Originally Posted by
toeytei
yeah I do enjoy working on it (I guess it's fun for at least the first few times). problem is I don't have all the tools and my bike is a chinese cheapo. the freewheel got no brand/model on it so I couldn't buy the tool online. bike shops don't sell them near my place.
Maybe a little late now, but take a good photo of the freewheel, and someone will identify the tool.
Almost all of the freewheels made in the last 10 years will take either the Park FR1, FR1.2, or FR1.3, with the 1.2 and 1.3 being longer for the freewheels that overhang the attachment, but otherwise backward compatible.
This is especially likely for generics.
For Newbies, put your photos in the Album, and tell us to look for it.
Originally Posted by
Random Tandem
Gods bless the bike shops who tell owners of classic and vintage bike that their equipment is archaic and beyond repair,
Good for picking up deals on Craigslist, but there are some that are truly beyond hope.
Originally Posted by
Bonzo Banana
Modern freewheels are pretty awful though. They are mostly bottom end components with lower grade metal and meant for light duty tasks. Some of the older freewheels before cassettes became the norm were high quality components by top manufacturers. It's quite possible rebuilding a freewheel could be beneficial compared to fitting a modern replacement freewheel in my opinion. Obviously if the cogs are worn or more likely the smallest cog then that could be an issue.
I've got mixed feelings on this. I think the modern Hyperglide derived freewheels shift much better than the vintage freewheels.
However, those vintage ones can be TOUGH. I think I only ever wore out one 12T sprocket on a freewheel before upgrading to "modern". Now I have to be very careful with them, and using good chains. A brief lapse of attention and they're shot.