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That's twice now that under load my freehub has slipped (at least, I'm pretty sure it's the freehub slipping, not sure what else it can be).
The wheels don't owe me much but I was hoping to keep them running for a year or two longer, if only because I can't afford anything better and the rims are barely worn.
Has anyone had a similar issue? What is it that actually fails, are the pawls just getting sticky or something? No obvious play in the freehub itself.
Replacement freehubs don't appear to be available in the UK and to order from bike-components.de requires a 165EU minimum order 🙄
Strip it and inspect the pawls. Might just be corrosion and all it needs is stripping, cleaning and regreasing....
They're very simple things, easy to re-build.
Thanks, just downloaded the Fulcrum service instructions, much simpler looking than I had realised 👍
I had similar, it was the spring round the pawls that had rusted and snapped. A couple of quid got me a new one and less than an hour to replace it.
K
same here with the snapped spring - hub running much better now. I might have a spare spring you could have as I bought the wrong sized one for my mtb hub - the question will be where did I put it for safe keeping....
(at least, I’m pretty sure it’s the freehub slipping, not sure what else it can be)
As another possibility - how old are the elements in the drivetrain? When things get worn the chain can "catch & release" on the chainring which can feel like the freehub slipping (a slight jolt every so often). You should be able to see it at the 8 o'clock position of the chainring when you turn the cranks, although it may not do it in every gear.
Or, as above, service the freehub and replace springs as necessary.
it was the spring round the pawls that had rusted and snapped.
when stripping be very careful when removing this, if it's mucky you won't even see it!
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53041929307_76a00ff628.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53041929307_76a00ff628.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2oP8KCx ]Freehub[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr
NB That's a Vision Freehub...
I have to check the bolt thru end caps on my Fulcrum RacingSport77DB rear wheel from time to time, as they get a bit loose and make screw up gear shifts plus sometimes pawl engagement.
As another possibility – how old are the elements in the drivetrain?
I'll check this.
The drivetrain and wheels are approx 7000km old with one replacement chain in that time, but it still only measures approx 0.5% worn (need to check this again). It's an indoor/dry weather only bike and the chain has always been waxed so I'm not surprised it has worn well.
I've transplanted them on to a new frame, I think the only difference is that the wheelbase is shorter so I took a link out of the chain, but I guess it means the chainline is slightly more angled at the extremes.
I've also changed wax from Squirt to GLF immersion. The drivetrain is slightly more noisy on the stand but not noticeable on the road.
On the subjects of Freehubs I have rebuilt, only last week my gears starting messing about mid ride, followed by an awful metal grating noise all the way home...
On stripping my rear wheel I noticed that the freehub had ejected it's bearing...
The outer race casing was still pressed in place, the rest was just rattling around inside in pieces!
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53231817489_4b36ec0b61.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53231817489_4b36ec0b61.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2p6UYLH ]Zipp 404 Freehub bearing[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53231741378_81f24222d9.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53231741378_81f24222d9.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2p6UA9s ]Zipp 404 Freehub bearing[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53231437276_8c551b50bf.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53231437276_8c551b50bf.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2p6T2Kj ]Zipp 404 Freehub bearing[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr
A quick email to Zipp and they gave me the bearing race sizes and just pressed a new one in.
Did some Fulcrum 7's recently on a bike I bought second hand. Simple. New bearings pushed in all round and the wheel is like new.
Did some Fulcrum 7’s recently on a bike I bought second hand. Simple. New bearings pushed in all round and the wheel is like new
Think they're cartridge bearings rather than cup and cone?
Not sure if the freehub is any different right enough.
A good excuse to check the bearings, usually a waste of time as they've never gone out of adjustment and the grease has always been fresh. It's amazing the difference that never riding a bike in the rain makes 😂
Cartridge on the 7's. Pawls are external, rather than internal (like on shimano), so assuming the spring clip is OK, it's easy to clean the pawls and ratchet.