Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Bicycle Mechanics
Reload this Page >

Freehub (bottom bracket)

Notices
Bicycle Mechanics Broken bottom bracket? Tacoed wheel? If you're having problems with your bicycle, or just need help fixing a flat, drop in here for the latest on bicycle mechanics & bicycle maintenance.

Freehub (bottom bracket)

Old 09-03-07, 03:56 PM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Middleton, Nova Scotia, Canada
Posts: 684

Bikes: 2007 Norco Katmandu, building a 2006 Norco Bigfoot

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Freehub (bottom bracket)

hey, a friend gave me a couple old bikes to fix up and sell. no fixing required, but i noticed something a little odd (i think). there's an older bike, and it doesnt have a freehub, instead, i guess what you could call a free bottom bracket? when you coast the chain keeps going around, the chainrings keep moving too (obviously), but the crank arms go where you want them. just wondering how rare this is. if you dont understand i can post a video before they get sold, just ask. thanks
norco_rider77 is offline  
Old 09-03-07, 03:58 PM
  #2  
Senior Member
 
mtnbk3000's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 1,072
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
thats one of the strangest things i have ever heard
mtnbk3000 is offline  
Old 09-03-07, 03:59 PM
  #3  
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Rancho Cucamonga
Posts: 19

Bikes: steel landshark road steel curtlo mountain with action tec fork!

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
front freewheeling cranks were common in late 70's early 80's. Neat that you have one.
brownlandshark is offline  
Old 09-03-07, 04:21 PM
  #4  
Gone, but not forgotten
 
Sheldon Brown's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Newtonville, Massachusetts
Posts: 2,301

Bikes: See: https://sheldonbrown.org/bicycles

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 24 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 5 Posts
Originally Posted by norco_rider77
hey, a friend gave me a couple old bikes to fix up and sell. no fixing required, but i noticed something a little odd (i think). there's an older bike, and it doesnt have a freehub, instead, i guess what you could call a free bottom bracket? when you coast the chain keeps going around, the chainrings keep moving too (obviously), but the crank arms go where you want them. just wondering how rare this is. if you dont understand i can post a video before they get sold, just ask. thanks
See: https://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_e-f.html#ffs

Sheldon "An Idea Whose Time Never Came" Brown
Sheldon Brown is offline  
Old 09-03-07, 04:33 PM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
stokessd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Posts: 200

Bikes: Stowe(3), Terry(1), Cannondale Tandem (1)

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I had a schwinn caliente that had that. The thing weighed as much as my tandem.

Sheldon
stokessd is offline  
Old 09-03-07, 06:43 PM
  #6  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Middleton, Nova Scotia, Canada
Posts: 684

Bikes: 2007 Norco Katmandu, building a 2006 Norco Bigfoot

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
ya, this bike seems to be of that era. and its shimano, so i guess it must be their FFS. this doesnt increase the bikes value does it?
norco_rider77 is offline  
Old 09-03-07, 06:55 PM
  #7  
Senior member
 
Dan Burkhart's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Oakville Ontario
Posts: 8,102
Mentioned: 25 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 935 Post(s)
Liked 641 Times in 363 Posts
Originally Posted by brownlandshark
front freewheeling cranks were common in late 70's early 80's. Neat that you have one.
The Landrider auto bike, references to which show up on these forums from time to time, employ this to keep the chain rolling whenever the bike is moving. This is so the derailleur can downshift as the bike slows down even when the cranks are not turning.
Please do not construe this as an endorsement or recommendation. It most emphatically is not.
Dan Burkhart is offline  
Old 09-04-07, 06:38 AM
  #8  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 33,656

Bikes: '96 Litespeed Catalyst, '05 Litespeed Firenze, '06 Litespeed Tuscany, '20 Surly Midnight Special, All are 3x10. It is hilly around here!

Mentioned: 39 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2025 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,095 Times in 741 Posts
These things had an unfortunate side effect for bike mechanics. The chain moved as long as the rear wheel was turning, even if the crank was stationary, and could trap unsuspecting fingers.
HillRider is offline  
Old 11-16-07, 06:43 PM
  #9  
Junior Member
 
melinda923's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Portland, Or
Posts: 21

Bikes: 2007 Scott Contessa Speedster and Nashbar XC

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I have this in my Nishiki and I want to remove it. Any ideas on how to accomplish this?

Melinda
melinda923 is offline  
Old 11-16-07, 10:14 PM
  #10  
Gone, but not forgotten
 
Sheldon Brown's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Newtonville, Massachusetts
Posts: 2,301

Bikes: See: https://sheldonbrown.org/bicycles

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 24 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 5 Posts
Originally Posted by melinda923
I have this in my Nishiki and I want to remove it. Any ideas on how to accomplish this?
If its a three-piece crank, you will need a whole new crank and bottom bracket.

To remove the old bottom bracket cups, you use an old-style Shimano "Boss" freewheel puller.

See: https://sheldonbrown.com/tools/freewheel.html

All the best,

Sheldon
Sheldon Brown is offline  
Old 11-17-07, 01:00 AM
  #11  
A little North of Hell
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 4,892
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 71 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 4 Posts
Bad linkus

Originally Posted by Sheldon Brown
If its a three-piece crank, you will need a whole new crank and bottom bracket.
To remove the old bottom bracket cups, you use an old-style Shimano "Boss" freewheel puller.

See: https://sheldonbrown.com/tools/freewheel.html
Fixed link:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/tools/freewheel.html
Soil_Sampler is offline  
Old 11-17-07, 11:36 AM
  #12  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Jacksonville Florida
Posts: 765

Bikes: Raleigh Glacier MTB/Commuter. Cannondale CAAD5, Windsor Timeline fixed gear

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by HillRider
These things had an unfortunate side effect for bike mechanics. The chain moved as long as the rear wheel was turning, even if the crank was stationary, and could trap unsuspecting fingers.
That sounds like it could be dangerous! When my brother was 5 he cut the tip of his finger off in a "fixed gear" Schwinn excercise bike while spinning the pedals with his hands. Of course me (age 7) helped him do it and he got $85,000 and I got nothing

BTW, Sheldon, you used one of my favorite quotes in the thing about the FFS "Its a solution in search of a problem"!
MyBikeGotStolen is offline  
Old 11-17-07, 11:56 AM
  #13  
cab horn
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Toronto
Posts: 28,353

Bikes: 1987 Bianchi Campione

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 42 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 25 Times in 18 Posts
Originally Posted by MyBikeGotStolen
That sounds like it could be dangerous! When my brother was 5 he cut the tip of his finger off in a "fixed gear" Schwinn excercise bike while spinning the pedals with his hands. Of course me (age 7) helped him do it and he got $85,000 and I got nothing

BTW, Sheldon, you used one of my favorite quotes in the thing about the FFS "Its a solution in search of a problem"!
Happens all the time to people working on fixed gears.
operator is offline  
Old 11-17-07, 12:45 PM
  #14  
use your best eye
 
kenhill3's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Olympia, Washington
Posts: 3,050

Bikes: '75 Bertin, '93 Parkpre Team 925, '04 Kona King Kikapu, '05 Bianchi Vigorelli

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Isn't this similar to what trials-specific bikes ie. Monty use/used?
__________________
"I tell you, We are here on earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." - Kurt Vonnegut jr.
kenhill3 is offline  
Old 11-19-07, 07:30 PM
  #15  
Junior Member
 
melinda923's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Portland, Or
Posts: 21

Bikes: 2007 Scott Contessa Speedster and Nashbar XC

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Sheldon Brown
If its a three-piece crank, you will need a whole new crank and bottom bracket.

To remove the old bottom bracket cups, you use an old-style Shimano "Boss" freewheel puller.

See: https://sheldonbrown.com/tools/freewheel.html

All the best,

Sheldon
Thanks for the tips. I got the cups off with some elbow grease and a vise.
melinda923 is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.