I’m changing the drivechain on a friend’s bike. All’s going well except for the freewheel replacement bit. I’ve tried unscrewing it with the proper tool and a big spanner with plenty of leverage. However, nothing’s giving and all I seem to be doing is distorting the removal tool (see photo).

Any ideas? Maybe it’ll never come off and he’ll need to cough up for a new wheel? Dunno. Help??

Thanks 🙂

Distorted Freewheel Remover by Slugwash, on Flickr

Have you got access to a vice?
Use the wheel as leverage to spin the bugger off :O)

Well, the usual trick is to clamp the tool in a bench vice, lower the wheel down onto it and turn the wheel. If the tool is already distorting though, even that may not be enough.

they don’t have reverse threads do they?

I’d try some penetrating oil on the threads for a bit – make a little wall of plasticine to keep it where you want it if necessary.

shock treatment

hammer and brass aluminium bar and hammer the crap out of it , never failed me – and i worked on some pretty stuck on ones in a sea side town shop.

Hi Tim,

had an early morning ride with Phil ‘The Fixer’* Hodgkiss this earlier today 🙂

So do I just clamp the frewheel in the vice? I don’t think it’ll fit. And I suspect the tool will further distort if I continue using it. 🙁

* (He’s currently kicking some soft tartan arses in his role as a Project Manager)

hammer and brass aluminium bar and hammer the crap out of it

Might go and try that but I suspect that the freewheel is considerably more sturdy than the hub it’s ‘welded’ onto.

well if it breaks while doing it – then it was going to break what ever you did ….

clamp the tool in the vice. (might need a new one, possibly of harder material.)

clamping the freewheel is no good cos it freewheels in the direction you want it to be locked.

maybe cut the hub out by the spokes. buy new hub and spokes and relace. get a proper cassette.

or get a secondhand cassette-hubbed wheel. (my favourite option.)

my mistake – didn’t look properly at pic. thought it was the teeth that were failing. stick that tool in the vice. maybe try some heat (wallpaper stripperthough, not gas torch)

If tool is distorting try a ring spanner rather than an open-ended one. Get the biggest you can, or put a scaffold pole over thend of medium one and swing on it.
I had a seized BB recently, tried everything, heat, cold, penetrating oil, whacking, turning the frame with the tool in a vice. Eventually bought an emormous spanner and used my body weight as the lever and it just undid, easy as.
Also, if you can sput the tool on then attach it firmly (with a BB put the tool on, then a large washer, then the crank bolt, not sure how to this on a freewheel) reduced slippage helds a lot.

^^tool on, followed by qr spindle or axle nut, with washers where necessary

this bloke appears to have had a similar issue;

this bloke appears to have had a similar issue;

Yeah, but that’s probably a front wheel drive so not much help to me 😉

Anyway, done it now the original way after a bit of yogic breathing and two double espressos. The removal tool’s not distorted any further neither so it’s still good for removing the delicate lockrings on my shiny Campag cassettes.

Cheers for the, mostly, helpful replies guys 🙂

On my SS MTB, I had the right freewheel tool, locked on with a washer and wheelnut. Bought a perfect-fitting 24″ long “persuader” of a ring spanner and held the wheel and tried my hardest pressing down on the spanner. Nothing. Then the judicious application of The Teen’s body weight on the end of the spanner (with two hands), along with mine shifted it.

Putting the wheel in a vice may help, but I don’t think you’ll get enough torque without more people. You need more weight on the end of the spanner, or a longer spanner I’m afraid.

Hi again :O)

Vice the tool next time. Wheel on top so the FW facing down and turn the wheel anti clockwise.

Makes my bench jump but it normally works. Save knuckles as well.

Tim