Originally Posted by
Torchy McFlux
Maillard used the same standard as Suntour on their 2-notch freewheels, so a Park FR-2 or equivalent will work fine. The EXTREMELY key thing with using one of these though is the proper securing of it to the freewheel before trying to force it. 2-notch freewheels are infamous for stripping or breaking either themselves or the tool during removal. (That's why Suntour switched to 4-notch, and Maillard switched to splined after a few years.) Make sure the tool is perfectly engaged with the notches, centered, and snuggly held in place by an axle nut or quick-release skewer to prevent it from shifting out of place when spun. I find that clamping it in a bench vise (so the wheel is horizontal) and using both sides of the rim/tire for leverage is safer and more successful than just pushing on a wrench. Spraying some penetrating oil at the junction between the hub and freewheel body beforehand can be a good idea too. Once you've loosened it slightly - like a quarter turn - you can remove the nut/QR and spin it the rest of the way off.
This is great advice. Make sure that 2-notch tool is firmly held there as Torchy said by the QR or nut. Then you gotta just get it unstuck and then get rid of the QR or nut before continuing to turn it -- otherwise you'll break your QR or axle.
If you don't have a bench vice, then you can use a big wrench and a pipe over the wrench handle for more leverage, which is what I do. Make sure the wheel has a tube and a tire on it too as it helps support everything when applying huge forces. Just put the tire down on the floor, lean on it with one arm along the tire, preventing it from rolling, and then use all your weight on the wrench. Helps if you are kind of heavy, like me
