I attach a photo of the hole in the centre of a freehub on a Keyin 48 spoke tandem rear wheel. The wheel is otherwise nice, but the freehub has too much play.
It looks as if it needs some exotic tool to remove it. Anyone know anything about it?
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
As NA said, a really big allen key. Either 10, 11 or 12 mm depending on the make and model.
Bill
“Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. But ride.” ~ Eddy Merckx It's a rich man whos children run to him when his pockets are empty.
It is a bi-hex fitting which means an allen key will usually 'fit' that (which could be could be 7/16" BTW) and may work OK but a spline bit could be 'the correct tool for the job'. If you want to know the size you will have to measure it, or try lots of different tools.[BTW Torx have six splines of a different shape, so it isn't one of those].
However, with a non-shimano hub, don't make the mistake of assuming that;
a) you actually need to remove the freehub body for any purpose other than to throw it away (you can almost invariably reshim the freehub body in situ)
b) that turning that fastening will remove the freehub; often there is another bolt or a nut which is accessed from the other side of the hub, and you remove the freehub by turning that. The second fastening can be LH or RH threaded. [In such hubs the freehub body is often splined to the hubshell, and the inviting-looking fitting you have photographed is only there to allow the hubshell and freehub body to be held in the factory when the freehub is fitted; all the turning and tightening happens inside the hubshell, on another fitting entirely, accessed from the other side.]
c) that you will be able to source another freehub body to replace the one you have (there are dozens of different types which do not interchange with one another), and that should you get a replacement one, that in hard use, it will be play-free and won't pretty soon need shimming like the old one....
Hi, You would think that because its bi-hex (12 sides) it would be weaker, round off but they are very tough. The reason for this I assume is that its a more compact design to allow the wheel spindle to pass and to fit inside the freehub space.
7/16" is a Gnats &%&£ bigger that 11mm but whether shimano ever designated a fastener 7/16" I don't know. If an 11mm key fits try the 7/16" first, just to be extra picky.
Edited for grammar- who ever heard of silent g's
Last edited by NATURAL ANKLING on 19 May 2016, 7:12pm, edited 1 time in total.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
Out of curiosity what make of freehub is it. I Haven't heard of Keyin, and a google search doesnt throw any light. My Tandem has Dawes branded freehubs but i believe they are Quando hubs, the marking on the left hand cone is "R.O.C. Taiwan". The hub looks very similar to these except that mine have cup and cone ball bearings. My freehub also has some play and began "grumbling" a few months ago but i managed to get some lub in there by laying the tandem over and allowing some lub to flow in and it has resolved the problem for the time being.
Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X2, Raleigh 20 stowaway X2, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840, Giant Bowery, Apollo transition.
Spoke too soon, my freehub has now developed an audible once a revolution click. I suspect one of the pawls has broken. I don't think spare free hubs are available for Quando hubs so its a question of time before it fails completely. Tandems give them a hard life with 2 people peddling. Must remember to carry my bus pass with me when out on the tandem.
Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X2, Raleigh 20 stowaway X2, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840, Giant Bowery, Apollo transition.
FWIW Quando freehubs can usually be rebuilt in situ. However they don't always want to come off the hubshell it seems!
Specialized and Bontrager wheels (amongst others) use various hubs rebranded and there are spares for these; however identifying which one you want is difficult.
If a freehub body is a bit worn it can make a noise during freewheeling simply because if there are two pawls they are usually offset to one side, so the pawl springs are pushing the sprockets etc off centre and this can make the whole shooting match make some funny noises. It could be that a pawl is broken, but it isn't necessarily the case.
