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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!decwrl!CSL-Vax!Cascade!reid
From: reid@Cascade.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.bicycle
Subject: Re: Freewheel Maintenance
Message-ID: <105@Cascade.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 27-Aug-84 18:23:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: Cascade.105
Posted: Mon Aug 27 18:23:45 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 30-Aug-84 09:22:20 EDT
References: <423@astrovax.UUCP>
Organization: Stanford University
Lines: 19

Take the freewheel off the bike and clean it in a good solvent. Some people
like kerosene. I used to use lead-free gasoline, but I have recently
switched to using carburetor cleaner, which is an outrageously caustic
chemical that you can buy in any auto parts store. It works better than
gasoline or kerosene.

After you clean it you will have to relubricate it. Fanatics relubricate
freewheels by taking them apart. I relubricate them by using a little grease
injector made by Phil Wood, which forces grease in through the bearings from
the back. The grease injector costs $22.50, which is about the same as a
new freewheel. If you don't want to buy an injector and you don't want to
ake it apart, then use a good teflon spray lubricant and spray liberally on
the back, near the threads, trying to encourage the lubricant to get down
into the mechanism.

As long as your hands are dirty, clean your chain too. Chains pick up a lot
of dirt and transfer it to the freewheel. 
		Brian Reid
		Stanford