Originally Posted by
habilis
I know you insomniacs have all gone to bed long ago, but I just had to post how much I admire your attitude of resourcefulness. Too bad they can't have a course about it in the public schools.
Interesting question.
And, sometimes I wonder if society tries to train resourcefulness out of individuals. It isn't something that one could teach in a single class. And there are many people who want you to go "by the book". Whereas the tinkerers throw the books out.
A boxed item that comes with assembly instructions. One always assembles first, then looks at the instructions to see how many mistakes one made
I suppose there would be a lot of little things. When I was in a painting class years ago, we were given a selection of colors. The one color we were never allowed to have was BLACK. So, if one ever wanted black, one would have to mix paints together until one got a nice dark color (usually not quite black).
Anyway, to tie it back to the original question.
The wheel is already broken, and the OP has a quote to get it replaced for a very reasonable £25.
That means there is nothing the OP can do to break the wheel any more.
So, in my world, that means take it apart and see how the thing works, and what went wrong with it. With some luck, one might even be able to get it back together and save the £25.
Now, there are a few tools that may be helpful.
- Freewheel tool (probably Park FR-1). Your shop may remove the freewheel for reuse anyway.
- Set of standard wrenches.
- Cone wrenches (probably 15mm), most useful if you wish to reassemble. Perhaps not necessary for disassembly.
I do have a home made cone wrench somewhere. Not the best because it was made with too soft of steel, but it is good in a pinch.
Now, on that wheel, there was a mangled piece of metal that seemed to fall out. With the one photo, it is hard to recognise, but a dust cap or seal seems like a reasonable interpretation. It isn't entirely needed, but some protection is nice.
And, unfortunately, dust caps can be proprietary, and aren't the easiest to replace... or if they are, they often aren't just laying around our parts boxes... so rather than spending hours or days tracking one down, alternatives are sought.
Anyway, if the OP wants to take on the task of rebuilding, then there will be people who will look at detailed photos and give some advice.