My Hope Pro II rear freehub has gone ominously quiet when freewheeling. I expected it to get noisier as the grease that I installed it with degraded. I suspect that one or more of the leaf springs under the pawls has broken hence the quieter running.

So I want to get to the back of the freehub to have a look, but cannot even get past the first hurdle – that ******* ******* end cap on the drive side. I cannot get the damn thing off. I’ve tried wiggling the wheel with the end cap in a bench vice – the vice just slips out no matter how tight I do it up. I’ve tried water pump pliers wrapped in electrical tape, but no luck and the only time they even feel secure is when they are nearly through the tape and the metal of the pliers is about to chew into the end cap.

Can someone please help before I wade into this with a lump hammer and a chisel or just throw the whole thing against the wall and jump up and down on it!

P.S. The Hope video on you tube just has the bloke easily popping the end cap off in the vice, much to my annoyance!

Can you get the disc side cap off? If so, tap it out from the other side. Or, drift the whole cassette and freehub off but keep close the the centre of the cassette spider so you don’t bend it.

Put it your wheel in the boot of your car cassette side down, then go for a drive. That usually removes the freehub!

Pull off the freehub, the endcap will come with it. Doesn’t sound like the solution, but you can put a lot more force on this way.

If it’s really stubborn- put down blocks of wood, put the wheel on the blocks, put a bit of cassette on the freehub (but not all- this is your handle). Stand on the wheel (over the blocks!), squat down, grab cassette, lift. (helps to wobble it slightly as you pull).

I’ve tried water pump pliers wrapped in electrical tape, but no luck and the only time they even feel secure is when they are nearly through the tape and the metal of the pliers is about to chew into the end cap.

Yep, just use the pliers without tape.

I had the same problem this week. I ended up taking the cap off the non drive side and tapping the whole axle out from that side

I reckon drifting off the cassette using a screwdriver wrapped in tape might be the best way. After that I’ll try the blocks of wood version, although couldn’t I just put the outer two cogs of the cassette on, put them through a workmate vice, tighten, then pull up against the cogs?

I’ll have a think about it and weigh up the best way to get max leverage whilst risking minimum damage!

Thanks for suggestions, they’ve got me thinking properly now the red mist has cleared.

Will risk a night ride in the week, then tackle one evening.

Good luck. Nothing to add but I couldn’t get the freehub body itself off, and the good people of STW sorted me out with a helpful suggestion involving 2p coins.

I fully sympathise with the bloke on the Hope video using a brand new hub “just a gentle tap here” – they should use one that’s been on the back of a bike for 5 years!

dannyh – Member

couldn’t I just put the outer two cogs of the cassette on, put them through a workmate vice, tighten, then pull up against the cogs?

You could, but it’ll be far harder to get any decent amount of force on.

On second thoughts, I’m going to do this tomorrow night.

My previous experience of this involved trying to replace a spoke, but the cassette had bitten into the previous alloy freehub body. Eventually, the whole lot came off as I tried to prise the cassette off of the freehub.

Now I’ve got the steel freehub body which is better in my opinion. I’ve still got spare pawls and springs cannibalised from the old freehub, so as long as I can get to it I’ll be fine!

I’m going to try some needle nosed pliers down the end of the end cap first. After this, it’ll have to be ‘cassette and all’!

I’ll have a mug of tea at the ready, and more time. You would have thought I would have learned by now……

Take it to a shop with a good mechanic who has the suitable Hope tools to do the job properly.

just a thought like.

There’s no “proper hope tool” for removing the endcaps or freehub.

but there are axle grips for the vice and also hub supports

I just had a stuck end cap nut with my DT Swiss M1800. Needed penetrating oil & small blowtorch then mole grips on the unthreaded part of the axle on the non drive side. Very satisfying when it shifted & freehub popped straight off.
Teeth marks on shaft stopped the cap going back on so put one end in a cordless drill chuck and held a fine file to it. Sorted.

Sancho – Member

but there are axle grips for the vice and also hub supports

Neither of which are of any real advantage.

Some hubs do need special tools but the great strength of the Pro 2 is that it’s so straightforward. Even the Hope tools are just prettier sockets.

put the cassette back on and use it to get your fingers in and give it a good tug (you can brace your feet against the rim for extra force).

it’s all just pressed together, innit.

Don’t forget to shout “Strength Of The Bear” before trying to get the end cap off.

And the Hope videos are rather reminiscent of Haynes manuals aren’t they? “Undo the clamps and separate the exhaust sections” is a favourite of mine 🙂

oldnick – Member

And the Hope videos are rather reminiscent of Haynes manuals aren’t they? “Undo the clamps and separate the exhaust sections” is a favourite of mine

All they need is a bit of unexpected snowballing. Tucked away at about point 5 in the process, “forge a new freehub, as in section 11”, then you turn to section 11 and it says “build a bauxite mine, see section 2”

I had a similar problem.
I used a drop of penetrating fluid and left it overnight, then after removing the cassette used two plastic tyre levers, opposite each other to get it moving. It wasn’t ideal and some slipping off occurred, but I managed to move it enough to get the cap off.
I’m not saying it’s going to work in this case as it sounds like its pretty stuck but might be worth a shot.

Just a thought – I have Pro 3 wheels and tried following the video on the Hope site for servicing. I had pretty much your experience until I discovered that the caps on this model unscrew with an allen key inserted into each end. Your hub isn’t this type, is it?

It’s pretty amazing how much the O-ring in the end cap gan grip the groove in the axle when it’s dry, I usually squirt GT85 inside the cap and allow it to penetrate for a short while, then use a (fancy,non-serrated, don’t want to mark customer’s bikes)pair of water pump pliers to wiggle them off. Some are still a struggle, most then come off fairly easily.

I stuck the end cap in the vice and then gently levered up against the hub with a screwdriver – came off first time.

I try to remember every month or so to pop the end caps off and regrease, saves a lot of bother.

Wow so much trouble with such a little thing

Definitely going to have a go at this later.

Get home after work, kids to bed, have tea.

Make large cup of tea, get all kit ready. Approach methodically.

Hopefully won’t replicate last night’s rushed, red mist attempt with accompanying loud exploration of some of the punchier and more forthright corners of the Anglo-Saxon tongue………….. 🙁