BiRectional How-To

How to switch your “Bi-Rectional” Hub from right-hand drive to left-hand drive

First and foremost, this procedure should only be performed by an authorized bicycle mechanic. In fact, it’s required for any warranty claims-if you’re not an authorized bicycle mechanic or if you’re an authorized bicycle mechanic that’s uncomfortable with this procedure…set the hub down. Call your friendly Eastern Rep; they’ll help to point you in the right direction or “Bi-rection” whatever the case may be. The first thing you’ll need to do if you want to convert your Bi-rectional hub is to gather the proper tools. You’ll need either a 17mm socket or open ended wrench to remove the rear wheel, as well as either a 20mm open ended wrench or an adjustable wrench for the cone nuts. You’ll also need a 6mm allen or hex wrench to hold the axle still while you loosen the cones and a small flat-head or small Phillips head screw driver to remove the pawl retention plate. It’s also recommended to have some rags on hand as well as some background music-something from the ‘80s with guitars is recommended.

THE STEPS…

1. Using your handy 17mm socket or open end wrench, remove the axle nut and washer from the drive side. It’s not too late to turn back, so if you’re having second thoughts-call us! Put the axle nut and washer in a safe place-you’ll want to be able to find them later.	2. Now, put that 6mm allen wrench to good use. Stick it in the end of the drive side on the axle and then, with a firm grip on the allen wrench put your 20mm or your adjustable in the game by sticking it on the outer cone nut.	3. With a solid grip on the axle, you’ll want to turn the 20mm or adjustable away from your body or counterclockwise. This should loosen it to the point where you can remove the outer cone nut by hand. Remove the outer cone nut and set it somewhere safe (you’ll need it later for sure).
4. You should now be able to remove the inner cone by hand, if not use your 20mm or adjustable again along with the 6mm allen and basically repeat step 3 with the inner nut. By now, you should pretty much know where you’re keeping all the parts as you remove them so go ahead and put the inner cone nut there as well.	5. You’ll now want to remove the driver. It’s actually recommended to hold the wheel drive side down over some type of catch basin or a shop table. This way if bearings decide to come out you’ll at least have an idea of where to start looking and won’t have to call Matlock immediately. If you can’t find bearings, we have them available for a very small fee, just call us. The driver should just pull off of the axle, if there are complications with this please call us.	6. Don’t even think about setting that driver down! Just grab either your small flat head or Phillips head screwdriver with your free hand and start to loosen the three small machine screws that hold the pawl retention plate on. Remove those screws and set them somewhere very safe.
7. Now pull the pawl retention plate off. Set it with all the other important stuff and be sure not to drop the bearings out. If somehow the driver bearings fall out, give us a call.	8. You’ll now want to remove one of the pawls. MAKE SURE TO DO THIS ONE AT A TIME. This way, you’ll be sure to put them all back in correctly. Set the pawl down nearby and move on to step 9.	9. Now it’s time to remove the pawl spring. Just grab it softly and pull it upwards, it should come right out. Set it nearby, you’ll need it soon.
10. At this time you should have what looks like an empty spot where a really tiny femur was in the hub.	11. It’s time to put that little pawl spring back in. You’re going to want to put it on the opposite side from where it was before. If you’ve already forgotten which way it was before…don’t worry. Since you’re pulling these out one at a time you can just look at any of the others that are still in the hub and install it opposite of those. Push it ONLY HALF WAY IN and DIRECTLY FROM THE TOP. This is very important to the process.	12. Let’s have a pawl! Or at least let’s put a pawl back in a hub. Now you’ll need to push the pawl HALF WAY IN and DIRECTLY FROM THE TOP. Make sure that the inside edge of the pawl is perpendicular to the pawl spring.
13. Push both the pawl spring and the pawl into the hub body AT THE EXACT SAME TIME. Repeat this step 5 more times verrrrry carefully…	14. Set the pawl retention plate above the pawls and line up the three holes in the plate with the three threaded holes in the hub.	15. Grab those screws that you carefully set in a safe place. Also grab your screwdriver-were re-installing the pawl retention plate.
16 . Hold the hub or wheel upside-down over the same safe place where you took it apart. Slide the driver up the axle and into place in the hub. It should now be flush inside the hub.	17. Grab the inner cone nut and hand thread it onto the axle. You’ll want to turn it down into the hub until it’s fairly snug, but the hub still spins freely.	18. Get your outer cone nut, 6mm allen wrench and your 20mm or adjustable wrench. You’re going to want to thread the outer cone nut onto the axle and then down to the inner cone nut. Now put the allen wrench in the end of the axle, put the 20mm or the adjustable around the cone and tighten until you’re confident that everything is snug but still free-spinning. You also want to check the axle to make sure there’s no play. VOILA!!! YER DONE!!

Well….who has more fun than people? Monkeys do but that’s a whole other story. Hopefully that went smooth; once again if any of you shops out there have questions do not hesitate to call your friendly Eastern Rep.