theofam

I’m trying to resurrect what I believe to be a 1980 Voyageur 11.8. I can’t seem to locate a tool to remove this nine-spline lockring. Can anyone point me in the tool’s direction or provide removal guidance? Thanks!

thumpism 

Not a lockring. The Uniglide cassette is held on by the threaded outer cog. Get two chain whips and go to town. Should come off easy.

theofam

Sweet! Thanks for the explanation. All I need now is a second chain whip!

3alarmer 

.
...if you are resurrecting this, and it has significant wear on the chain, there's a possibility that one or more of those Uniglide cogs is worn, and the new chain you install will skip. I don't know of a reliable source for Uniglide cogs, but sometimes you can get lucky at a bike co-op, if it turns out to be a problem. There are instructions on the Sheldon Browne page for replacing those freehubs with something that uses Hyperglide clusters.

machinist42

Or, use this method:

"But is you want to remove the sprockets from a freewheel or an old Uniglde Freehub, you can pace the chain on the smallest front sprocket, and remove the chain from the rear derailer. A chain with a SRAM PowerLink or other removable and replaceable link can easily be disconnected. With another chain, you may have to remove the lower (tension) pulley of the rear derailer to extract the chain, or disconnect the chain using a chain tool-- see our article on chains.

With the right pedal behind top position (around 10 o'clock), wrap the lower of chain around the the outermost sprocket, starting at the bottom, and the upper run around an inner sprocket, starting at the top. The closer the two sprockets are in size the better this works. Get as much slack out of the chain as you can. If you haven't disconnected the chain, shape it into a figure-8 behind the sprockets.

Now step down on the right pedal, backpedaling. Because the outer sprocket is smaller, it will turn faster and unscrew. You may have to reposition the chain once or twice before the sprocket is completely loose.

Repeat as necessary to remove additional sprockets until you reach a splined sprocket and can lift the rest of the sprockets off. Be sure to keep all sprockets and spacers in order for replacement." Source.

I learned this long time ago and it has come in very handy very far from home.

I prefer to mod the sprocket to fit a Hyperglide on my Uniglide bodies. Source.

dedhed

Old chain and a vise grip

theofam

As a newbie, I didn’t even realize Uniglide and Hyperglide were objects in our world. Always something to learn - thanks!

I appreciate the method and Hyperglide source - thanks for chiming in!

theofam

I saw that in a video. Very cool tip, thank you!

pastorbobnlnh 

Another possible source for replacement sprockets is to modify HG sprockets from the newer cassettes. If you are interested I can explain how to do this, which is easy. You must save the smallest, threaded sprocket and the spacers.

sd5782 

Have I not read that the beauty of Uniglide is that the sprockets can be flipped over? No experience with it myself though.

cudak888 

All except the lockring, which usually has its spacer built in. But if you have a spare spacer of the correct width, you can install it backwards provided there's enough thread engagement.

-Kurt

theofam

Thanks for the offer to explain. I’ve researched a Uniglide-to-Hyperglide conversion, and, at this point, I’ll save mods for later. Right now, I’m going to clean and lube what I’ve got and see how inexpensively I can get this Voyageur pedaling again!

etherhuffer 

When you get all frisky at the used bike parts store, fish around and look at the freehubs. There is a mid time period where the uniglide threads remain on the outside of the hub, but also have hyper glide threads on the inside edge. These hubs can be nice spares to have around. I just converted an older hub to allow a newer cassette. They only issue is that going from six to seven speeds on the hub there can be less clearance between chain and frame in the small cog position.
Also, don't be too shy of old hubs if they spin and don't grind. A good flush out and re-oiling with TriFlow and you have a nice spare hub. IMHO, most bikes never ever see parts wear out from riding, most die of neglect or from sitting in the rain.

theofam

This C&V group is so helpful. I truly appreciate the knowledge and insight offered!

sovende

I have a 1980 Lotus Excelle with a Shimano groupset that includes a 6 cog UniGlide cassette. It’s difficult to assess the degree of wear on the OP’s specimen but a good cleaning is always needed to fully check things out. Once the smallest cog/lockring is removed, the remaining 5 cogs merely side off the cassette hub body. My cog assembly was held together by 3 long thin machine screws but I’ve read that they aren’t absolutely necessary and are primarily a convenience. For a thorough cleaning and wear evaluation, I’d recommend a full disassembly of the cassette. As mentioned, the second through last cogs can be “flipped” if excessive wear is noted. Be cautious with the spacers as they are plastic. RE: the smallest cog not being able to be “flipped”, my riding style rarely includes use of the smallest cog so it matters little to me if that cog is worn .

theofam

I rebuilt the freehub:



cleaned the cassette, and even made a freehub removal/install tool out of a 13/16” socket.




Everything seems to be working fine. I did find a broken spoke, so the wheel is at my LBS to have a spoke made and the wheel trued.

A big “thanks” to all of you for weighing in with advice!

sovende

Nice work on the hub rebuild! I’ve considered making a free hub removal tool but haven’t been pushed to the actual need for one yet.

etherhuffer 

Dude, you get a gold star for doing that. I like wrenching on stuff, but a freewheel rebuild is tedious. Since you seem extra motivated (!!!!) look at some youtube videos on rebuilding sealed bottom brackets. Most folks toss them as they are cheaper to buy than fix, but you can do it. Some are very much like sealed bearing hubs. Just a pair of bearings that are seated on an axle. I pulled one apart just to see. A good quality pair of sealed bearings likely costs as much as a new unit, but the satisfaction of not filling up the landfill may be worth it.

theofam

Thanks! RJ The Bike Guy on YouTube has become my go-to for bike refurbishing. He has a video on the freehub tool, though he doesn’t show you how he made it.

So, if you are going to do it, I used a Dremel with a cutoff wheel marked “reinforced” on it. I bought a five-pack, but it only required one cutoff wheel. After that, a file and micrometer were necessary to file the teeth to size (3.6-3.7mm, if memory serves).

theofam

Thanks for the gold star! Last time I received one was probably kindergarten, and I find I feel roughly the same level of glee fixing these old bikes as I did when I was a little kid fingerpainting or playing during recess.

YouTube is so great! I’m always really grateful people have taken the time to video their expertise. It does feel good to revive old bikes (and motorcycles) to, as you say, keep them out of the dump.

sovende

It’s more than a bit of a “curse” but I’m hard pressed to throw most anything away that has “any” potential for rehabilitation . The sentiment of “the satisfaction of not filling up the landfill” definitely rings true for me! To be sure, not everything can be rehabbed but I do enjoy the challenge .

etherhuffer 

Working on a whole house fan from Tamarack Tech. One fan is dying. Tamarack won't sell repair parts (grrrrrrr) Some web searches show that they are made by Shyuan Ya in Tawain. No luck on distributors here.......unless you sleuth the web and find out they relabel them as Dayton via Zoro/Grainger. 90 bucks sure beats 700 for the whole unit! Yeah everyone should try to "Beat the Man" when it comes to repairs. But it is a curse time wise.

theofam

Good save! As a guy with more time than money, I don’t mind burning hours to have the long-term satisfaction associated with the work.