Stiff Freewheel

[andyanansu]

Hi, on last Saturday I went for a New Year's Day ride
I checked everything before the ride, and everything is fine
but after around 30 miles later during a decend,
I notice the chain become sloppy, I stopped and check
the problem come from the freewheel, it became very stiff
like being stick with some glue or something.
I had no choice but to continue like this for another 15 miles back home
I immediately wash the bike and take the cassette off,
I can't see any sticky stuff on it, but it still very stiff
Anyone knows how to make it smooth again
Thanks
Andy

 

[daveornee]

Hi, on last Saturday I went for a New Year's Day ride
I checked everything before the ride, and everything is fine
but after around 30 miles later during a decend,
I notice the chain become sloppy, I stopped and check
the problem come from the freewheel, it became very stiff
like being stick with some glue or something.
I had no choice but to continue like this for another 15 miles back home
I immediately wash the bike and take the cassette off,
I can't see any sticky stuff on it, but it still very stiff
Anyone knows how to make it smooth again
Thanks
Andy

http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/howfix_freehub.shtml

 

[andyanansu]

http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/howfix_freehub.shtml

Hi
Do you think by cleaning the inside will solve the problem?
or by replacing the bearings?
or do I have to change the whole hub?
Andy

 

[blazingpedals]

Do you have a freewheel or a freehub? You can usually find an oil hole on a freewheel. Or, you can dribble oil into the seam at the back. If you have to ask about what to do, I wouldn't recommend taking a freewheel apart - little pieces might get lost.

Freehubs are different. The pawls are in the drive unit. If you can't get oil into it, you can remove it from the hub and soak it; or you can replace it. If it really needs replacing, and if you LBS won't order the drive unit separately for you, you can always buy a hub and snarf the drive unit from it. (Replacing the entire hub would mean rebuilding the wheel, and I wouldn't want to do that unless there was something wrong with the hub itself.)

 

[andyanansu]

Do you have a freewheel or a freehub? You can usually find an oil hole on a freewheel. Or, you can dribble oil into the seam at the back. If you have to ask about what to do, I wouldn't recommend taking a freewheel apart - little pieces might get lost.

Freehubs are different. The pawls are in the drive unit. If you can't get oil into it, you can remove it from the hub and soak it; or you can replace it. If it really needs replacing, and if you LBS won't order the drive unit separately for you, you can always buy a hub and snarf the drive unit from it. (Replacing the entire hub would mean rebuilding the wheel, and I wouldn't want to do that unless there was something wrong with the hub itself.)

I'm not that technical to the bike stuff,
I know that I've the cassette type, not the screw on type of hub
not sure whether it's a freewheel or freehub
Is this a common problem? How often does it happen to you?
and how can I prevent it in the future?
Andy