darsu

I'm trying to remove a freewheel cassette. It's the Suntour two-notch kind that should open with a Park Tool FR-2. I've got the tool, but that notched ring vetoes my most muscular pleas for withdrawal.

Here's a pic of a FR-2 freewheel:
https://www.parktool.com/images_inc/repair_help/FR2.jpg

To get to my situation, picture the cog stack protruding about 1cm further out than the freewheel body; then imagine an 18-spline lockring on the surface of the outer edge of the freewheel body. What the heck is that? It resembles a BB lockring. Diameter ~31 mm. It can't be holding the cogs together because it's deep inside and doesn't even ratchet with the cog assembly. Whatever it is, Park Tool doesn't make a tool for it. Do I need to open that lockring in order to get the notched ring to unscrew, or is it irrelevant for my task?

metabike

Fit the tool onto the freewheel & run the skewer thru w/o the spring on the tool side - don't tighten the skewer totally because you need some room for the eventual turn of the freewheel body. Then put clamp the tool into a good vise & use the wheel to turn the freewheel off. I remember many a stubborn freewheels but none that ever beat me.

Don't worry about your mystery lockring - freewheel bodies thread onto the hub w/o any "lockring". Now about your mystery lockring - the last sprocket of many freewheels is threaded onto the body and that is probably what you're describing. I suppose they had dedicated splined tools but I never really used one since a guy can actually remove the threaded sprockets with a pair of chainwhips (i.e. you can change sprockets w/o removing the freewheel body from the hub).

One last thought: Working with a freewheel should give you a new-found appreciation for modern cassettes (I sure don't miss 'em)!

rhenning

I do not believe that is a Sun Tour freewheel but probably is a Regina. Roger

DieselDan

You sure it isn't a Suntour cassette? I have one on a Specialized Rockhopper.

headlessspider

how many cogs are there in the freewheel? in some suntour cassettes/freewheels the smallest cog is also the "lockring" which means it threads into the freewheel body. if this is the case then you would need 2 chain whips to take the cassette out.

it may be better if you post a pic of the actual thingy.

astrodaimler

I've got a bunch of freewheel removers in my box. I think there were a couple of styles of Suntour remover. I don't remember. I'm getting senile.

I'm with metabike, if you've never worked with freewheels, ashtabulas, krappy headsets, you don't know how easy today's new bikes are.

If you don't have a vice, you can put a vice grip tool on the freewheel remover (with the skewer as metabike says), put on a pair of boots on, and slam down hard with the bottom of your boot. Never, ever failed me even with the most stubburn freewheel.