# Rear wheel and freewheel "sticky" -- why?



## bike981

15 miles into my ride today (sigh...) I noticed that my chain would droop whenever I stopped pedaling and coasted.

I pulled over and further investigation showed:

(1) The rear wheel does not spin freely. If I hold the bike up and spin the rear wheel in the same direction it would spin if riding normally, it rapidly comes to a stop, rotating perhaps for 1/10th the time the front wheel does with the same strength spin. Brakes are not rubbing, rim is true, tire is not flat, and there's nothing I can see caught in the hub, axle or freewheel.

(2) The freewheel does not seem to spin freely on the rear axle. If I'm riding forward and stop pedalling, or even just pedal a bit more slowly than required to match the speed of the bike, the chain droops almost to the point at which it begins falling off the front chainring. A hand inspection showed that the freewheel keeps rotating forward even when coasting, and this forces the chain to keep moving forward, drooping against the stopped front chainring.

Any ideas on what might be causing this? Everything was A-OK at the start of the ride (I did a quick check as I always do), so the problem occurred fairly quickly during the ride.


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## ohvrolla

Pull the rear wheel and lay it down with the freewheel facing so you can get some oil down into the freewheel internals. Nothing really out of the ordinary about this happening.


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## Mike T.

What brand and model of hub?


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## bike981

ohvrolla said:


> Pull the rear wheel and lay it down with the freewheel facing so you can get some oil down into the freewheel internals. Nothing really out of the ordinary about this happening.


I'll give this a try. Is there a specific type of oil I should use?


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## bike981

Mike T. said:


> What brand and model of hub?


No clue. It's a 1990 Trek, so it's quite old. Is the brand of hub important?


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## RUFUSPHOTO

Have you changed cassettes or taken one off recently? You might have the lock ring on too tight or you might have a spacer missing and the cassette is making contact with the hub shell.


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## bike981

RUFUSPHOTO said:


> Have you changed cassettes or taken one off recently? You might have the lock ring on too tight or you might have a spacer missing and the cassette is making contact with the hub shell.


Nope. I'm pretty sure the cassette has not been changed since the bike was originally purchased in 1990. I'm not even sure when it was last serviced or when the hubs were last repacked. Probably 5 years ago or thereabouts.


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## RUFUSPHOTO

A re-pack of the bearings would be a great idea then. You might also have a broken bearing. There are quite a few things that could be wrong. A trip to the LBS might be in order.


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## Mike T.

bike981 said:


> Is the brand of hub important?


Well yes and no. Until you told us it was a '90 era hub, the suggestion to dribble oil in might have been marginally ok (with a Shimano type hub) or absolutely useless (with a modern & common Asian hub). But back in '90 hubs were usually Shimano or some form of knock-off design. And still, trying to dribble oil into the guts of the hub would be marginal at best. You're better off going for a complete hub strip-down and service which will get the job done properly.


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## vagabondcyclist

Given the age of your bike (I'm assuming the wheel is as old as the bike), it sounds like there's a problem with your freehub (the part of hub that the cogs slide onto and that "freewheel"). Time to hit the bike shop or replace the part yourself.


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## wim

ohvrolla said:


> Pull the rear wheel and lay it down with the freewheel facing so you can get some oil down into the freewheel internals. Nothing really out of the ordinary about this happening.


As others have implied, we don't know if this is really a freewheel in the old sense of the word or a freehub with a cassette attached to it.

Either way, my first check would be for something caught down in between the biggest sprocket and the hub flange. Might take a strong flashlight to see it. If there's a spoke protector, check to see if it's broken or has warped and there's unwanted contact.


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## Blackss06

My bike had this problem when I first got it. I took the free hub off, rebuilt it, oiled everything and it works perfectly now. 

I probably could have gotten away with a thorough cleaning and oiling though. It's not hard, you just have to have the right tool for the job.

Good luck, I know this issue is annoying.


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## bike981

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll check if it's one of the simpler issues mentioned. If not, I guess it's a visit to the LBS. Photo of the hub (did not see a brand name anywhere) and freewheel attached.


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## Mike T.

It looks very much like a screw-on freewheel to me. In that case, removing it and dribbling oil into the back & front bearings will probably cure your chain-droop drag.


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## danl1

Mike T. said:


> It looks very much like a screw-on freewheel to me. In that case, removing it and dribbling oil into the back & front bearings will probably cure your chain-droop drag.


Agree - it appears a freewheel. 

This is one of the few times that a certain much-maligned "water displacing, formula forty" spray lubricant can be quite useful. The solvents will dilute the existing grease back to something like they originally were, and the fresh oil will get things running pretty well. That's only a get-her-going sort of thing, after which a bearing clean and repack is in order. From a good flushing that way, a bit of oil in the freewheel should keep it running just fine.

Almost no one has the tools to completely strip a freewheel anymore, and it's barely worth it. By the time you either buy the tools or pay someone to do it, you could have purchased a couple of completely new freewheels and the remover.


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## vagabondcyclist

Yes it does look like a freewheel. 

Dribbling some oil will be a quick but temporary fix. You LBS may have a grease injector, though they don't work all that well as most grease is a bit too thick for the mechanism, but if they know what they're doing they can give it a shot and see. In any event it'll be cheaper than a new freewheel as rebuilding it is as danl1 said isn't a great option considering the cost of a new one.


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## Kuma601

In addition to the freewheel maintenance/replacement, it would be a good idea to have both hubs serviced. This would be a cleaning out of the old grease, inspecting the bearings - bearing surface and greasing.


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## bike981

Thanks, all. I'll see if I can find my freewheel removal tool (also circa 1990 vintage) and get some oil in there as a temporary measure until I can get the bike to the LBS.


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