Bicycle Mechanics - Races are ruined-What's best course of action?

The bike is a Trek 820 mtb with a freewheel. I noticed a clicking so I took the rear axle assembly apart. The bearings and race on one side are badly gouged - definitely ruined.
Would I be better off to buy a new wheel with a freehub instead of trying to fix this wheel?
I want to get the bike back in service ASAP.
I was thinking that if I did this, I could then buy just the middle/spindle/bearing housing - whatever you call it and rebuild the wheel at my leisure, as both a learning experience and so that I could then have the freewheel wheel to use as a spare. Perhaps to keep my studded tires mounted on it so I could change it out and use when it snows out.
Does this sound like a good plan? I'm open to suggestions.
Thanks
Also - Any suggestions for the replacement wheel if I go that route? What all would I need to buy? Would I need a cassette also? The one on it now has 7 sprockets. I would like it to match up with the front.

The bike is a Trek 820 mtb with a freewheel. I noticed a clicking so I took the rear axle assembly apart. The bearings and race on one side are badly gouged - definitely ruined.
Would I be better off to buy a new wheel with a freehub instead of trying to fix this wheel?
I want to get the bike back in service ASAP.
I was thinking that if I did this, I could then buy just the middle/spindle/bearing housing - whatever you call it and rebuild the wheel at my leisure, as both a learning experience and so that I could then have the freewheel wheel to use as a spare. Perhaps to keep my studded tires mounted on it so I could change it out and use when it snows out.
Does this sound like a good plan? I'm open to suggestions.
Thanks
Also - Any suggestions for the replacement wheel if I go that route?

Is the race ruined or the cone? Seldom do races...the part in the hub itself where the bearings ride...get pitted. Often the cone does. Cones are easy to replace and relatively cheap. Take the cone and axle to your local bike shop and make sure you get the right size. Shimano did some hinky things with cones in the late 90s. Total cost should be less then $10. And you'll have the bike back on the road in short order.

This is the race:

http://www.parktool.com/images_inc/repair_help/hub62.jpg

and this is the cone:

http://www.parktool.com/images_inc/repair_help/hub65.jpg

This cone shows the typical pitting. Go here (http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=105) to see how to service it.

If the race is pitted, then you'll need a new hub. Freehub is better than freewheel mostly because you have a wider choice of gearing and better availability.

If the race is pitted, then you'll need a new hub. Freehub is better than freewheel mostly because you have a wider choice of gearing and better availability.

I was about to post a similar question about my Shimano 7800 hub. The cone and hub are pitted. Am I in the same boat? Is the entire hub trash?

Thanks, and sorry if this is hijacking a thread - just thought the question fit, and wasn't sure if the solution was the same.

I was about to post a similar question about my Shimano 7800 hub. The cone and hub are pitted. Am I in the same boat? Is the entire hub trash?

Thanks, and sorry if this is hijacking a thread - just thought the question fit, and wasn't sure if the solution was the same.

Cone pitting is pretty common and pretty easy to deal with. I've never pitted the inner races of any hub but I also don't know of any way to resurface them. You might check with a bike shop to see if they have any ideas. But I wouldn't get my hopes up.

Races are replaceable in some hubs. "Some" does not include any Shimano hubs that I know of. You would need to identify the hub and contact the manufacturer to find out if yours can be done.

When you get to the point of thinking about replacing hub races, it's probably worth thinking about new hubs. Assuming you can replace the races in your hubs, it's very likely cheaper to just buy a new hub.
This also assumes you can find a shop that will do the work, and that's probably not going to be easy. Most shops will likely point you at the hub or wheel manufacture for their service.

Hit the guy who keeps beating you in the knees with a baseball bat, and your next race won't be ruined!

Oh... sorry... I thought the thread title was from the Road forum.

I broke a race on a cheap hub when the cone tightened up as I rode. They are pressed into the hub -- a steel race into an alloy body, usually these days. But, as pointed out, you would have to source a new race, and the effort would make buying a new hub much more efficient. Refinishing probably would be a pointless exercise because the hardened surface has been compromised.

A freehub of the size to fit the number of gears your shifter requires would be a good move. Spin-on freewheels are still relatively easy to find and are cheap, but are at the bottom end of the bicycle retail chain (ie, they will always be fitted to cheap bikes).

Freewheel hubs are renowned for breaking or bending axles because of the outboard location of the driveside bearings. I suspect you have been riding around with a bent axle that has caused damage to the race by misalignment of the load on the balls.

You would be wise to get an entire new built wheel to put immediately back on the bike. But read this page at Sheldon Brown's site first before you decide to go with freehub or freewheel:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/speeds.html

If you go freehub, you will need a new cassette and likely a spacer if you cannot source a seven-speed freehub wheel.

Gets complicated, doesn't it?

Cone pitting is pretty common and pretty easy to deal with. I've never pitted the inner races of any hub but I also don't know of any way to resurface them. You might check with a bike shop to see if they have any ideas. But I wouldn't get my hopes up.
That's been my experience too. I've had to replace pitted cones on several hubs but the inner races have always been in good condition.

As noted, Shimano hubs do not have replacable inner races so in the event they are really damaged the hubs have to be discarded or you can attempt to smooth out the race roughness. I'm not sure how or if that can be done.

I had a cheap non-series shimano MTB hub where the dustcap/cone was torn up, but was not sold separately aside from the entire hub. I ended up re-lacing the wheel on a better LX freehub I found on nashbar for $19.99.

If you want to make the old wheel into a project, you can try to drive out the race and press in a new one if the hub is applicable. If not, you can try to match up a pair of sealed cartridge bearings and press those into the hub body in place of the races and cones.
I've never done this, but is one possibility.

I've repacked plenty of hubs with pitted races and/or cones. Those wheels on the 820 were most likely not great to begin with, so you might as well ride them to death and buy new ones. Here's betting you'll get another 20 years out of them. Nothing's going to fail.