Hot take: I just hit 500 freewheel removals and I'm still using the old Park FR-1

Elizabeth White · 2026-04-01T19:40:06.663283+00:00

I know everyone says to upgrade to the FR-5 or a bench-mounted tool, but my old FR-1 just passed the 500 mark. I bought it used for 30 bucks when I started at the co-op three years ago. It's got a chewed-up handle and the pin is slightly bent, but it hasn't failed me once. I've pulled everything from a rusted-on Atom on a 70s Schwinn to a modern Shimano cassette body that was glued on with threadlock. The trick is a four-foot cheater pipe and hitting it with penetrating oil the night before. People spend big money on new tools for jobs a solid old one can still handle. What's the one tool in your box you've used way more than you ever thought you would?

ben4866mo ago

How many cheater pipes have you gone through?

6

christophermurphy6mo ago

Honestly, the real flex is that you've done 500 of those jobs. That's a lot of freewheels (and probably a lot of very grateful customers). The tool just had to keep up.

5

julia_jones725mo ago

And that's exactly what I love about it, @christophermurphy. It's not just the tool - it's the damn mileage. 500 freewheels means you've seen enough to know what works, and you're not wasting money on shiny upgrades. It's like my grandpa's old hammer with the handle wrapped in duct tape. He used it for thirty years and never felt the need for a fancy fiberglass one. People get caught up in gear upgrades when the real upgrade is just getting good at the job. The FR-1 is your duct tape handle, man.

4