Removing a freewheel, from a hub

As the title really.

I have a nice Campag Record rear hub complete with a fitted freewheel which I want to change. The trouble is, the person I got the hub from didn't loosen the freewheel before cutting all the spokes and removing the rim.

I have the correct removal tool, and a decent vice, but thus far, not a hint of movement.

Any suggestions before I resort to power tools and brutality?

That will be near impossible to remove and hold some good chances of scratching or damaging the hub in the attempt.

The only way I know is to quickly build up the wheel with an old rim.

At the centre of the hub are the sides parallel or is it curved?

You will need to put some spokes in the gear side of the hub, OK all in the same direction. If you can't get the spokes in behind the freewheel then cut the heads off some (old) spokes and shape a double bend instead.
Best to use a rigid rim and have the freewheel remover in a vice. I used to do this bit of magic quite frequently.
Keith

The centre of the hub is parallel, but there is no way I am going to try clamping the hub.

I'll have to get hold of some old spokes. :facepalm:

I used to find 6 to 8 spokes spaced out enough.

That's a great help, thanks Keith. :mrgreen:

NeilM":iph0re2q said:

The centre of the hub is parallel, but there is no way I am going to try clamping the hub.

I'll have to get hold of some old spokes. :facepalm:

Click to expand...

I was meaning bore out a tube to the correct size, put some flats on it, then cut in half then clamp it.

Here's what I do- Apologies for the crap pictures!

First, get the locknut off the freewheel and completely dismantle it, leaving just the core threaded (stuck!) onto the hub, then get the Plus-Gas stuff, and let it soak in a while..

You can gently squeeze the rim of the core a few times in the vice, which may help to break the bond, like in the picture...



Then mount the hub horizontally in the vice, securely, but not 'crack your flanges' securely, and use the removal tool, or a large adjustable spanner tightened onto the pawl-housings, because in this case, the slots for the removal tool were f*cked! Better leverage here, anyway- and one less component (the removal tool) to worry about..



I didn't use soft jaw inserts in the vice, because I didn't want the hub to slip in the vice when I applied leverage. Consequently I ended up with some 'prints' from the vice-jaws on the rim of the hub-flanges- the lesser of two evils. My hub wasn't a nice old Campag. You may not want to leave such prints on yours, in which case best to go with the Keithglos method.



Then you can rebuild the freewheel...

BITD we used the "Keighglos" technique.......as mentioned it's tricky with a big cog as you have to king the spokes to lock them in as you can't thread them through the holes. We kept an old steel rim meant for rod brakes which was virtually unbendable to lace it to. Don't have to use that many spoke either........

Not sure I'd like to stick my hubs in a vice like that.

Shaun