maddyfish

I have an ACS claws 18 tooth BMX freewheel on a Surly flip flop hub on my SS road/ commuter bike. I was washing the road grime/ salt off the bike today with hot water, and when water was poured over ther freewheel, a fair amount of rusty/nasty water ran out of it. I use this bike in all weather conditions, rain, heavy snow, salt water beaches, salty snow covered roads. Is there some sort of maintainance I should be doing on the freewheel? How long does a BMX freewheel last in a road situation? I have about 1500 miles on it now, and will likely put 5000-6000 miles a year on this bike.

j0e_bik3

I look at BMX freewheels like a BIC lighter,....
at $20 each, when they do what yours did, I just go get another.

1500 miles aint that much, aside from the freaky rusty water show, how does the freewheel operate?

smooth? catchy?

like I said, a NEW one will run you $20, so I'd get one, stick it in my pack, and just ride,....if yours locks up, or starts spinning (and your not moving) stick the new one on.

I have THE CRAPPIEST shin-tao-fu freewheel on my flipside, and it's got about
1000 on it, and still smooth as butter, it's just loud enough to scare wildlife!

Retro Grouch 

I honestly can't answer that.

It's possible to open up the freewheel, clean it and relube it. In practice, however, they are so cheap that most people just replace them when they start to act up.

DieselDan

Hose it out with WD-40, then drip some lightweight motor oil into it. I hope you greased the hub threads before the freewheel was installed. If you don't trust it, $20 will get you a new one. $6 labor charge will get it installed.

roadfix

If you're thinking of putting that many miles and want something virtually maintenance free, consider White Industries freewheel cogs. They're pricey but worth it.