UKH

Use my singlspeed as my commuting bike, currently having to replace the freewheel on it every 6 months or so - is this common?

And yes, it has a flip flop but I don't want to use it as a fixie for commuting.

LBS assures me the shimano freewheel they are putting on it is "the best out there" and should last, my experience tells me differently - and they are going to try for new freewheel under warranty this time from shimano.

So, is this normal - how long should a freewheel last - and what makes should I be looking for  

In reply to subtle:

Yeah, single speed freewheels are generally pretty rubbish and the Shimanio version is one of the better ones. There are better still ones but I'm not convinced even they would last despite costing silly money.... £90

I'd actually suggest you go down market...

https://www.evanscycles.com/sturmey-archer-1-2-x-1-8-single-speed-freewheel...

...and expect to replace it bi-annually while having the fixie cog on the other side as back-up for the day the free fails.

In reply to subtle:

Singlespeed freewheels should last a very long time.

Is your chain tension too high?

Do you jetwash?

In reply to subtle:

White Industries used to be well thought of - my knowledge is old - but it's an expensive experiment

In reply to subtle:

What's killing them? Are the teeth wearing or is it the freewheel parts (pawls, bearings etc) themselves that are going?

In reply to subtle:

Ultimately the problem is that you've done half a job. You've gone singlespeed to save on maintenance when the real answer is to HTFU and go fixie.

This may seem harsh but it is the truth. ; ) 

In reply to JLS:

Yes, you could be right.

Singlespeed is commuter, ride in to work, leave bike, ride home, leave bike, repeat - no maintenance so no jet washing etc., all the grit/road salts picked up will sit in there I guess, along with being constantly wet from this weather so I guess its no real surprise - just thought I would get more than 6 months out of one.

Def not changing to fixie, been there, done that, not doing it again - too old for that nowadays.

Oh the joys of bike maintenance - should maybe take the car more   

In reply to subtle:

White industries, noisy but worth it. Mine has lived outside, been through all sorts of carp, outlasted numerous chains and is still perfect. No need for a bell as everyone can hear you coming.

In reply to subtle:

I used to get far better life out of a standard multi-speed wheel with freehub and a SS conversion kit than I did out of a dedicated SS freewheel

In reply to thepodge:

Yeah, me too, but his frame will have narrower track spacing and be too narrow for a standard multi-speed wheel.

In reply to JLS:

They didn't say what frame it was 

In reply to thepodge:

No, they didn't but I'm telepathic.

In reply to subtle:

Clearly, the answer is HTFU.  The unused freewheel on my flip-flop wheel is seized solid and it's never done a day's work in its life.  The other side is fine, but I doubt I could get the sprocket off without a bench vice and a bit of blood.

In reply to nniff:

There is a method for removing fixed cogs called Rotafix which works for me: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotafix. It involves wrapping the chain back on itself and using the mechanical advantage of the wheel.

I also struggled with singlespeed freewheels. I found the Shimano and Sturmey Archer ones to be a step above the no brand Chinese cheese ones but still only got about a year on average out of one. The white industries ones do look good but at about 7 times the price I never tried one.

I solved this by moving somewhere flat and going back to fixed gear but this may not be a viable solution for others!

In reply to Angrypenguin:

I've had a good few White Industries freewheels and they're great. Well sealed and the bearings are fairly easily changed when they do die. The teeth are very hardwearing too - I've had a couple that have done a lot of miles in crappy conditions and are still going strong - actually good value if you're riding on them a lot.

Shimano FWs have essentially no sealing. I always found they lasted longer with a thick oil rather than grease as you could dribble more in occasionally. They are OK to service, but the bearings themselves are teeny-tiny so are easily lost on a workshop floor! Tiny bearings is another reason they don't last too well. As the bearings wear there are thin shims/washers you can remove to tighten the bearing up and remove play.

In reply to Angrypenguin:

The full monty version involves the wheel, a length of chain and a bench vice to reduce the number of moving parts to zero - hopefully soon to be two.....

The chain either wraps around the sprocket and is held in the vice, or the chain wraps around the spocket and the sprocket goes in the vice with the chain to protect it.  Or no chain and a piece of wood on each side for the teeth to bite into.

In reply to subtle:

Rode a lot of miles in my youth on fixed either timetrialling or winter hacking. Always felt fixed gave me better bike control (only better, still not good) if not needing gears, so for me I wouldn't see the point of single freewheel.

In reply to Rog Wilko:

Well, that's just great, thanks awfully for your feedback.

In reply to subtle:

When I had a singlespeed I was using cheap freewheels from ebay, not much more than a fiver a pop. I also found they didn't last that long and the freewheel mechanism would die before the teeth were worn. Which is why I went with the cheapest I could find!

In reply to subtle:

You're welcome.

In reply to subtle: I'm only doing about 5 miles a day, but my Sturmey-Archer freewheel is into it's 2nd year, no problems.

I've heard the Halo clickster is good, but I've had no problems with my much cheaper SA, so haven't needed to try.

In reply to subtle:

Used Shimano singles years ago when cycle courier in London, lube with oil every now and then (grease holds grit) and they lasted for ages, 'till the teeth were worn beyond use so bearings were OK then....more useful than fixed as you didn't wack any high kerbs with pedals getting thru' traffic and so left those on the track bikes behind practising their track stands whilst clocking themselves in the office windows !