Bicycle Mechanics - "Permanent" freewheel? How do I remove this thing??

I've got a freewheel I can't figure out how to pull.

This is on a Suntour "7S" hub. Tried the opposing-chainwhips method; no success. No splines anywhere that I can see. The nutted seal at center, when removed, proves to be the hub cone. Any ideas? My LBS says they've never seen one similar to this one, but believe that the freewheel is permanently attached to the hub and is not designed to be removable; I'm doubtful, since I can't see how it could have been laced up to begin with if that were the case.

Any advice is appreciated - even if it's a way to destructively remove the freewheel, as it's worn out but I'd like to keep the wheel!

I know what I would try, given you're not too concerned about the freewheel. Get a cheater bar for the chainwhips. Place at 3 and 9 o'clock. Wear eye protection in case a chain snaps.

I had to cut a freewheel off of a hub with a Dremel tool. Once I cut completely through the smallest cog, I was able to pull off the others and then started cutting the inner housing. I didn't have to cut it all the way to the bottom. I cut a little over halfway through it and was able to pry it enough to break the threads loose.

If you try this, be careful not to cut part of your hub.

I had a very similar experience (posted a pic just like you!) and it turned out not to be a freewheel, but an old Uniglide freehub. Try the opposing chainwhips again and really stand on it. Do it with the wheel vertically on the ground so you can get more leverage (you should have a tire on it when you do it). Remember, if it IS a freehub, the small cog will unscrew normally (CCW).

Thanks. I'm pretty sure it's NOT a freehub, since the hub itself doesn't have a bulge at the drive side as freehubs usually do... but I guess I'm not TOTALLY certain - did Suntour make a Uniglide-compatible 7S freehub?

Thanks. I'm pretty sure it's NOT a freehub, since the hub itself doesn't have a bulge at the drive side as freehubs usually do... but I guess I'm not TOTALLY certain - did Suntour make a Uniglide-compatible 7S freehub?

Technically it's not a "Freehub" 'cause that's a Shimano trademark.

The bad news is that it is Sun Tour's equivalent, a cassette type hub.

The worse news is it isn't compatible with anything except Sun Tour cassettes, which have not been manufactured since 1994.

Sorry to tell you, you're S.O.L. and you need a new wheel. That one's a total loss.

Sheldon "Pity The Orphans" Brown

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| Politics is not the art of the possible. |
| It consists in choosing between |
| the disastrous and the unpalatable. |
| --J.K. Galbraith |
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^^^^^
Listen to this man. He knows of what he speaks.

One question Señor Brown: He could lace a new hub/cassette onto his rim, right?

One question Señor Brown: He could lace a new hub/cassette onto his rim, right?

Obviusly that's "possible" but building a wheel using a rim that old really doesn't make a lot of sense.

Sheldon "Possible, Not Reasonable" Brown

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| Anyone who can't use a slide rule is a cultural illiterate, |
| and should not be allowed to vote. --Robert A. Heinlein |
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Hmph. Well, I guess that's that - thanks, Sheldon! Really the wheel's nothing special... I just hoped to keep it around for a sunny-day wheelset (I've got enormous 40mm 'cross tires on it - I only ride them on those rare days when I'm taking my commuter offroad to play in the dirt)

One thought, though: Are the cogs on this cluster reversable, like old uniglide ones? If so, I'll have another go at removing this cluster, since I only have problematic wear on one cog; if I can reverse it and get another season in the mud out of it, that might not be a bad way to go...