banerjek

It wasn't my idea that saved my butt this morning. I was almost exactly in the middle of my 18 mile commute when the freewheel let go and spinning the pedals did nothing to move the bike. It was 19F on the way in which is not bitter cold, but definitely nippy for a 9 mile walk since I dress assuming that my body movement will keep me warm.

Rather than walk, I pulled apart a spiral notebook and used the wire to connect my cogs to the spokes. That repair lasted until I accidentally put a bit too much leg in my stroke while merging in traffic with 2 miles to go. I jogged the rest of the way. (Note to self: always be aware of the state of equipment and act accordingly).

The guys at my LBS thought I was pretty clever, but I didn't come up with the idea myself.
Thanks, BF (and especially 2manybikes) for the advice. I wouldn have frozen my *ss off and arrived to work more than an hour late without it.

Ironically, just minutes before the freewheel gave out, I was thinking I should carry some wire just in case something like this happened. Gotta remember not to think thoughts that will jinx me.

vegcrow

I really need to wear bigger pockets just in case I crash into huge bags of money on my commute.

SpiderMike

I hate that when that happens...

Glad to hear your ok. The last time the freewheel on my bmx cruiser gave up... Let me just end it with... should have been wearing my shin gaurds.

fsor

Believe it or not, zip ties work pretty well in this "fix"....always carry zip ties and duct tape

banerjek

I was thinking about the zip ties as soon as I realized the freehub was done. They're light, easy to use when it's freezing cold, take up no space, and there are a number of situations where being able to bind things is handy. I do carry electrical tape on the bike (smaller than duct tape and handier for what I use it most for -- patching the insides of damaged tires)

truman

Zip ties fit nicely inside a drop handlebar. Helps to wrap them with a piece of string and hold it in place with the end cap, for easy retrieval.

TheDL

Unless you have bar end shifters...like me

seely

I never leave home without zip ties, can't tell you how many times I've fixed peoples bikes with them enough to get them home.

lyledriver

Thats crazy.
When I read that post by 2manybikes, I thought "Now how often do freewheels fail anyways?".. guess this answers my question.

I'm throwing some zip ties in the bag right now.

TheDL

<--- just pilfered 6 zip ties from my work's junk drawer. Shhhhh.

huhenio

Consider removing freeweel and get a track cog in there .... how much faster can you go anyhow.

2manybikes

I'm glad that it helped you, that's great! That was clever to take the wire out of the spiral binder!

Sometimes you can get something in between the big cog and the spokes, like a piece of rope and spin the pedals until it just jams itself in there. Not as secure though.

Thanks for posting this, I just looked in my bag and found only four zip ties,
I decided to add a few more.

You carry duct tape right? It does not stretch as much as electrical tape and it's stronger. I just took a few feet off a roll and wound it around my emergency pencil, for a smaller package.

banerjek

I'll remember the jamming technique for future reference -- there are tree branches and garbage just about everywhere that could probably be used for that purpose.

I haven't carried duct tape because all my uses of tape didn't require strength. However, wrapping a bit around a pencil won't consume significant weight or space so I'll add that.

I like truman's idea of stashing stuff in the handlebars. That way, those of us who have multiple bikes don't have to worry about forgetting anything.

oboeguy

Well done, banerjek!

Campers/hikers (err, me) sometimes carry flattened duct tape. Not as cheap as off the roll, but it packs well.

What's a good source for zip ties? The only place I ever see them open is in a bike computer package.

2manybikes

Radio Shack, and google.

ItsJustMe

Home improvement store, electrical aisle. You can buy packages of 100 for < $10, that's for the big ones, the little ones are even cheaper. They also have assortments of several hundred in a plastic jug for cheap. Start with that, refill with 100 packs when you run out, those will be the size you use the most, obviously. They're a must-have in any household IMHO.

icithecat

Handy as handcuffs in an erm.. emergency. The police use them.

GTcommuter

I was called a dork when I showed a co-worker my emergency supplies ziplock bag: zip ties, rolled duct tape, bandanna, 2 AAA batteries, spare Lumotec bulb, band-aids, Leatherman micro, 2 safety pins, 4 quarters, moleskin, grocery bag.

Small, lightweight, and can fix just about any reasonable problem. It's come in handy on several occasions. Not mention last week when my bolt-on axle nut got stripped and I had to take the bus home. Zip-tied the wheel to the chainstays & fender to keep it from rolling off the bus' front rack.

vrkelley

Ha ha...if there's an office emergency, they'll forget the razz'n and come look'n for you.. I've got the same setup at my desk. The last power outage, was pretty scarey. The haves vs. the have-nots. For the cost of a couple of lattes, anyone can be prepared.

vrkelley

How many ties will fix a freewheel? Like 1 per spoke?

carless

Zip ties and duct tape (hundred mile an hour tape: to the infantry) fixes humv's and bikes. Now if Bush rode a bike full time....

2manybikes

Try to get more than three if you can. Six would be pretty good. You still need to pedal smoothly. Use big ties too.

MyPC8MyBrain

One other note.. when you go to buy them, try to get the ones that have a metal retainer tang...[the part that makes the zip sound against the strap]

The cheapo ties with all plastic tabs dont hold for beans.

The voice of bad experience has spoken

max-a-mill

so you are talkin a casstte with multiple gears right?

cause i run a BMX freewheel and couldn't figure out how you'd ziptie anything without the chain running right over the teeth (and therefore the zipties)....

does this make sense?

i am now certainly paranoid about my freewheel (guess a kick-bike would get old quick).

not really anyway to carry a spare freewheel and tools to change it out without adding some serious weight either.

WAAAH - i want a flip-flop hub so i can have a fixie cog on the otherside as backup... why don't singlespeed mtb hubs scome with a fixed side anymore? - WAAAH

SpiderMike

If you have a SS cassette disc hub like I do, there is something. There are a few companies that make cogs that bolt right up to the rotor mount of the hub.