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Finally got a stuck freewheel off with a bench vise and a piece of pipe
Had a customer's old road bike with a freewheel that wouldn't budge, even with the proper tool and a big wrench. After two days of trying, I put the tool in my bench vise, slid a 4-foot piece of steel pipe over the frame's chainstay for leverage, and turned the whole bike. It popped loose on the first try. I was worried about frame damage, but it was fine. Anyone have a better method for those really frozen ones?
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the_kim1mo ago
Bench vises are great for this, but be careful with the pipe on the frame. I had a buddy who tried that trick on an old Schwinn and the pipe slipped and put a nasty dent in the top tube. He was pretty bummed about it. My take? Sometimes the easiest fix is just to walk away for a day and come back with fresh eyes and maybe some penetrating oil on the threads overnight. Your mileage may vary, but a little patience goes a long way before you bring out the big pipe.
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