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Like a lot of us I've been banging in the miles the last 5 months, inevitably my road bike is showing signs of these miles. I've now got a cassette with some horizontal play, I dont really know what is causing this, its not something I've experienced before and I'd like to think I can fix most things. Shifting is still fine but it is making a few odd creaks etc...
I'm self employed and cash isnt exactly firing around so I need to sort this as cheaply as possible, has anybody got any idea what it could be and a way to fix it? Its 11 speed mechanical Ultegra if that makes any difference.
As it is basically working okay I am tempted to leave be but then I'm concerned it could go horribly wrong
Have you tried tightening the lock ring?
You need to see if the lock rung has worked loose or if the freehub is coming off, or loose/worn bearings. Start by taking the wheel out.
Apart from the obvious of a potentially loose lock ring whenever this has happened to me it's been a snapped axle but snapped at an angle that due to the confines of the hub shell still allows the wheel to turn. If you take the wheel out of the frame it is normally easier to confirm whether this has happened or not.
Hope you get it sorted.
Yeah I tried that Kelvin, really hoped that would fix it but t didn't. The wheels are a few years old and I don't want to end up chucking money I don't have at fixing them when I might be better just buying a cheap new set just to keep me going just now 🙁
Freehub bearings next thing to check. And that the axle isn’t cracked, as Faff Master says (I had this once with a Hope hub and it did give the same symptoms).
Bearings can fail and most can easily and cheaply be replaced. Its potentially cassette off and strip to inspect now to diagnose the problem if the cassette is tight.
I'm sure I've seen a couple of posts recently where the culprit was a plastic spacer behind the cassette that deforms or breaks? Can't remember which groupset is guilty.
Endcaps loosened a little?
Cheers for the tips, I'm off to the shed to investigate further, I will report back 🙂
End caps will do that if the acle is involved in keeping the free hub on.
Toptip:
After you have fixed that check you indexing and don't go for a spin get out the saddle, skip off the big cog, lock the wheel,hit your nuts of the stem and fall in a heap in the middle of peebles and snap or ruin all your drive side spokes.
Ask me how i know.
Had similar recently...lock ring good but cassette and free hub moving when wheel back on bike.. so as above check end caps they are in affect cones and need to be appropriately tightened / locked...I thought were just press in!so I'm lucky I don't have to ride thru Peebles 🤔
I had this, turns out that replacement wheels were 11sp rather than 10. Although the wheels weren't new when I noticed it I either simply hadn't noticed the rattle before or I'd dropped the spacer that you need whilst changing a cassette. It only made a noise on really rough roads.
Do Shimano hubs have endcaps, or relate to Hope style designs at all?
Unless the design has changed, the causes will be worn or lose freehub body
I'm trying to fit an 11 speed Ultegra cassette to an 11 speed Fulcrum road wheel on my gravel bike but despite the lockring being snug, the cassette isn't. Do I need a spacer?
I’m trying to fit an 11 speed Ultegra cassette to an 11 speed Fulcrum road wheel on my gravel bike but despite the lockring being snug, the cassette isn’t. Do I need a spacer?
You do if it is an 11/34
Yep, fitted a 1mm spacer and all is well now. See my own thread for the other issue that causes!