Freehub Questions
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Freehub Questions
I'm 15 and I decided I want to start working on and collecting old bikes. My first buy was a mid 90's Mongoose Sycamore in electric purple that was sitting in a garage for years. I didn't even know it was purple until I cleaned it. 😂 The wheels were rusty and the tires were practically destroyed so I just switched them with the black wheels from a cheap Wal-Mart mountain bike I had in the garage. It's been going great and I love the thing, but the past couple days I've had this problem with the pedals not turning the wheel if the bikes been sitting still for more than a couple seconds. I have to start rolling the bike and then pedal frantically until the pedals start working properly. As much as my friends find it funny to watch me pedal "like a tweaking drug addict" until the bike actually starts moving, it's kind of scary waiting to cross the road and having a 50/50 chance of the bike going when you pedal it. The internet says it's probably a worn out freehub. So I was curious on if it mattered what brand or if I needed to buy a specific type of freehub to replace it? My research says there are different types and that Shimano uses a completely different system than most other brands. Also, is this a 45 minute backyard fix or should I go to a bike shop? Thank you for any information you can give me.
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It is probably a worn out freewheel.
Look up "Sheldon Brown Glossary" to learn the difference. While you are there, read and understand the whole thing.
Wal-mart bikes don't come with freehubs.
If it is the freewheel, it is less than a five minute job once you have the wheel off, the required tools on hand and a replacement part.
Alternatively, you could try cleaning it out. First remove the freewheel, flush WD-40 spray (may take more than one can) then rinse with iso-propyl alcohol to remove the WD-40 residue, finally lubricate with a then oil such as Tri-Flo. It is less expensive to purchase a new freewheel.
Look up "Sheldon Brown Glossary" to learn the difference. While you are there, read and understand the whole thing.
Wal-mart bikes don't come with freehubs.
If it is the freewheel, it is less than a five minute job once you have the wheel off, the required tools on hand and a replacement part.
Alternatively, you could try cleaning it out. First remove the freewheel, flush WD-40 spray (may take more than one can) then rinse with iso-propyl alcohol to remove the WD-40 residue, finally lubricate with a then oil such as Tri-Flo. It is less expensive to purchase a new freewheel.
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Why bother? The bike is cheap junk, and is probably not worth repairing. Wal-Mart bikes never are.
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The bike isn't from Wal-Mart, as far as my knowledge goes. The wheels are just off of a cheap Wal-Mart bike. That being said, after getting this fixed, I'm going to save up to get a quality set of wheels. Even if my old Sycamore was a cheap Wal-Mart bike when they sold it in the 90's, at this point I've replaced enough stuff on it and grown to love it so much that I'll probably keep it until I've either had everything on the frame replaced with better parts or it just becomes a display of my very first project bike. Thanks for the input though.
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It is probably a worn out freewheel.
Look up "Sheldon Brown Glossary" to learn the difference. While you are there, read and understand the whole thing.
Wal-mart bikes don't come with freehubs.
If it is the freewheel, it is less than a five minute job once you have the wheel off, the required tools on hand and a replacement part.
Alternatively, you could try cleaning it out. First remove the freewheel, flush WD-40 spray (may take more than one can) then rinse with iso-propyl alcohol to remove the WD-40 residue, finally lubricate with a then oil such as Tri-Flo. It is less expensive to purchase a new freewheel.
Look up "Sheldon Brown Glossary" to learn the difference. While you are there, read and understand the whole thing.
Wal-mart bikes don't come with freehubs.
If it is the freewheel, it is less than a five minute job once you have the wheel off, the required tools on hand and a replacement part.
Alternatively, you could try cleaning it out. First remove the freewheel, flush WD-40 spray (may take more than one can) then rinse with iso-propyl alcohol to remove the WD-40 residue, finally lubricate with a then oil such as Tri-Flo. It is less expensive to purchase a new freewheel.
#7
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Watch/read these:
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I'm new in these parts as well, and I'm not a bike mechanic. Many years ago I spent a lot of time tearing down my first real bike (Schwinn Varsity), learning how to adjust and tweak cone hubs, cleaning freewheels, truing wheels that didn't need it, etc. By the time I upgraded the bike I had learned a lot about that bike and how to do things that needed to be done. You'll make mistakes - but more importantly you'll learn.
Even if you do replace the freewheel - mess around with the old one and see if you can get it going. the freewheel itself isn't worth a thing - but learning how something works and how to fix one is well worth it.
Even if you do replace the freewheel - mess around with the old one and see if you can get it going. the freewheel itself isn't worth a thing - but learning how something works and how to fix one is well worth it.
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@Drevj12
Welcome to the Forums.
Good questions..........all of them !
I like your style, wanting to learn, asking the questions and up to the challenge
Welcome to the Forums.
Good questions..........all of them !
I like your style, wanting to learn, asking the questions and up to the challenge
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putting the walmart wheels on that bike is a Downgrade
as you can tell by the freewheel already failing.
if the original wheels are still true (round), then despite the rust (which you can probably clean up with some steel wool pads), I'd put them back on the bike.
Just swap the dead tires with the one's from the walmart bike, not the whole wheel.
as you can tell by the freewheel already failing.
if the original wheels are still true (round), then despite the rust (which you can probably clean up with some steel wool pads), I'd put them back on the bike.
Just swap the dead tires with the one's from the walmart bike, not the whole wheel.
#12
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I'm new in these parts as well, and I'm not a bike mechanic. Many years ago I spent a lot of time tearing down my first real bike (Schwinn Varsity), learning how to adjust and tweak cone hubs, cleaning freewheels, truing wheels that didn't need it, etc. By the time I upgraded the bike I had learned a lot about that bike and how to do things that needed to be done. You'll make mistakes - but more importantly you'll learn.
Even if you do replace the freewheel - mess around with the old one and see if you can get it going. the freewheel itself isn't worth a thing - but learning how something works and how to fix one is well worth it.
Even if you do replace the freewheel - mess around with the old one and see if you can get it going. the freewheel itself isn't worth a thing - but learning how something works and how to fix one is well worth it.
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putting the walmart wheels on that bike is a Downgrade
as you can tell by the freewheel already failing.
if the original wheels are still true (round), then despite the rust (which you can probably clean up with some steel wool pads), I'd put them back on the bike.
Just swap the dead tires with the one's from the walmart bike, not the whole wheel.
as you can tell by the freewheel already failing.
if the original wheels are still true (round), then despite the rust (which you can probably clean up with some steel wool pads), I'd put them back on the bike.
Just swap the dead tires with the one's from the walmart bike, not the whole wheel.
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@Drevj12
Welcome to the Forums.
Good questions..........all of them !
I like your style, wanting to learn, asking the questions and up to the challenge
Welcome to the Forums.
Good questions..........all of them !
I like your style, wanting to learn, asking the questions and up to the challenge
#15
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is this a 45 minute backyard fix or should I go to a bike shop?
can you troubleshoot why the gas lawnmower wont work? replaced skateboard wheels?
Build your own quad copters , or other mechanical challenges?
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So far, I've replaced the brake pads on my bike, the wheels, as I mentioned before, and adjusted the brakes. Not much mechanical knowledge. I'm really learning as I go using the internet because nobody in my family is interested in anything mechanical except me. So until I find that local mentor that always shows up in the movies, this forum and YouTube are my main sources. But I'm willing to try and fail and try again until I get it right. I'm determined to learn.
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IME, the freewheel (if that is, indeed, what it is) is probably just gunked up, as has probably already been mentioned. and just needs a thorough cleaning.
if you really want to do something that will expand your horizons, disassemble that freewheel. hint: the key is the ring in the center that may have an arrow embossed in it. it's usually a left handed thread. i removed my first one with a punch and my dad's hammer.
best done over a bucket. won't divulge any more. i don't want to spoil the surprise.
if you really want to do something that will expand your horizons, disassemble that freewheel. hint: the key is the ring in the center that may have an arrow embossed in it. it's usually a left handed thread. i removed my first one with a punch and my dad's hammer.
best done over a bucket. won't divulge any more. i don't want to spoil the surprise.