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I used to fight with old freewheel removers until I switched to a bench vise
For years I'd be on the floor, bracing the wheel against my chest and putting my whole weight on a big wrench, you know? I'd slip off, skin my knuckles, the whole mess. Last month I had a really stuck one from a 90s mountain bike, and after the third try I said forget it. I clamped the remover in my bench vise, put the wheel on it, and just turned the wheel like a steering wheel. It came loose in about two seconds, no fuss. The difference is having a solid anchor point that doesn't move, so all your force goes into turning, not holding things still. I felt kind of dumb for not trying it sooner, honestly. Has anyone else got a simple shop trick that saved you a ton of grief?
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kelly.emma6mo ago
Oh man, why did it take me so long to figure this out too? I had the exact same fight with a crusty bottom bracket lockring. I was using the biggest wrench I owned, standing on it, and it just would not budge. Finally put the whole bike frame in my workstand, locked the tool in place with a long breaker bar, and leaned on it. It popped loose like nothing. That solid anchor point is EVERYTHING. You feel like a genius and an idiot at the same time.
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