17
votes
What freewheel mechanism designs are used in bicycles?
Standard Pawl and Ratchet Design
This design is by far the most common on bicycle freehubs, and as such the least expensive to employ.
Mechanism
In it's simplest form, this design consists of a ...
- 1,981
17
votes
Accepted
How to adapt a spoke salvaged from a 26" wheel to a 24" one?
Answer: Buy new spokes.
A spoke is threaded not with a die, but with rollers. The difference is that a die cuts away metal leaving a thread with an OD no-larger than the original. A roller will cold-...
- 129k
15
votes
Reverse Gear in Bicycles
Such a hub exists for trike and quads . Pedal forward with 3 or 5 gears then having a coaster brake to stop . At full stop with the brake engaged continued backward pedal pressure will cause the cycle ...
- 266
14
votes
Accepted
Why are trigger shifters so widely used, instead of the twisting grip shifters(revoshift)?
In the context of a high-end MTB designed to go quickly over difficult terrain, trigger shifters have the following advantages:
They can be operated using only the thumb, without changing the grip, ...
- 256
13
votes
Accepted
How can I lower the gear ratio on my son's bike?
The specific model of rear derailleur you have is an Acera RD-M360 SGS, produced about 2009-2011, for 7 or 8 speed drivetrains. Shimano very helpfully provides archive specifications on the product ...
- 75.9k
12
votes
What freewheel mechanism designs are used in bicycles?
American Classic Cam Plate Design
The full name is "Six Pawl Cam Actuated Engagement System." This design is one of the more complicated ones, but according to American Classic provides a ...
- 1,981
11
votes
What freewheel mechanism designs are used in bicycles?
Star Ratchet and variations
This design in it's simplest form is used by DT Swiss. This design incorporates easily replaceable ratchet plates that offer the added benefit of every engagement point ...
- 1,981
11
votes
Accepted
Rusty chain and back cassette – Replace or repair?
As long as the crank arms, chain and freewheel turn freely and all as one. Without clunk's, slipping or sticking at any point there should be no need to replace any of it. The surface rust will not ...
- 290
11
votes
Switching a 11 speed cassette+wheel with a 8 speed freewheel+wheel. Any compatibility issues?
No sorry, this is not practical. Freewheels mostly stopped at 7 speed, and 8 speed was rare because of excess unsupported axle causing bent axles due to leverage.
Your suggested plan would require ...
- 129k
11
votes
Accepted
How does one remove a old French (Maillard) sprocket set from its freewheel?
You are correct, the smallest sprocket is threaded to the freewheel on the old Maillard freewheels.
Using two chain whips, one on the smallest sprocket, one on the next one up or a few farther. ...
- 23k
11
votes
What if both wheels were powered by pedalling?
Many two wheel drive mountain bikes exist. Here's one article advertising a new one:
There’s been no shortage of attempts to build a workable two wheel
drive bicycle over the years, but this latest ...
- 23.6k
10
votes
Terminology: coaster brakes vs free wheel?
It doesn't make much sense to insist on one thing being the opposite of another, so let's just focus on what these things are, and you can decide for yourself what, if anything, is "opposite" of what.
...
- 17k
10
votes
Accepted
Is there any reason why my 21-speed bike has 118 chain links?
There is no standard for chainstay length. Bikes of a given type tend to cluster around certain very common chainstay length choices, but there can be outliers in eitehr direction. Thus there is ...
- 87k
9
votes
What freewheel mechanism designs are used in bicycles?
Sprag Clutch
The sprag clutch has existed in industrial applications for some time: being used in motorcycles, helicopters, airplanes, automotive transmissions, and others. As far as I know, Onyx is ...
- 1,981
9
votes
How can I lower the gear ratio on my son's bike?
While not suggesting its the best option, another option from a new cassette is a 30 tooth chainring. which will give close to same ratios as a 14-34 cassette.
Square taper cranks can often be picked ...
- 52.4k
9
votes
Catastrophic hub failure, can the freewheel and rim be saved?
The practical choices are replace the axle or replace the wheel. Replacing the hub would mean rebuilding the rim on a new hub, which is not cost-effective for this kind of wheel, especially since ...
- 87k
9
votes
Accepted
I need help fixing my axle
Axles of this type are standardized and replaceable, but the problem in a situation like this (axle is discovered to be broken upon wheel removal) is that by the time of discovery, it's very likely ...
- 87k
8
votes
Removing an unusual freewheel
The Park Tool FR-3 should fit that.
https://www.parktool.com/product/freewheel-remover-fr-3
- 1,895
8
votes
Just replaced axle on rear wheel. It is loose at first but as soon as I ride it, it tightens and wheel no longer rotates. Help!
I have sometimes made the mistake of not tightening the locknuts enough, causing the rotation of bearings to drag the cone, tightening it enough for the bearing to bind.
The solution is to properly ...
- 12.8k
8
votes
Why are trigger shifters so widely used, instead of the twisting grip shifters(revoshift)?
I've owned/looked after a few bikes with twist shifters. They've always become stiff to the point of being hard to shift at all after a few years, even with new cables, and they're a pain to strip ...
- 61.3k
8
votes
0W-20 engine oil for freewheel pawls?
Engine oils are generally a bad idea on a bike. They tend to be quite liquid and will dribble out over time. Engine oils are also known to grab and hold dirt, because that's one of their purposes in ...
- 129k
8
votes
What to do with a busted freewheel on a vintage road bike?
Given the freewheel is toast already, there's no harm in disassembling it to attempt a refurb. If it breaks, it was already failed and you're no worse off.
Start by removing the freewheel and ...
- 129k
8
votes
How to adapt a spoke salvaged from a 26" wheel to a 24" one?
Buy a new one, they cost cents, so the only issue is does it take longer to drive to a bike shop than rehash an old spoke. Used spokes are prone to failure, anyway, heating the spoke enough to create ...
- 52.4k
8
votes
Accepted
How am I supposed to get into this screw-on singlespeed freewheel?
The outer race (which takes the pin spanner) is reverse threaded. It's impressive that you were able to get it off the wheel with only a pin spanner, but by doing so you have likely made it very tight....
- 87k
7
votes
Accepted
Is this an unsuitable cassette lockring tool?
I think thats a Shimano freewheel, rather than a cassette.
A Shimano freewheel needs a tool like a Park Tool FR-1 (or FR-1.2 or FR-1.3), which has 12 splines and a diameter of around 23 mm rather ...
- 46.4k
7
votes
Accepted
How to remove this Shimano cassette (actually: freewheel)?
Thats a Shimano freewheel, not a cassette. You need a freewheel remover like Park Tool FR-1 to remove it. Note that this is not the same tool as the cassette tool (e.g. Park Tool FR-5 for Shimano-type ...
- 46.4k
7
votes
Could I replace a hub on a wheel?
Simple answer: yes, but it’s not worth doing.
Cost of hub, spokes, nipples and having wheel rebuilt will exceed the cost of a new wheel. Even if you re-use the spokes a new wheel will still be ...
- 75.9k
7
votes
Could I replace a hub on a wheel?
Yes - I have personally done this, by installing an 8 speed cassette freehub into a wheel that had a 6 speed freewheel. The donor was a 26" MTB wheel, and the recipient was a 20" wheel for my folding ...
- 129k
7
votes
How can I lower the gear ratio on my son's bike?
Shimano makes the TZ510 7-speed freewheel which is 14-34 teeth. It generally retails for under $20. You'll need to get a "freewheel removal tool" which is a splined tool on one side while ...
- 11.1k
7
votes
Accepted
Are freewheels really that prone and susceptible to bent axles?
It almost certainly won't happen with a cassette hub. It can happen on standard axle cassette hubs, but it takes a lot, and there's basically always a dropout alignment problem at work in addition to ...
- 87k
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