OldsCOOL

The dork disc has got to go

The plastic plate is buried way down deep where I cant get ahold of it topside. Is there anyone here that has removed these without removing the (suntour) freewheel?

sauze

without removing the freewheel I'd think the only way would be to break it off ... ?

Chombi

Just go to your LBS and have them remove the freewheel as some of these discs have a metal reinforcing ring that gets sandwiched between the hub and freewheel. You don't really want it there if it's not doing anything, plus it might prevent you from breaking off/removing all the plastic disc material from your rear wheel.
If you are nice to them, some bike shops might be nice enough to remove your freewheel for...uhmmm....free..... Older shops are usually more "sympathetic" to C&Vers with their nice classic bikes.

Chombi

CardiacKid

With all due respect, I feel that if you want to be a member in good standing in this forum, you need to be able to remove a Suntour freewheel without taking it to the LBS. All it takes is a $5 tool and some elbow grease.

WNG

If it's all yellowed from UV, then it'll be brittle enough to simply snap it all off. Just did that for a recent bike buy.

[append]

+1 to Chombi's advice. I forgot you're dealing with a freewheel not a cassette.

And no such free lunches on freewheel removals at LBS for me (yet). I get charged $5-10. I eat it when the removers are $30+. :-P (we need a C&V Forum freewheel remover pool!)

Sigurdd50

smash it out of there
bang bang bang
If there is a metal flange left... not a big deal

Anonymoose

The tool is about $5 and you're likely to use a suntour freewheel remover more than once. I would not smash or bang anywhere near spokes or cog teeth personally.

If you were local I'd lend it to you as the cost of shipping it would be about on par with the tool cost, so pointless. Buy the tool.

tmh657

Buy the tool. I have removed them without a tool when they were so old and brittle they practically disintegrated but> the tool is a good thing to have.

simmonsgc

...and sometimes a VISE!

GS

ColonelJLloyd 

I fancy myself a pretty good bike mechanic and I don't own a single freewheel removal tool by choice. There's too many of them. My LBS is just down the street, though, and the use of the freewheel tools and beer is free. I don't have a proper bench vise either and that's the best way to remove a freewheel.

To the original question: I'd have the freewheel removed to remove the dork disk. May as well clean the freehweel while it's off.

randyjawa 

Pull the freewheel of smash up the bicycle. The choice would be a simple one for me. And the disc will not come completely off without removing the freewheel.

Sigurdd50

me thinks I might have exaggerated... often, in the earn a bike shop I work in, when a plastic dork disk is that old (Trek 460? 84/85... 25-26 years old) the plastic is so brittle that it will fall apart with very little encouragement. Often the reason for removal is that it is already cracked and brittle.

of course a simple Sun Tour Free Wheel tool is easy to come by. I must have a few.

but with the careful poke and smash method, it is quite easy to eventually get all the parts off. Just takes a few extra pokes and pulls.

marley mission

dang - thats my favorite category of bicycle tool (outside of my cotter pin press)

gmt13

It's worth it to invest in the tool, if only to be able to remove the FW and clean things up. You will definitely need one if you break a spoke. You may try cross posting to the appropriate regional forum - I am sure you can find a loaner.

-Gary

AZORCH

+1 to everything the Colonel has said here.

marley mission

mmmm...well...it makes things easier

bernardmarx

Pay the $5 for a freakin' Suntour freewheel tool. Damn near every 70s - 80's bike you'll touch will have a Suntour freewheel. It'll outlast you, probably.

Shimagnolo

I can't believe no one has yet posted a link to the thread where the fool lit his dork disk on fire.

illwafer

hey that's a good idea.

i cut one out with a razor blade once. you kind of break it, then cut it, and continue until you get it off. PITA but effective.

you can certainly get it off with a little ingenuity.

OldsCOOL

You would think that but when I removed the disc from the older Motobecane that thing was tough and had to be snipped off with a good pair of sidecutters.

I just checked the Trek disc and it's "gummy", should be much easier to remove with some snipping and twisting.

Thanx for the info, guys.....and yes, someday I'll grab the appropriate removal tool.

wintermute

Stupid question - what the heck is that spoke guard supposed to do?

Chombi

Keeps your RD from commiting suicide by jumping into the spokes.......

Chombi

mainstreetexile 

I consider $5 for the suntour freewheel remover and $5 for the shimano freewheel remover money well spent. They've handled probably > 90% of older bikes that I've come across and I can't imagine not having them in my toolbox now.

mainstreetexile 

This may be, but I think the bigger benefit is if you don't have your derailleurs properly adjusted and you shift the chain past the inside part of the freewheel, it won't chew up those spokes.

Chombi

I think you might have your priorities reversed......It can take quite a while to chew up spokes with an inner derailleur cage till they fail, plus you will hear it long before it does wear out your spokes.......but it will only take a fraction of a second for a grossly misadjusted or damaged derailleur pulley assembly to get twisted into the wheels spokes and get you into a big crash.

Chombi