Seized hub

Can anyone out there help me? I discovered a broken spoke on my rear wheel on the freewheel side. I was able to get the tool to remove the Campagnolo freewheel but the parts are so badly seized that I cannot get the parts to unthread. I took the wheel to a bike shop and they have not been able to get the freewheel assembly apart. I had this bike assembled to my specifications in 1986. I ordered a 23 inch Eddy Merckx Columbus tubing frame and had it equipped with Campagnolo Super Record parts. So the gear cluster is from 1986, the freewheel assembly is from 1986. Of course the tubular tires on the Mavic GP 4 rims are new, as is the water bottle and the cycle computer. I changed the pedals to clipless a few years ago. I do not want to have to get a new rear wheel but if that is the only way I can ride this bike I will do that. I have a close ratio set of sprockets. I do not recall the number of teeth off hand but there is no big hill climbing gear. It may be that my 1986 campagnolo derailleur will not accommodate a larger set of sprockets. So I really want to be able get the rear sprocket set off so I can replace the spoke and get my retro bike back on the rode. Can anyone suggest a way to unseize these parts that are threaded together. Looking back on it I guess I should have taken that rear cluster apart every ten years or so, to make sure it would not seize up. Have I explained the problem well enough? I look forward to whatever help might be available. FYI I live in a small mining town in Northern Ontario, central Canada. The bike shop that I took the wheel to is a 1.5 hour drive west of my town, which is too small to have a bike shop.
MerckxFan

If I'm understanding this right, are you sure its seized and not just very tight?

I always remove freewheels by putting the removal tool in a good strong bench vice, then slide the wheel onto the tool and use the rim of the wheel to loosen. Making sure you are turning the wheel the right way!! The extra leverage gets the tightest of freewheels off the hub. A squirt of WD40 won't do any harm either

I'm surprised the bike shop couldn't get it off though.

Re:

I always locked a removing tool on tightly with QR, the pressure then helps to release the freewheel. In a bench vice, so equal pull on both sides of the wheel. When it moves a fraction the QR must be undone a fraction, or you will obviously break the skewer.

Keith

Re:

Hi there,

I just wanted to agree with the previous two posters. I take it that your removal tool looks something like this:



I find it's best to clamp the removal tool into place on the freewheel either with a Quick Release Skewer or just with the wheel nut, if it's a non-QR axle. This stops the wheel from jumping out of the tool and rounding off the edges of the freewheel or tool lugs. I tend to leave just 1mm or so play in the assembly so that when the freewheel begins to move it's got somewhere to go.

Then as above, just clamp the removal tool in a vice and unscrew the wheel from the clamped freewheel. Something's gotta give and hopefully if you bought a good quality removal tool, it'll be the freewheel, and not the lugs being sheared off the removal tool..

Good luck!

Re:

My removal tool looks like that. I have tried everything now. I have quick release hubs and I secured my removal tool that way. I put it in the bench vise and turned the wheel at the rim. What "gave" was part of the freewheel. The removal tool did not break but it sheared off part of the groove in the freewheel assembly. I had put a lot of penetrating lubricant into the freewheel on both sides, up, down and sideways. I assumed that it was just my skill level and brought in the bike shop pros. They reported to me yesterday that they have been unable to loosen the hub, freewheel, sprocket set. All I want to do is replace a broken spoke! I am getting the wheel back on Thursday. I am going to look for some industrial strength penetrating lubricant and try the removal tool/vise method again. I will try to be patient. At some point I may try heating the outside part with a torch to expand it. I have already gone on line looking for a new set of wheels with free hub and sprocket. My bicycle is a classic (I think) and putting different wheels on just won't be proper.
Thanks for listening. It doesn't free the parts but being able to share my frustration makes me feel a bit better.

Tap off the race, take off the sprockets leaving just the freewheel body and plonk that in the vice to remove. Trashes the freewheel but best way if getting out off if necessary

Shaun

Some heat is worth ago but if the freewheel notches are starting to round off its going to become more difficult. I'd go with Shaun's idea next and be ready for the explosion of ball bearings

Worse case senario is to cut out the hub and rebuild the wheel with a replacement hub, freewheel and spokes. That way you keep most of the original wheels.

It's probably a steel freewheel body and aluminum hub.
Heating probably won't help, dropping a can of plumbers freeze spray in there will!

Thank you all for the innovative ideas. I am going to try some different things, including these new ideas and report back in due course. Can any of you confirm something for me? I was trying to remove the freewheel assembly by attempting to rotate the removal tool counterclockwise. When I put the removal tool in the vise I was attempting to rotate the rim clockwise, which would be the same as rotating the removal tool counterclockwise. Does this make sense? I would hate to think that my attempt to loosen resulted in everything becoming just that much tighter.

MerckxFan":20kqfl4h said:

Thank you all for the innovative ideas. I am going to try some different things, including these new ideas and report back in due course. Can any of you confirm something for me? I was trying to remove the freewheel assembly by attempting to rotate the removal tool counterclockwise. When I put the removal tool in the vise I was attempting to rotate the rim clockwise, which would be the same as rotating the removal tool counterclockwise. Does this make sense? I would hate to think that my attempt to loosen resulted in everything becoming just that much tighter.

Click to expand...

Its counterclockwise or anticlockwise, round to the left, as if you were removing a big screw I almost asked before but didn't. The thing is, surely the shop must have tried the right way?

I've seen couple of people make the same mistake, it can be easy to loose the orientation with the wheel flat in front of you. Try it with a jam jar, screw the lid on then turn it upside down and unscrew it