Why did my freewheel explode?
03-17-17, 12:21 PM
#1
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Why did my freewheel explode?
Hey all. My wife was wanting to give mountain biking a try but we don't have enough money for a new mountain bike, so I got out the first one I bought to commute on (a $20 walmart mongoose full suspension heavy-as craigslist find) and fixed it up for her to try until we can afford something. I took the freewheel off to repack the rear hub when I was doing that, and it worked for a few months but I took it out for a spin the other day and suddenly my chain got thrown when I was soft pedaling. I looked down and the bearings from the freewheel were just dropping out onto the ground. I checked it out and the ratcheting mechanism came apart (see attached pictures). It sort of looks like it screwed on some way or another, but I'm not sure.
My big question is: Did I do something wrong when I put it back together or is this just what happens with cheap stuff?
Thanks. Here are some pictoors.
My big question is: Did I do something wrong when I put it back together or is this just what happens with cheap stuff?
Thanks. Here are some pictoors.
03-17-17, 01:32 PM
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No, not cheap stuff. Operator error. The lock ring on freewheels can occasionally come loose. It happens.
On the plus side, freewheels aren't too expensive.
On the plus side, freewheels aren't too expensive.
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
03-17-17, 01:38 PM
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Like Stuart pointed out, it looks like the lockring came off. When you took the freewheel off and put it back on, did you use a splined tool like a Park Tool FR-1.2 to remove it? (In other words, you didn't remove the lockring, did you?)
03-17-17, 01:58 PM
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Like Stuart pointed out, it looks like the lockring came off. When you took the freewheel off and put it back on, did you use a splined tool like a Park Tool FR-1.2 to remove it? (In other words, you didn't remove the lockring, did you?)
That is the exact tool I used. If I remember correctly, though, I might have tried to remove the lockring before breaking down and buying the correct tool. I probably loosened it up then and it just finally came apart. Thanks for the info, I will not touch the lockring on my new freewheel!
Cheers, ya'll.
03-17-17, 02:31 PM
#6
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The lock ring has a left hand thread to prevent unscrewing during coasting. Hard to imagine removing or loosening it by mistake as it usually requires a pin punch and hammer. Driving it clockwise loosens and removes it.
Coasting tends to have a tightening effect, but shims prevent over tightening.
Coasting tends to have a tightening effect, but shims prevent over tightening.
03-17-17, 04:04 PM
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Yeah, I'm remembering now that I was just going to trash it and get a new one so I was hammering on it, then changed my mind and decided to keep it before I got it off. I'm going to assume that's what did it.
03-17-17, 04:12 PM
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That'll do it. On the other hand, I have had the lockring loosen on a couple of freewheels ages ago. Still carry a 16 penny nail for just that reason but I don't use freewheels anymore. The 16 penny nail and a rock does make an effective punch, however.
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
03-17-17, 07:52 PM
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Agreed that the threaded race (and not a lock ring) came loose. These things do happen every so often though not the usual problem with freewheels. Unless the OP messed with the threaded race I won't blame him. being so rare a problem even experienced guys wouldn't have thought to check the race's tightness. Andy.
03-20-17, 01:20 PM
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...and please remember forum etiquette: It didn't explode, it ass-ploded.
