Tadashi

My bike has a flip-flop hub, it has a fixed gear on one side and a freewheel on the other. The thing is, I never use the freewheel, and what's more it moves when I ride and therefore makes noise. How can I get rid of it? And if I take it off, can I put one more fixed gear in place of it?

Here's the pic of my hub:

Dr. Bill

Get a four-prong BMX freewheel remover and remove the offending freewheel. Shimano, Park, etc. make them. You can put another fixed cog on in place of it, BUT . . . your hub may be fixed/free, in which case you won't be able to use a lockring with the fixed cog on the "free" side. If you have brakes, that may not be a problem. If you don't have brakes, I would not recommend riding a cog without a lockring on the street. Hope this helps.

Dr. Bill

Tadashi

Thanks for the fast reply!

How much is this remover? And how do I check if I can put a lockring on this side of hub or not?

el twe

The tool costs about $9 USD, or you can take it to a shop and they'll do it for pretty cheap. The lockring threads are smaller and reverse threaded. If you take it off and there are two sets of different threads on the hub, you can safely put another fixed cog on.

Tadashi

Thanks. I'll probably buy the tool then, I may need it in the future.

Tadashi

I looked it up at Yahoo Japan and I'm a bit confused. Can you tell me which one I need? They are quite different.
https://store.yahoo.co.jp/atomic-cycle/4-pa-fr-6c.html
https://store.yahoo.co.jp/atomic-cycle/4-pa-fr-8c.html
https://store.yahoo.co.jp/thepowerful/fr-3c.html

operator

Yeah. They'll probably charge you $9 USD to do it for you.

You can help us help you by telling us what is written on your freewheel. You most likely need the FR-8 which is the 4 prong the other poster described.

Tadashi

It says "main drive 1/2 x 1/8 (c5)".

operator

Take your rear wheel out and get a face on photo of the freewheel.

deathhare

just get some shop to take it off.

Tadashi

You know Tokyo, what shop can offer such service? It's pretty ss/fg specific, I guess. A guy at my LBS shop (mostly a mamachari one) said that the only way to take it off is to destroy it. Fool.

deathhare

What an idiot shop.
What area you live in?..i can probably suggest a shop to go to.

Tadashi

I live in Nakano-ku, near Nogata station.

deathhare

Either of the Y's shops in Shinjuku arent that far away and will be able to do it for you. You know those shops?
Shinjuku 3 chome

Tadashi

Joker and Maniac? Yeah, I know them. About how much will they charge me? I heard their service is expensive.

operator

It's not an idiot shop. There are some freewheels that do not accept ANY tool to take it off. I don't know why you would advocate bringing it to a shop when one picture of the freewheel would game over this thread.

bonechilling

Do you mean like the freewheel in the picture at the top
of the page? The one that appears to takes the 4-prong
BMX-style freewheel remover?

deathhare

Yes, the same shop.
I highly doubt theyd charge you more than ¥1000 for this. Depending on if they have to take off your wheel.

deathhare

Its very obvious what kind of freewheel it is. Look at the picture. That freewheel is easily removed with a standard 4 prong tool.

Tadashi

I can take off my wheel myself, lol.

Well if it's that cheap, then I'll pay them a visit, I guess.

deathhare

And probably if you took just the wheel into Carnival (in shibuya) id say they would pull off the freehweel for free.
Theyve changed cogs for me for free before.

Tadashi

Carnival? I don't know that shop.

deathhare

its a fixed gear shop between harajuku station and shibuya station right off meiji dori. I can get you a map if you wanna go there instead.

el twe

They make cool YouTube videos. That's all I know about them.

Tadashi

OK, give me the location on google maps, I can read Japanese.