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A trick for stubborn freewheel removal that actually worked | Bicycle Mechanics - Thought Shares

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?

4 comments

4 Comments

susanb347mo ago

Yeah, my buddy tried that steady push thing and still snapped his tool... had to heat it up like sage308 said.

sage3087mo ago

Heat the freewheel body with a torch first, just don't melt the spokes.

paige3317mo ago

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.

marywilson5mo 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.