the next one, for a net cost of $2.50 per
freewheel. that's cheap.

A shop charging $12 to remove a (n unstuck) freewheel probably has a
case of beer and a harem for the mechanics in the back room.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

Freewheel pullers at most shops are about $5, and if you are able to
change to a new freewheel of the same type, $5 is all you'd spend to
remove this freewheel and the next one, for a net cost of $2.50 per
removal. that's cheap. $12 is not cheap. To charge $12 to spend 5
mins (tops) to install a freewheel that I just sold to you, that's
bordering on highway robbery. If the old freewheel is stuck then
that's another matter altogether.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

russellseaton1 said:

Quoted message said:

David L. Johnson said:

On Wed, 18 May 2005 14:58:54 -0400, Ken wrote:

$12 is pretty cheap.

Well it seems so. But this is the type of thing that most bike shops
(around here anyhow) usually do for free.

That's a little surprising. Thing is, with freewheels that have been on
there since the Reagan administration (and most have), they can be a RPITA
to pull.

Quoted message said:

A shop I go to charged me $5 a month ago. $12 sounds like the usual
gouge and cheat the customer pricing used by local bike shops.

I don't think this is so far out of line as that.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | The lottery is a tax on those who fail to understand
_`\(,_ | mathematics.
(_)/ (_) |

Donald Gillies said:

Freewheel pullers at most shops are about $5, and if you are able to
change to a new freewheel of the same type, $5 is all you'd spend to
remove this freewheel and the next one, for a net cost of $2.50 per
removal. that's cheap. $12 is not cheap. To charge $12 to spend 5
mins (tops) to install a freewheel that I just sold to you, that's
bordering on highway robbery. If the old freewheel is stuck then
that's another matter altogether.

I think your pricing is a bit out of date. Nashbar has a freewheel tool
on sale for $7.50, normally $10, I think most LBS prices can
(reasonably) be expected to be a bit higher.

Removing a freewheel strikes me as a flat-rate job, for which the shop
averages the cost of the easy and difficult, as there's no way of
knowing beforehand.

If it was my wheel, I'd probably buy a new freewheel to install on the
new wheel. $12 gets you most of the way there, and you don't need a tool
to install it yourself.

Ryan Cousineau said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
"Qui si parla Campagnolo" <[email hidden]> wrote:

ys have the freewheel pullers for US$4? I am totally shopping

Quoted message said:

there!

No, seriously. I haven't had to buy many, but locally it's no stretch

to

Quoted message said:

pay $20 for whatever variety of puller is in stock.

Park ones are not expensive. Specialty pullers like the BMX one are
more expensive. A Campagnolo cassette/BB tool is about $20, Tacx are
expensive also but the Park one is not.