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A trick for stubborn freewheel removal that actually worked
Had a customer's old road bike with a freewheel that wouldn't budge, even with the proper tool and a long cheater bar. After soaking it in penetrating oil overnight, I tried something different. I put the wheel in a bench vise, threaded the tool on, and used a 24-inch breaker bar with a 3-foot section of steel pipe over it for extra leverage. It took a solid, steady push, not a jerk, and it finally cracked loose on the second try. The key was keeping everything perfectly straight to avoid stripping the tool. Anyone have a different method for these really seized ones?
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susanb342mo ago
Yeah, my buddy tried that steady push thing and still snapped his tool... had to heat it up like sage308 said.
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sage3082mo ago
Heat the freewheel body with a torch first, just don't melt the spokes.
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Absolutely, heating it up is the only way to break that threadlocker. Grab a small propane torch and hit the freewheel body for like 30 seconds, keep the flame moving. You'll hear a little crack or sizzle when it lets go. Then you can usually spin it off with the tool and a big wrench, no crazy force needed. Just watch the spokes and the hub shell, you don't want to overheat the bearings.
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marywilson27d ago
All I'm saying is sometimes you just need a long cheater bar and some steady pressure. I've popped off more than a few freewheels without a torch and never wrecked a tool or a hub. @susanb34, your buddy might have been using a thin tool or not bracing the wheel right, snapping isn't always a heat issue. Plus, if you hit that locking with a torch wrong you can cook the grease in the hub or warp a cheap spoke. Just seems like jumping to fire is overkill for most bikes unless you live in a salt state.
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