Freewheel Removal



41 wrote:
(snip)
> add a cheap and nearly
> invisible PLASTIC SPOKE PROTECTOR (or an aluminum one, if that's what
> you have, but I don't think those are made any more). These save a LOT
> of misery, as the regular tales of derailleurs getting caught in spokes
> here attest to. I am unable to comprehend why someone would not want
> one.


Bell Biker, faded to a light yellow, or maybe a Skid-Lid, originally
yellow. Little tiny square mirror attached to the side. Unkempt and
somewhat greasy, grizzled hair, obviously cut at home with a mirror.
Scratchy goatee, mismatched sideburns. Bill Dance sunglasses from
Target, metal-framed reading glasses on faded elastic cord bouncing
from the chest. Lumpy, discolored wool jersey, front and rear pockets
reinforced and re-stitched, with brown-stained KMart cotton undershirt
showing gaps around the neck band. Huge "Schwinn Approved" black
leatherette toolbag swinging heavily back and forth under the seat.
Rainbow striped (colors nearly gone), crochet back gloves,
white-to-black-near-the-brake-levers cloth handlebar tape, rewound
approx.six times and unraveling along the edges. Saggy wool
short-shorts, with white patina and repaired rear pocket. Fruit of the
Loom underwear lines showing through. Hairy legs, knobby knees, one
red/one black toestrap on Lyotard platform pedals, leather cycling
shoes with no cleats for improved walking. 26/47/49 chainwheels, 14-32
five-speed freewheel not quite covering the heavily scratched PLASTIC
SPOKE PROTECTOR.

HTH --D-y
 
41 wrote:
> bktourer1 wrote:
> > It is a "free wheel". I'd like to be able to replace any spokes that
> > break on the freewheel side while far from a LBS. More than one bike
> > tour packing list has had the tools needed, so it must be possible to
> > repair at a campsi te.

>
> Yes, it surely is, and people have done such for decades. Of course a
> vise makes life easier, but a 12" crescent wrench is enough too-
> although you may have to jump up and down on it. You need the small
> freewheel remover tool specific for your freewheel (which may be
> splined or notched) and a big enough wrench, that is all. If the
> freewheel/tool is notched instead of splined, you also need the quick
> release skewer assembly to keep the tool embedded in the notches.
> Tighten, then back off 1/4-1/2 turn. Turn freewheel tool that amount,
> back off quick release again, repeat.
>
> You can save yourself a LOT of trouble though by doing some preparation
> before you leave:
>
> -Make sure your wheel is properly built, and especially,
> stress-relieved as described in the book "The Bicycle Wheel" by Jobst
> Brandt. Available on either Amazon or at Avocet on their website. If
> so, it will not break spokes, period, unless you have some sort of
> accident, and even then not likely.
>
> -before installing your freewheel, clean the threads on it and the hub
> well, and then lubricate with Molybdenum Disulfide grease. This is a
> special extreme-pressure additive, and the only grease that will
> actually significantly decrease the force required to remove the
> freewheel. Everything else, including teflon, gets squeezed out under
> pressure.
>
> But the best bet is to have a properly built wheel in the first place
> that will not break spokes. If it is a 36 spoke wheel, and you have a
> touring frame with proper clearances, you can continue on even with a
> broken spoke and not really care.
>
> Have a great tour.o


Is Molybdenum Disulfide grease better than anti-seize? I've always used
anti-seize.
Regards, John
 
[email protected] wrote:
> On Wed, 12 Jul 2006 03:41:23 -0000, Richard B
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>Mark <[email protected]> wrote in
>>news:[email protected]:
>>
>>
>>>>bktourer1 wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>It is a "free wheel". I'd like to be able to replace any spokes that
>>>>>break on the freewheel side while far from a LBS. More than one bike
>>>>>tour packing list has had the tools needed, so it must be possible
>>>>>to repair at a campsi te.

>
>
>>>1) A 12" crescent is not really needed. I think I used to use an 8" -
>>>the secret is to find something very solid to wedge the 8" into so you
>>>can turn the wheel rather than the wrench, giving you ~13.5" of
>>>leverage. Campsite fire grates can work nicely, if they are the
>>>set-in-concrete kind. I've also had good luck with the opening atop
>>>milepost markers.
>>>
>>>2) Somebody used to market the "Pocket Vise," an aluminum blob with a
>>>big slot on one side and two horns on the other. The slot fit over
>>>the freewheel remover, and the blob had threads so it could be held in
>>>place with a skewer. The horns went around any handy immovable
>>>object, and again you turn the wheel. I have one and used it at least
>>>once. I was always afraid the horns would break off, but they never
>>>did. These might still be available, if only on Ebay.
>>>
>>>3) Try it at home before you leave! and grease as "41" suggests.
>>>
>>>Mark
>>>
>>>

>>
>>The pocket vise is avaiable here:
>>http://tinyurl.com/k8e4b
>>
>>$3.50
>>
>> Rich B.

>
>
> Dear Rich,
>
> Curse you!
>
> I have a Fiberfix spoke and ride on a freehub, so I have absolutely no
> need for a Pocket Pro.
>
> There's no picture at the nice link that you provide to Bike Tools.
>
> Andrew Muzi of YellowJersey.org said in 2003 that a friend of his
> named Angel Rodriguez patented the Pocket Pro, but that the tool is
> out of production:
>
> http://groups.google.com/group/rec.bicycles.tech/msg/4c032fa9ebe8ef4a
> or
> http://tinyurl.com/mj79x
>
> So my strong urge to buy one is very silly.
>
> On the other hand, if I don't spend about ten bucks for the tool plus
> shipping, how will I know what a Pocket Pro looks like?
>
> Off to the patent office . . .
>
> http://patimg2.uspto.gov/.piw?PageN...eel%26RS=(IN/rodriguez%2BAND%2BTTL/freewheel)
> or
> http://tinyurl.com/o5wo4
>
> Nice drawings.
>
> So there really is such a dingus. I'd use a guardrail or fence post
> instead of a bike frame as the lever. Thanks--now I know better than
> to doubt the ingenuity of American inventors.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Carl Fogel


OK, here are photos of mine:
http://home.comcast.net/~mandmlj/PocketVise/pocketvise1.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~mandmlj/PocketVise/pocketvise2.jpg

The only markings on it are very faint, and seem to refer to Pat Pend.
Dunno who he is, maybe he invented the thing. :)

Mark
 
Thank You everyone for all the information. I have acquired the
freehwheel remover and found several great photos in books
in the library. I am going to attempt to work on an old wheel before
I leave on my rip.
Ed
Mark wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
> > On Wed, 12 Jul 2006 03:41:23 -0000, Richard B
> > <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>Mark <[email protected]> wrote in
> >>news:[email protected]:
> >>
> >>
> >>>>bktourer1 wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>>It is a "free wheel". I'd like to be able to replace any spokes that
> >>>>>break on the freewheel side while far from a LBS. More than one bike
> >>>>>tour packing list has had the tools needed, so it must be possible
> >>>>>to repair at a campsi te.

> >
> >
> >>>1) A 12" crescent is not really needed. I think I used to use an 8" -
> >>>the secret is to find something very solid to wedge the 8" into so you
> >>>can turn the wheel rather than the wrench, giving you ~13.5" of
> >>>leverage. Campsite fire grates can work nicely, if they are the
> >>>set-in-concrete kind. I've also had good luck with the opening atop
> >>>milepost markers.
> >>>
> >>>2) Somebody used to market the "Pocket Vise," an aluminum blob with a
> >>>big slot on one side and two horns on the other. The slot fit over
> >>>the freewheel remover, and the blob had threads so it could be held in
> >>>place with a skewer. The horns went around any handy immovable
> >>>object, and again you turn the wheel. I have one and used it at least
> >>>once. I was always afraid the horns would break off, but they never
> >>>did. These might still be available, if only on Ebay.
> >>>
> >>>3) Try it at home before you leave! and grease as "41" suggests.
> >>>
> >>>Mark
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>The pocket vise is avaiable here:
> >>http://tinyurl.com/k8e4b
> >>
> >>$3.50
> >>
> >> Rich B.

> >
> >
> > Dear Rich,
> >
> > Curse you!
> >
> > I have a Fiberfix spoke and ride on a freehub, so I have absolutely no
> > need for a Pocket Pro.
> >
> > There's no picture at the nice link that you provide to Bike Tools.
> >
> > Andrew Muzi of YellowJersey.org said in 2003 that a friend of his
> > named Angel Rodriguez patented the Pocket Pro, but that the tool is
> > out of production:
> >
> > http://groups.google.com/group/rec.bicycles.tech/msg/4c032fa9ebe8ef4a
> > or
> > http://tinyurl.com/mj79x
> >
> > So my strong urge to buy one is very silly.
> >
> > On the other hand, if I don't spend about ten bucks for the tool plus
> > shipping, how will I know what a Pocket Pro looks like?
> >
> > Off to the patent office . . .
> >
> > http://patimg2.uspto.gov/.piw?PageN...eel%26RS=(IN/rodriguez%2BAND%2BTTL/freewheel)
> > or
> > http://tinyurl.com/o5wo4
> >
> > Nice drawings.
> >
> > So there really is such a dingus. I'd use a guardrail or fence post
> > instead of a bike frame as the lever. Thanks--now I know better than
> > to doubt the ingenuity of American inventors.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Carl Fogel

>
> OK, here are photos of mine:
> http://home.comcast.net/~mandmlj/PocketVise/pocketvise1.jpg
> http://home.comcast.net/~mandmlj/PocketVise/pocketvise2.jpg
>
> The only markings on it are very faint, and seem to refer to Pat Pend.
> Dunno who he is, maybe he invented the thing. :)
>
> Mark
 
john wrote:

> Is Molybdenum Disul fide grease better than anti-seize? I've always used
> anti-seize.


What is marketed as anti-seize is grease with metal or similar
particles in it- aluminum, copper, and nickel being the most common,
but molybdenum disulfide grease would count as anti-seize grease too.
The idea for copper and aluminum &c anti-seize greases is to help
prevent galvanic corrosion between dissimilar metals, but the metal
particles also work, once the grease base has been pressured away, to
allow the threads to be unscrewed. Molybdenum disulfide is better for
that though, since the particles slide against each other so well, and
is the gold standard (molybdenum standard?) for extreme pressure
applications like freewheels. It's a lot cheaper than "anti-seize",
perhaps even than "copper grease", which is the same but cheaper
marketed label of copper anti-seize. I've never used copper or aluminum
or nickel anti-seize though; do you find it significantly reduces the
force needed to unscrew the freewheel? MdS grease does.
c
 
[email protected] wrote:
> 41 wrote:
> (snip)
> > add a cheap and nearly
> > invisible PLASTIC SPOKE PROTECTOR (or an aluminum one, if that's what
> > you have, but I don't think those are made any more). These save a LOT
> > of misery, as the regular tales of derailleurs getting caught in spokes
> > here attest to. I am unable to comprehend why someone would not want
> > one.

>
> Bell Biker, faded to a light yellow, or maybe a Skid-Lid, originally
> yellow. Little tiny square mirror attached to the s ide. Unkempt and
> somewhat greasy, grizzled hair, obviously cut at home with a mirror.
> Scratchy goatee, mismatched sideburns. Bill Dance sunglasses from
> Target, metal-framed reading glasses on faded elastic cord bouncing
> from the chest. Lumpy, discolored wool jersey, front and rear pockets
> reinforced and re-stitched, with brown-stained KMart cotton undershirt
> showing gaps around the neck band. Huge "Schwinn Approved" black
> leatherette toolbag swinging heavily back and forth under the seat.
> Rainbow striped (colors nearly gone), crochet back gloves,
> white-to-black-near-the-brake-levers cloth handlebar tape, rewound
> approx.six times and unraveling along the edges. Saggy wool
> short-shorts, with white patina and repaired rear pocket. Fruit of the
> Loom underwear lines showing through. Hairy legs, knobby knees, one
> red/one black toestrap on Lyotard platform pedals, leather cycling
> shoes with no cleats for improved walking. 26/47/49 chainwheels, 14-32
> five-speed freewheel not quite covering the heavily scratched PLASTIC
> SPOKE PROTECTOR.


A fascinating insight into the phobias and terrors of Ovis fashionista.


General Attributes
The fashionista sheep is a defenseless, aggressive animal. It is
covered with shiny lycra. Sheep gather garments in early winter before
they are destroyed by going out of style. The ancients first offered
sheep as sacrifices, rather than bulls.

Sources (chronological order)
Pliny the Elder [1st century CE] (Natural History, Book 8, 72-75):
Sheep are useful for offerings to the fashion gods, and for fleecing.
(Pliny goes into great detail on getting fleeced). Male fashionista
lambs are produced when the north wind is blowing hot air, while the
south wind produces females. Thunder causes pregnant sheep to miscarry
if they are alone, but not if they are in a flock.

Isidore of Seville [7th century CE] (Etymologies, Book 12, 1:9): Sheep
get their name (ovis) because they were originally the offering
(oblatio) of the ancients to the fashion gods. Sheep have soft woolly
brains and weak bodies.
 
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
>
>
>Please advise exaclty what tools I'll need to remove a freewheel on
>the road while touring to change a broken spoke on the freewheel side.
>I would like to know if there is a good site with exact instructions
>and perhaps photos of each step.


The tool that is specific to your freewheel and the largest wrench you can
carry.
-----------------
Alex
 
41 wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
> > 41 wrote:
> > (snip)
> > > add a cheap and nearly
> > > invisible PLASTIC SPOKE PROTECTOR (or an aluminum one, if that's what
> > > you have, but I don't think those are made any more). These save a LOT
> > > of misery, as the regular tales of derailleurs getting caught in spokes
> > > here attest to. I am unable to comprehend why someone would not want
> > > one.

> >
> > Bell Biker, faded to a light yellow, or maybe a Skid-Lid, originally
> > yellow. Little tiny square mirror attached to the s ide. Unkempt and
> > somewhat greasy, grizzled hair, obviously cut at home with a mirror.
> > Scratchy goatee, mismatched sideburns. Bill Dance sunglasses from
> > Target, metal-framed reading glasses on faded elastic cord bouncing
> > from the chest. Lumpy, discolored wool jersey, front and rear pockets
> > reinforced and re-stitched, with brown-stained KMart cotton undershirt
> > showing gaps around the neck band. Huge "Schwinn Approved" black
> > leatherette toolbag swinging heavily back and forth under the seat.
> > Rainbow striped (colors nearly gone), crochet back gloves,
> > white-to-black-near-the-brake-levers cloth handlebar tape, rewound
> > approx.six times and unraveling along the edges. Saggy wool
> > short-shorts, with white patina and repaired rear pocket. Fruit of the
> > Loom underwear lines showing through. Hairy legs, knobby knees, one
> > red/one black toestrap on Lyotard platform pedals, leather cycling
> > shoes with no cleats for improved walking. 26/47/49 chainwheels, 14-32
> > five-speed freewheel not quite covering the heavily scratched PLASTIC
> > SPOKE PROTECTOR.

>
> A fascinating insight into the phobias and terrors of Ovis fashionista.


(drivelsnip)

Pretty close description then, I take it? --D-y
 
41 wrote:

>I've never used copper or aluminum
>or nickel anti-seize though; do you find it significantly reduces the
>force needed to unscrew the freewheel? MdS grease does.


Well that sorta makes us even. I've never used MdS grease. For
whatever reasons, I've always believed that anti-seize was superior to
anything else in this type of situation. For 30 or 40 years, I've
always had good fortune getting problem stuff unstuck that had been
coated w/ anti seize, & been certain that it made a significant
contribution to loosening problem areas over normal axle grease

However, recently I've had my faith shaken a little when I destroyed a
very old SunTour 2 prong freewheel trying to remove it. It had been
ridden a lot of miles & then stored for 10 or 15 years. I'm not
entirely sure that I had coated it w/ anti-s. But suspect I had. This
situation was probably too extreme to be a reliable indicator of
anything. I'm certainly willing use MdS grease. Do you have any
reference web sights that I might study?

One more thing; Anti-Seize is not expensive when used the way I use it.
That is, a small can lasts many, many years. I only use it on problem
areas such as freewheels (a disappearing breed), bottom brackets, and a
few other places I can't think of right now. Come to think of it, it
takes me years to use a 1 lb can of lithium grease that I lubricate all
the rest of threads, & seat posts, etc. with.

Thanks, John