Pro tip: check the date codes on those old Shimano freehubs before you promise a quick fix

Had a guy bring in a vintage Trek 520 last Thursday, said the freehub was just a bit sticky. Told him I'd have it spinning in an hour. Pulled the freehub body and the date code was from '89, and the internal pawl spring was completely crystallized and snapped when I touched it. Took me three hours just to find a donor part from an old bin. Anyone else run into this with really old 600 series parts?

3 comments

3 Comments

gonzalez.vera2mo agoTop Commenter

Learned that lesson the hard way with an old 600 rear derailleur last year. The pivot bolt was basically welded by corrosion. I mean, I ended up soaking the whole thing in a mix of penetrating oil and acetone for like two days before anything would budge. Had to go real slow with heat on the cage plates. For those old springs and small parts, I keep a few junker parts bikes around now just for donors. It's the only way.

hollym822mo ago

But what if you don't have space for parts bikes? @gonzalez.vera I've found that total rebuild is sometimes worth it. On that same 600 mech, I made new pivot pins from stainless rod on a lathe. Cut new springs from a donor seat post bolt. It's a weekend project for sure, but then you know every part. For me, hunting for donor bikes takes more time than just fixing the original.

lee6271mo ago

oh man, the space thing is real. i've definitely been there where i just don't have room for a whole donor bike. idk, for me it usually comes down to how bad the rust is on the pivot pin. if it's just surface stuff i'll try to clean it up and reuse it, but if it's totally seized like you said, sometimes it's easier to just source a clean used one off ebay or something.