non-fixie 

This morning I picked up some stuff that had come from a bike shop that had gone tango uniform some time ago. Amongst the nice NOS chainrings, tubulars and freewheels I found this. I says SunTour and I suppose it is a tool of some sorts, but what does it do? Thanks for your help.

vettefrc2000

Freewheel / axle vice.

Bianchigirll 

I ti a freewheel vice. you use it to clamp a freewheel in a bench vise, by the largest cog and smallest facing up, so you can easliy remove the cogs with a pair of chain whips.

conspiratemus1

It looks as if it would be a clamping tool used for disassembling old-fashioned freewheels on which all five cogs screwed on with threads, the "bottom" two were left-handed I believe. You would have to grip the teeth of the largest cog in that tool, clamp the whole thing in your bench vise, and use a chain whip to get the last right-hand threaded cog off, or something like that. I remember seeing instructions and a pattern in an old issue of Bicycling magazine for making one out of bar stock and bolts. By the time I started changing cogs around on freewheels they all used the much more user-friendly splined cogs with only the top one to three threaded, which can be taken apart with just two chain whips.

non-fixie 

Thank you. Like this you mean?

Roll-Monroe-Co

A lot like that.

753proguy

Correct. Note the two differently-sized slots for front and rear axles.

pastorbobnlnh 

Used mine 3-4 times this weekend! Great tool.

Glennfordx4

I have been using the one at our shop a lot lately also, wish I could find one to call my own that wouldn't break the bank. Not many shops use these anymore they just replace the FW, I like to make customs and replace cogs when I can.

Glenn

non-fixie 

Thank you very much!

This interweb thing and especially this forum keeps amazing me. I'd been staring at the thing for quite a bit, and even googled things like "suntour tool" and "strange bike tool", but to no avail. Yet after posting it here (past midnight on a Sunday!) I not only knew what it was in 12 minutes, but also got great info on how to use it. Awesome.

Drakonchik

That tool is good but won't guarantee that cracking the locking cogs will be "easy". A very significant percetage of locking cogs will be on so tight, with such a lot of corrosion, that they will break your chainwhip and/or defeat you even when you muscle it with all your strength. Good luck!

Personally I would use it in conjunction with a Pedros vice-whip and when a 3-foot cheat-bar.

non-fixie 

Thanks for the advice. I've already lost a fair amount of fights with vintage bicycle parts.

cudak888 

You'll find that it's a pretty weak tool for any freewheel that's particularly jammed up. You'll bend the rods that the tool spreads on before you'll get the cogs off.

It's only good for babied equipment.

-Kurt

pastorbobnlnh 

IMO, if the cog does not budge when I lean my weight against the chain whip, it deserves a soaking in penetrating oil for at least 24 hours if not longer. I've not met a Shimano or Suntour FW cog that would not eventually yield to the force of PB! Regina and Atoms on the other hand, not always so lucky.