speedyspaghetti

So I don't know if ironic is the right word here, but this happened yesterday - I was riding the MB-6 on one of my local trails to take an easy day after a brutal road bike day the day before. Everything was going smooth - I'm less than a 1/4 mile from the top of the climb and I give a little hard push to get over a little steep section and I start feeling as if my rear wheel were slipping/rubbing, so I get off the bike to inspect but everything seems normal. I pull the wheel off and spin it to see if it somehow bent the rim, but its perfectly true. I put the wheel back on and try to keep going but the rims keeps wobbling all the way over to the left once a revolution as if the wheel is completely out of true. I inspect the freewheel and it looks a little off-kilter (see below)



It looks a bit "off," but nothing seemed to be loose or broken. Unfortunately I had to hike down the 3 miles I had ridden up before I could do any further inspection. I got the bike home, pulled the wheel, and loosened the axle out of the hub only to find that the freewheel body had completely sheared off of the hub itself (!!)





I still have no idea how or why this happened, but regardless, I'm going to at least need a new rear wheel for the MB-6. So I guess I'd like to run some ideas by you guys and see what you think I should do.

The MB-6 has full Suntour XCM components on it - including Accushift 7s shifters - which I believe is incompatible with Shimano freewheels. The freewheel is still in great condition, but I have no earthly idea how I would ever get it off of the remnants of the freewheel body without damaging the freewheel itself.

So, as I see it, here are my options:

1. Swap the wheels from the MB-3 onto the MB-6 since they have a freewheel hub. Question for this option is whether the SunRun freewheel I have on those wheels would work with the Accushift shifters. If not, are the freewheel threads universal? Would it just be a matter of putting a Suntour freewheel on the MB-3 wheelseet?
2. Buy another 7s wheelset off of Craigslist - seems like I can find a set with a freewheel and tires for between $50 and $100.
3. Go with option 1 but then do the 8, 9, or 10s conversion on the MB-3 OR if the Suntour components are too hard to work with/find a replacement freewheel, I could potentially do the the 8/9/10 upgrade on the MB-6 instead.

What would you guys go with / why do you think the freewheel/hub failed so spectacularly?

Thanks, as always!

70sSanO

I would post the pic of the sheared off threaded portion of the hub still stuck in the freewheel in the Bicycle Mechanics subforum.

I’ve worked on bikes for a long time but I’m not sure how to grip the threaded portion to remove it. There are mechanics over there who have seen just about everything and might have a solution. You may only have one shot at removing it.

Your best bet is to save the Suntour freewheel if you can and use it on your other wheels.

John

70sSanO

On your freewheel question. It is my understanding that Suntour 7 speed freewheels had different spacing between the larger cogs and smaller cogs, so a Shimano freewheel won’t work.

John