HP said:So I went down to a LBS to see if they have any tricks, and they said the
only thing left to do is to disassemble the freewheel and take out the
cogs, then clamp on the body to remove it.
The last time I took a wheel in to get a freewheel pulled, this is what I
was told as well. It's [censored], frankly. In my case, the kid who was
doing the work had never tried to remove a freewheel before, and had no
idea how to do it.
It sounds like you had the proper equipment, and your technique was OK,
but should have gone directly to the vice. A new freewheel remover tool
might work. the shop you went to didn't have one, so fed you a line.
Quoted message said:Didn't have a center punch, so
I tried with some flatbladed screwdriver to get the outer ring of the
freewheel to turn, but it just ate the screwdrivers.
Which way were you trying to turn it?
Quoted message said:Anyway, I'm
starting to think that getting this thing apart is more trouble than
it's worth, and since the wheel isn't that great a shape any more, I
thought about getting a new set of wheels.
Well, this is an option.
Quoted message said:
I checked on Nashbar and they have a wheelset for $75. It said that it
has a 130mm spacing (using 8-9 spd Shimano cassette). I don't know of
the specs on my bike (early to mid-80 Fuji), so I'm not sure if it will
fit. I'm not even sure what the measurement is exactly, for the dropout
width or the wheel or what.
The measurement is the width between the dropouts. Yours is, I bet,
126mm. On a steel bike, 4mm is not a big deal. You can have the frame
cold set to accomodate it (um, go to a different shop), you can cold-set
the frame yourself (look at Sheldon Brown's site), or you can simply apply
a little force and the wheel will go in. BTW, the front will fit fine.
Those $75 weels will have to be re-tensioned and stress-relieved in order
to be reliable, though.
--
David L. Johnson
__o | What is objectionable, and what is dangerous about extremists is
_`\(,_ | not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant.
(_)/ (_) | --Robert F. Kennedy