Torque for a freewheel cassette

[swee'pea99]

Ok, here's how I do it. I get an adjustable spanner - might be 8", something like that - and put it on the remover, and hit it with a hammer. And then hit it again. And it often takes many hits - perhaps a dozen - but it always gives in the end. One day the spanner will fall apart, but so far so good...

Oh, one other thing - before you put one back on, be sure to slather loads of grease all over the threads. It'll still be a bugger when you want to get it off again...but not quite so bad.

 

[mickle]

All this talk of hitting adjustable spanners with hammers is making me feel quite ill.

 

[gbb]

If you have access to a good vice...clamp the tool in the vice, facing upwards.
Lay the wheel onto the tool so it engages the freewheel...the use the wheel itself to undo the freewheel (steering wheel fashion)
You get masses of force through the wheel itself that way.

 

[4F]

All this talk of hitting adjustable spanners with hammers is making me feel quite ill.

Works for me however I use a rather large wooden mallet rather than a hammer

 

[andrew_s]

A bench vice used as described by gbb is the best way. Is there a garage or similar nearby that you could go and ask nicely at? I used the main Opel dealer in Gernika and a random sawmill in les Landes on tour one year.

Back to the source of the problem, if you've had several spokes go in relatively short order, you can bet that the rest of the spokes are also fatigued and are likely to go soon. The wheel really wants rebuilding by somebody competent with a full new set of spokes. You might like to think instead about a new wheel with a cassette fitting. These are much easier to get off.

 

[andrew_s]

I think the cassette is torqued to 40nm. Hold the cassette forward with the chain whip, lock nut in the lock ring and undo.

He's got a freewheel, not a cassette. Finger tight on and let the pedals finish the job, about 350nm to get off.

 

[gbb]

Of course, then, when you've put a freewheel back on, you get that slip when you first ride it, as it tightens on the thread.
Feels like you just rode over butter

 

[swee'pea99]

I used to have breaking spokes problems with a wheel I'd got second hand, till I twigged that quite a lot of the spokes were so loose as to be to all intents and purposes not there. So I went radical - tightened spokes till all were at least at a 'reasonable tension', then adjusted as necessary to straighten out the wobbles I'd created. Took maybe an hour all told. Not a broken spoke since.

 

[marinyork]

Thanks guys. 350 Nm. No wonder I don't stand a chance! Doing a longer commute soon so may change the wheel and it is a useful idea of getting a wheel that can take cassettes instead.

[quote name='swee'pea99']I used to have breaking spokes problems with a wheel I'd got second hand, till I twigged that quite a lot of the spokes were so loose as to be to all intents and purposes not there. So I went radical - tightened spokes till all were at least at a 'reasonable tension', then adjusted as necessary to straighten out the wobbles I'd created. Took maybe an hour all told. Not a broken spoke since.[/QUOTE]

After someone here told me how to change spokes a few months ago I did realise there were a few that were loose and could go at any moment. I tightened them and again since. They keep going. The problem is I don't really know how tight they are and am aware of this and have thought of buying a spoke tension tool but that's more than a wheel in cost too!

 

[fossyant]

I have in the past used a garden hoe fitted onto the end of a big spanner to remove a freewheel..... it eventually went and I shot backwards down the driveway.........