I never noticed this before



Chuckabutty

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Jun 21, 2018
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I have put nearly 6,000 miles on my Specialized Fatboy in three years. For the past several days I've noticed that when wheeling the bike out to the road, the pedals turn. That takes quite a bit of power to turn the chain and pedals. The bike is equipped with a Shimano 10-speed freehub and cassette.

I have a Schwinn hybrid bike with a freewheel. The pedals don't turn when I wheel the bike out to the road.

So I was thinking that something isn't right with the freehub. I can turn the bike upside-down, turn the pedals backward, and the wheel goes around, not at full speed, though. That would translate to applying braking power when free-wheeling, even though it would be minute. So I removed the freehub and found resistance when turning it by hand. To my knowledge, most things tend to loosen up as they wear. It works fine, doing its job, and perhaps if I had noticed this when the bike was new, I would have accepted it as normal.

It could be that the springs that control the pawls are very strong, causing the resistance when freewheeling. If that is not the case, I was wondering if I should replace the freehub because I don't want it failing on me when I'm across town.
 
Not all freehubs are equal WRT seals and resistance to contamination.
And 6000 miles is enough to build up some crud in the f/h.
Shimano f/h can be dismantled and serviced. It’s quite doable.
Often you can get away with less, a rinse.
With the f/h in hand, remove the outside seal, the metal shield, and the inside seal, the rubber gasket.
Put the f/h on something absorbing, inside down.
Now dribble the cleaning agent of your choice between the DS wheel bearing cup and the shell of the f/h body. Spin the f/h body a bit between dribbles. Continue until what you’re dribbling in comes out clean(ish), or until boredom sets in.
Shake the f/h, or let gravity do its job to remove cleaner from f/h.
Dribble in a runny oil, pop seals back. Reinstall on bike and check the results.
As for cleaning agent, I’ve used WD-40, diesel, kerosene, white spirits, lighter fluid. They all seem to do OK.
This will rehab a gummed up f/h, but won’t save one with actual damage to the bearing races.
 
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Not all freehubs are equal WRT seals and resistance to contamination.
And 6000 miles is enough to build up some crud in the f/h.
Shimano f/h can be dismantled and serviced. It’s quite doable.
Often you can get away with less, a rinse.
With the f/h in hand, remove the outside seal, the metal shield, and the inside seal, the rubber gasket.
Put the f/h on something absorbing, inside down.
Now dribble the cleaning agent of your choice between the DS wheel bearing cup and the shell of the f/h body. Spin the f/h body a bit between dribbles. Continue until what you’re dribbling in comes out clean(ish), or until boredom sets in.
Shake the f/h, or let gravity do its job to remove cleaner from f/h.
Dribble in a runny oil, pop seals back. Reinstall on bike and check the results.
As for cleaning agent, I’ve used WD-40, diesel, kerosene, white spirits, lighter fluid. They all seem to do OK.
This will rehab a gummed up f/h, but won’t save one with actual damage to the bearing races.
Thank you for this information. I noticed there is a lock ring with two slots in it to remove it from the body. I thought about removing it - if I can do that - and cleaning the inside, but I don't want springs and things flying out.

I was looking online for a new freehub but there are so many. I think I've found the right one. Mine takes a 12mm hex wrench to remove it. I've had it off the hub. I guess, to make sure, if I can find the specs for the bike, and know what the model of the hub is, I could find the right freehub. I think it's a Sram 406.
 
I noticed there is a lock ring with two slots in it.
If we’re talking Shimano, that’s not a lockring, it’s the DS wheel bearing cup.
I thought about removing it - if I can do that - and cleaning the inside.
Again, assuming Shimano: loosen the bolt a little, find/make/buy a tool that’ll engage the notches. I’ve used a file. Someone cut down a cone wrench, a 3rd managed with a piece of flat steel stock.
Stick tool in a vise. Put wheel on tool. Note that it’s a left hand thread. Lean on wheel and twist.
Once its broken free its usually possible to do the rest by hand
I don't want springs and things flying out.
That particular event is not a concern. There’s nothing inside that’s spring loaded as such.
The biggest things are the two sets of bearing balls. One beneath the wheel bearing cup, one at the base of the body. For Shimano, there’s 25 balls in each. And they will fall out and try to hide when you lift the shell off the core. Best done over a white(ish) terry cloth rag or a tray.
A sticky grease is required for reassembly.
.

I was looking online for a new freehub but there are so many. I think I've found the right one. ..: I think it's a Sram 406.
Didn’t you say ”10-speed Shimano”?
 
If we’re talking Shimano, that’s not a lockring, it’s the DS wheel bearing cup.

Again, assuming Shimano: loosen the bolt a little, find/make/buy a tool that’ll engage the notches. I’ve used a file. Someone cut down a cone wrench, a 3rd managed with a piece of flat steel stock.
Stick tool in a vise. Put wheel on tool. Note that it’s a left hand thread. Lean on wheel and twist.
Once its broken free its usually possible to do the rest by hand

That particular event is not a concern. There’s nothing inside that’s spring loaded as such.
The biggest things are the two sets of bearing balls. One beneath the wheel bearing cup, one at the base of the body. For Shimano, there’s 25 balls in each. And they will fall out and try to hide when you lift the shell off the core. Best done over a white(ish) terry cloth rag or a tray.
A sticky grease is required for reassembly.

Didn’t you say ”10-speed Shimano”?
That's a wealth of information, Dabac, and I thank you for this. I had intended to remove the f/h and take it apart, today, and I figured I'd have to make a tool for that wheel bearing cup. I'd have been struggling to unscrew it in a counter-clockwise direction.

Yes, it's a 10-speed. The bike specs list the hub as Specialized MTB Hi Lo disc, alloy, double-sealed loose ball, QR, 32h

As for grease, I bought a tub of White Lightning Crystal grease and have already used it for greasing the wheel bearings on the fat bike and the hybrid. I think it's great!
 
In your first post you wrote :”Shimano 10-speed freehub and cassette.
What I posted applies to Shimano freehubs. Your hub according o spec, Specialized Hi-Lo, is another beast. It WON’T have a Shimano f/h.
Possibly a Shimano cassette. Undoubtedly a Shimano(cassette)-compatible f/h. But NOT a Shimano f/h.
I don’t know how many design features there are that carry over.
Check hub for inscriptions.
 
In your first post you wrote :”Shimano 10-speed freehub and cassette.
What I posted applies to Shimano freehubs. Your hub according o spec, Specialized Hi-Lo, is another beast. It WON’T have a Shimano f/h.
Possibly a Shimano cassette. Undoubtedly a Shimano(cassette)-compatible f/h. But NOT a Shimano f/h.
I don’t know how many design features there are that carry over.
Check hub for inscriptions.
I was told by a LBS that it was a Shimano. Digging around further, I find it's a Specialized Joytech. I took a photo and matched it to Joytech's f/h, and they appear to be the same. Incidentally, I can find no markings on the hub, itself, and the only markings on the current f/h says: I D 1

I think I also found a reason why the f/h was stiff. I removed the rubber seal, cleaned it with Spray 9, a citrus cleaner, then with WD-40. Then blew it out with my compressor. Then used a light oil . It worked like a charm, spinning freely. Put it back on the bike, and it was good, but as I packed up my tools, I found the seal that goes in the end of the f/h (a metal ring with a rubber seal on top). So I took it apart, again, and installed the seal. Put the cassette back on and found it was stiff, again. Slackened the cassette retainer, slightly, and it spun freely. I don't do the retainer ring up extremely tightly, anyway, but perhaps I had tightened it a bit too much in the past. Anyway, the bike is now great.

Here's a link to the Joytech f/h and a photo of my current f/h

And here is a link to a Shimano f/h that looks like mine.
Shimano f/h

Which of the two would you choose, bearing in mind the price difference?
 

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Freehubs have two interfaces, one to the hub and one to the cassette.
AFAIK only Shimano f/h will mount to Shimano hubs.
But there are several that will take Shimano cassettes.
The one in the Amazon link is for a Fulcrum wheel/hub that can take Shimano cassettes. I don’t think it’ll fit your hub. It is not a Shimano f/h.
The other two look suspisciously alike. And I know you can find Joytech f/h on several different brands of hubs.
 
Freehubs have two interfaces, one to the hub and one to the cassette.
AFAIK only Shimano f/h will mount to Shimano hubs.
But there are several that will take Shimano cassettes.
The one in the Amazon link is for a Fulcrum wheel/hub that can take Shimano cassettes. I don’t think it’ll fit your hub. It is not a Shimano f/h.
The other two look suspisciously alike. And I know you can find Joytech f/h on several different brands of hubs.
I guess I'll take a chance on the Joytech. I wasn't aware of Specialized brand freehubs; they didn't show up in a generalized search for freehubs. I agree that the Fulcrum won't fit my hub. The teeth that engage with the hub appear to be taller and more wedge shaped than the Joytech and my current f/h.

I appreciate your help because I feel more sure of what I am aiming for. It's an inconvenience to find a f/h won't fit, then have to return it. In the meanwhile, the current one is working well and not turning the pedals while walking the bike outside.
 
I usually report these posts as spam. Most times they are deleted. These creeps don't deserve to be here. :D
I see it has now been deleted. I don't know what these advertisers get out of thrusting their wares into the middle of a thread. I can't imagine they get any sales.
 
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I see it has now been deleted. I don't know what these advertisers get out of thrusting their wares into the middle of a thread. I can't imagine they get any sales.


Yeah, I reported it as spam a few minutes ago! :D

I can see the bike advertisers but some of them are crazy products. Either way, 1 post and it's to try selling things to us poor posters.
 

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