Has anyone had a acs crossfire singlespeed freewheel long-term? I have 300 mi on one so far, just wondering how they hold up in terms of durability. Thanks!

Dave

they are fine, the biggest issue is when you want to remove one, ACS uses its own removal tool, and at least in my area, no shops carry the tool for sale, and I'm not paying someone $20 to remove a single speed freewheel.

Why would a shop charge $20 to remove a freewheel???

For someone I know who has been in before, I wouldn't even charge for that. If it's someone who just wandered in for the first time, it's a five buck job.

They're fine, but the models that have internal splines for removal are a pain to remove as the tool won't fit over the lock nuts (doesn't matter if your hubs are Formula, Phil, etc). So you have have to remove the locknut or endcap (Phil, and pray the drive side breaks free first ) to remove the freewheel.

Their double-ended freewheel tool is awesome though, it works on pretty much every common single speed FW out there (ACS, WI, Shimano) and you don't need a vice to use it.

i have one - didn't know what i was getting into when the shop ordered it for me - but it's been just fine. I'd say I have upwards of 800-1,000 miles on it by now - it's been about 2 years of commuting.
I did buy the tool from amazon for removal though - really annoyed about it. And as mentioned above there were some issues getting the wrnech over the nuts and onto the freewheel.

won't be buying another ACS when this one dies.

I have several ACS freewheels. I've never had one fail on me, but if you ride them frequently in the slop, they can get crusty. They are easy to rebuild and function like new, but be careful not to lose the bearings.

However, consider the dollar value of your time...it takes a while to repack all those tiny bearings.

because my lbs's suck, and the one I go to the most does not have the tool to remove the freewheel.

Just save up the cash and get a White Industries ENO freewheel. Mine has been running flawlessly for 2 years now and, although they can be serviced, mine has not needed to be.

For the record: ACS makes a version of the Crossfire called PAWS that can be removed using a 4-prong tool.

That's good to know. I like the idea of being able to re-pack bearings (though adjusting bearings is one of my least favorite bike jobs From the sound of it, it's going to be a while before this needs to be done!

Is there an advantage for getting white industries freewheels over surly?

Dave

AFAIK, Surly does not make freewheels, only cassette cogs.

Anyway, White Industries is light years better than anything from Surly.

Seriously...if using a freewheel is your thing, a White Industries will be money well spent. It's not just hype, they are incredible.

If your into freewheels, there are many to choose from including other high end freewheels to compete with White industries.
I'd like to try the Profile freewheel.

Cogs/Drivers/Freewheels - BMX Parts

The Profile looks nice and has two bearings, but I think WI has really nailed it in terms of sealing the ratchet mechanism and the bearing cartridge (it's effectively double-sealed), whereas the Profile bearing seals are exposed.

You're probably right. The Profile is designed for BMX racing and while I'm sure it beats an ACS freewheel, its main advantage is the large number of engagement points, which outside of BMX racing is unimportant. I'm sure it screams, though, when you coast, which is cool if your into loud freewheels.

For a time I was using a GT ratchet freewheel, another high engagement freewheel. It was really one of the nicest of the unsealed 'low-end' freewheels I have used. It really screamed when coasting. The noise I found distracting, but some people get into the sound of their freewheels. You can find hundreds of youtube videos just about the various sounds of different freewheels and freehubs.