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This is driving me mad. I can remove the non-drive side end cap but can't budge the drive side cap even using a vice. I assume its rusted on the bearing? I believe I can knock the axle through from the non-drive side, but does that leave me with a problem with how to take off the free-hub? Not done a bearing replacement before - it looked so easy on the Hope video!
mole grips is what I use.
Bit of bar throuh from the other side.
Grab the feehub body and pull it off.
A vice, a wiggle and a bit of persistance is yet to let me down, they are tight on though!
Clamp it in the vice and then use two flat head screwdrivers to apply pressure either side between vice and freehub body if the wiggle method doesn't work they always pop off this way.
Well I've given up trying to pull off the end cap (tried vice and mole grips with full support of local muscle). Only option is to knock through from the other side. What's going to happen. Am I going to destroy the free hub? I can't get the free hub off without taking the end cap off can I? Are bits going to fly in all directions?
Best bet it to put the cassette back on as well, then wrap a large flat bladed screwdriver in tape. Then use this to lever against a spoke base against the back of the cassette, you may be there a while, but it will (literally) fly off in the end - cassette, freehub and end cap.
I'm going to have to do this in the next couple of days as well, and am not looking forward to it again. I greased the inner o-ring that holds the end cap on before putting it back on, but this doesn't seem to make much difference!
Those hope videos are optimistic in the extreme!
P.S. Two screwdrivers simultaneously is also an option, but you need some way to keep the wheel steady whilst you do it!
I originally had the same problem, but mine have a little circlip.
You may need a torch, but you'll see about 0.5mm of silver, so insert a thin screwdriver in the gap, push the cirlip in and then turn the screwdriver around in a circle when angling the cap, and it just pops off. It's (for mine) impossible to pull off as half the circlip lies in the hub body.
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[edit]BTW this is for the front, the 9mm rear one does just pull off, but can't remember if there's a circlip. So sorry, I'm probably not much use at all!
Hopes rear wheel end cap's can be an absolute nightmare, IME even when new they are the toughest seal known to man (slight exaggeration, but not much), add a hint of rust and get ready to be fustrated.
As above try two screw drivers, then molegrips, finally put the cassette back on & do up the locknut finger tight, then bash at the rear of the cassette using a some sort of wooden shaft - move round the wheel, to force it off evenly. The greas e the thing thoroughly, only to find it a ****en nightmare again next time 😉
PS: I've never seen circlips on hope rear wheel end caps.
No, no cir clips on any Hope QR end caps
There's a little rubber O ring inside the end cap that is often the cause and can be a nightmare to shift.
Couple of tyre levers is what I've used in the past to get them off.
A squirt of silicon spray between axle and end cap might help in freeing up the O ring
Are there not some overpriced Hope tools available for this?
Empy.
If it's any consolation it has taken me over half an hour tonight to get a cassette lockring off. I was hitting the tool with a hammer, nearly emptying a can of WD40 into it, and getting the heavy duty rubble handling gloves out in case my hand slipped.
It finally gave way, as did all the plastic bits holding the old cassette together and it all fell off as nine separate cogs!
Thankfully I now don't have to get the end caps off as I'm just replacing the cassette (it usually happens that I have to lever the whole lot off).
Anyway, I thought that might cheer you up. These things are NEVER simple in my experience!
Thanks DannyH! I've given up for another night - might have to resort to the LBS...or might give it an almighty wack on my way to bed.
Finally sorted this! Just in case you get into the same pickle: I removed the non-drive side end cap and knocked the axle through from the other side. The freehub stayed in place and in fact a bearing stopped the pawns being knocked out. Then clamped the axle in a vice, held the drive side end cap with a large adjustable grip, then knocked this with a hammer. Right that's step one of my hub rebuild.......
You'll be wanting one of these to use in a vice;
https://www.google.co.uk/shopping/product/1500918094831334462?q=park+av-4&rlz=1C1GGGE_en-GBGB532GB532&espv=210&es_sm=93&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.56988011,d.ZGU,pv.xjs.s.en_US.dtklyhSMdi0.O&biw=1032&bih=502&tch=1&ech=1&psi=BJuOUpGPE-af7Abvq4E4.1385077506136.3&ei=BpuOUsq4Faey7AbRqIHACg&ved=0CGoQpiswAA