Replacing old five speed freewheel

[tyred]

If you have or can get access to a decent bench vice - unscrew the bearing race on the block (left hand thread) with a small punch and hammer in the pin holes, remove the freewheel body and then clamp the remaining centre piece still on the hub in the vice and use the wheel as leverage to unscrew. Trying to find tools to fit some of the older ones would be very tricky now so this is the best bet.

If you ever intend to re-use your existing block, do it over the top of a biscuit tin or something to catch the ball bearings, springs, spacers and pawls and clean them, and reassemble with fresh lube. Will be as good as new but patience is required.

 

[ChrisEyles]

Just been to the LBS, and thought I'd share their thoughts on the freewheel.

They reckon telling the thread pitch is not possible unless you take the freewheel off - so its going to be difficult to know what sort of replacement to order (British/French/ISO). The thread on the other side of the rear wheel hub is for a fixed sprocket/lockring combo, and doesn't say anything useful.

They also flagged up tyred's warning that old freewheels are in the habit of disintegrating on removal. In this case, they cautioned that they might not be able to get it back on again, which would kind of suck if I'd ordered in the wrong type of replacement freewheel!

Finally, they were of the opinion that most modern 5-speed freewheels are of low quality compared to what is likely on the bike already, and suggested I stick with what I've got and just make sure to replace the chain nice and often.

Not sure what to make of it all really... but seemed they were not too keen on taking on the job, which means I'm definitely going to steer clear of tackling it myself!

I asked in a second shop for another opinion, but these guys were of the opinion that all threads are the same, period, so no help there!

Sorry the feedback isn't more useful... good luck to anyone trying to do the same! If you succeed, let me know how it went!

 

[tyred]

It is true imo that no modern freewheel block will outlast the oldies. They're designed differently. Old ones had full sprockets made from high quality steel and they lasted basically forever but often provided clunky gear changing.

New ones have cut-away shaped teeth which aid gear shifting at the expense of long term durability. It wouldn't put me of using one however, Shimano and Sunrace ones can be had quite cheaply will last for thousands of miles if you look after your chain. They also have a nice splined centre which makes them easily removable with a cheap and easily available tool.

Older ones still turn up on Ebay all the time if you want one, it will be labelled as non-indexed freewheel.

 

[Dogtrousers]

If you ever intend to re-use your existing block, do it over the top of a biscuit tin or something to catch the ball bearings, springs, spacers and pawls and clean them, and reassemble with fresh lube. Will be as good as new but patience is required.

I tried this once. In addition to patience you will also need several additional hands, preferably equipped with tentacles rather than fingers, and X-ray eyes for locating bits that have dropped off. And, yes, patience. More patience than I had at the time.

 

[ChrisEyles]

Hmmm, would profiled teeth on the sprockets make a big difference when using down-tube friction shifters, do you think? I assumed this was only important for indexed gears.

I *would* go with a new Sunrace freewheel (there is a perfect one available, 14-17-20-24-48 in silver), except I'm not sure it would fit on the thread! And if the old freewheel disintegrates, I fear I will lack not only the necessary patience, but also a large amount of the necessary aptitude to get it back together again :S

So, cowardice wins out and the old freewheel stays on for now!