Free Hub / Casette Question

[email.james@virgin.net]

Hi, when spinning the peddles backwards sometimes the free hub/ casette thing can be very stiff and not spin causing the chain to slack and not go round..

Is there anyway to make it spin easier?

Thanks

James

[Steve Kish]

Rinse the freehub out with some white spirit and re-lube with chain oil. The pawls inside the freehub are probably sticking.

[miggeth]

Is it possible to take out some parts to make it spin without clicking?

[BMR]

If you take the pawls out it will stop ticking, problem is you will pedal and get nowhere, the clicking is the spring loaded pawls running over the ratchet inside your hub that drives you forwards.

[miggeth]

Hmm, makes sense. The hubs at the centre of the Alex Rims that came with my bike don’t click. I’ll have a closer look at them tomorrow to see if they have a brand. I also had some wheels on a custom built Saracen that didn’t, don’t know what wheels were on that though.

[miggeth]

Nope, they don’t have a brand, apparently they’re just generic hubs 😕 . They do click but very quietly, you can’t hear them when you’re riding. They great for sneaking up on people and hearly giving them a heart attack. I’d use them but they feel like the bearings are filled with honey or something, no freeness at all.

[lordmerchant]

Any wheel fitted with a freehub will click, admittedly some louder than others. Hope’s for example sound like there is a machine gun mounted to the rear of your bike. My shimano Xt’s however I can barely notice. In regards to getting better engagement I took my freehub off a wheel once, rinsed it with diesel three or four times to get the grime out. Let it dry the soaked it in a thin lube (paraffin oil IIRC) that seem to work a treat.

[Steve Kish]

I took my freehub off a wheel once, rinsed it with diesel three or four times to get the grime out. Let it dry the soaked it in a thin lube (paraffin oil IIRC) that seem to work a treat.

Probably just as good, if not better than using white spirit, actually. 8)