In this article I’m going to explain how to remove a stuck freewheel cassette from a rear wheel bicycle hub. In this case I’d already removed the sprockets from the freewheel body, so technically we’re only going to remove that part. Since I decided I would downgrade the Koga Miyata Adventure to its original 6-speed and buy a new freewheel, this one had to go.
YouTube Tutorial
Freewheel remover tool

Since I didn’t have one I had to buy a freewheel remover. Unlike today’s cassettes which are tightened with the help of a lockring onto the splined body, freewheels contain both the body and the sprockets and are screwed onto the rear hub. To unscrew them you insert a freewheel remover into the body of the cassette and turn it counterclockwise. ]

I bought the Park Tool Freewheel Remover FR-1.3, but different freewheels might necessitate different methods of removing them. The freewheel has a body with 12 splines which correlate with the inside of the freewheel.
There are 2 reasons why freewheels are much more difficult to remove than your standard freehub cassette.
- First, they are screwed on, and riding your bike only screws them tighter.
- Second, freewheels are made of steel thus have a tendency to corrode and seize on the rear hub.
How to remove a stuck freewheel using an adjustable wrench.

There are several methods when you try to remove a stuck freewheel and fortunately, I only had the use the most obvious one, which is applying force with an adjustable wrench.

It didn’t go willingly so it needed a little more convincing. By moving the rear wheel upright and sitting over it, you’re in a better position to apply the necessary force to get it to loosen.
How to remove a stuck freewheel using a cheater bar
A cheater bar is a piece of pipe to extend the leverage of the adjustable wrench. More leverage means you can exert more force, it’s that simple.
How to remove a stuck freewheel using a vice
Another method to exert more force on the freewheel is by using the entire wheel as a lever. To do so you’ll need to place the freewheel remover into a vice. You have both hands free to rotate the wheel while the tool stays in place because it’s being gripped by the vice.
And that’s how you remove a stuck freewheel! If you like this article give it a thumbs up. If you have any questions or suggestions for new articles, let me know in the comments below. Cheers.