Freehubs - at last, a picture!

[elPedro666]

Morning Star (RIP) used to sell replacement (reusable) seals for the outside of the freehub, as you're only likely to get away without damaging the original a couple of times at best. I was communicating with him and had loads on order when he sadly passed on in such unpleasant circumstances. I did try speaking to the person who took control of the estate but didn't get very far.

As above, the MorningStar version is a case of simply pulling the axle out of the way, popping that eversodelicate seal and squeezing away from the outside. I have bought a Stein version but haven't removed a freehub to try it out on yet. MS design seems preferable to me for the reasons stated above.

Almost asked about preferred lubricants then, but I'd gamble there's already an existing thread with a mass of Brucey knowledge...

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my VOG-L09 using hovercraft full of eels.

[mikeymo]

It's been many years since I've used the Morningstar version (and I've not used the Stein version), but from my recollection:
- The 1/4" bearings had to be removed from the freehub to use the MS tool, so removing the freehub from the hub shell, which is almost the same/as difficult as removing the freehub. And the MS was easier to use with the freehub removed from the hub shell.
- To use the MS tool, one had to remove the metal cover/seal at the outboard side of the freehub. This is hard to do without deforming it, so for me was more of a pain than removing any rubber seal from the inboard side of the freehub (which ideally would be done as well). Naturally, Brucey describes a better technique for removing these metal seals.
- I used to flush enough Phil tenacious oil through, using compressed air, that it didn't make much difference to me which direction it was going. Keep flushing until clean. The 1/4 bearings should really be removed for either tool or direction, so contamination was not an issue.

I can understand different preferences for either tool. Personally, I've taken to opening up the freehub to clean and re-shim.

Thanks for the input. Yes, I'd imagined that if I were going to the trouble of flushing the freehub, having broken the chain, removed the wheel, removed the cassette, then taking the freehub off the hub isn't really much extra trouble. And I don't suppose I would want to be doing something that involve lots of oil anywhere near either a rim or, in my case, a brake rotor. So being able to flush the freehub without removing it is probably not much of an advantage, if at all.

As I said, in my mind I've got an incipient design for a similar tool, though I daresay it might be cheaper just to buy the Stein one, in the long run!