Turn the crank, no drive...

[Maz]

Hi
When I turn the crank, there is no drive (Specialized Allez). Then (if I'm lucky) it starts working again, then stop again, then works again.

Now, I've had this problem before and it turned out the pawls were sticking inside the freehub. On each previous occasion it was in the depth of winter on a (freehub about 2 years old) when the grease in the freehub froze up.

I only changed the shimano freehub in January this year. New bearing fitted too.

Should the freehub last longer than this? Could it be a different problem?
How can I temporarily service the freehub?

Thanks

 

[mrandmrspoves]

Yes it definitely should last longer than 8 months - unless you have just completed a world tour.
I would take it back to where you got it from and ask for a replacement - But if this option is not available I would put the bicycle on its side free hub upper and liberally spray the hub with penetrating oil a little squirt every half an hour or so and then leave it overnight. In the morning pedal the cycle backwards for a few minutes and then give it a go......

 

[Maz]

Yes it definitely should last longer than 8 months - unless you have just completed a world tour.
I would take it back to where you got it from and ask for a replacement - But if this option is not available I would put the bicycle on its side free hub upper and liberally spray the hub with penetrating oil a little squirt every half an hour or so and then leave it overnight. In the morning pedal the cycle backwards for a few minutes and then give it a go......

Cheers - I'll give that a go.

 

[SteelUn]

Hi
When I turn the crank, there is no drive (Specialized Allez). Then (if I'm lucky) it starts working again, then stop again, then works again.

Now, I've had this problem before and it turned out the pawls were sticking inside the freehub. On each previous occasion it was in the depth of winter on a (freehub about 2 years old) when the grease in the freehub froze up.

I only changed the shimano freehub in January this year. New bearing fitted too.

Should the freehub last longer than this? Could it be a different problem?
How can I temporarily service the freehub?

Thanks

It is relatively rare for a Shimano freehub to fail, and you have been going through at least 2 in under 3 years. Do you use jet wash to wash your bike?

 

[martint235]

It is relatively rare for a Shimano freehub to fail, and you have been going through at least 2 in under 3 years. Do you use jet wash to wash your bike?

I'm not sure it's relatively rare. I tend to get through a 105 freehub every 3 years or so (around 21,000 miles). However it should really last longer than the OP's.

 

[Maz]

It is relatively rare for a Shimano freehub to fail, and you have been going through at least 2 in under 3 years. Do you use jet wash to wash your bike?

Hi
I never jet wash the bike. Only ever wipe the bike dry with a cloth after wet/dirty rides.

 

[HLaB]

Touch wood I've only had one free hub fail (a campag one) and it needed new a new pawl spring. I think subsequently I damaged the pawl bases however, and ended up buying new wheels.

 

[PatrickPending]

I've had a couple go - mind you I'd done around 20,000Km on them, but one failed a lot sooner - it probably got wet when I rode down a flooded road on the way back from Coventry. Best to replace - or use it as an excuse to get a new wheel (or build one!)

 

[Nigeyy]

I'm with the others in that the freehub body should certainly last longer than that -or else you are really unlucky. But I have a question: when you say there is no drive, is the cassette spinning freely clockwise when you are trying to pedal, or is there a suspicious ratchety noise? Reason I ask is that it could be your front chainring or chain is worn and its the chain skipping over the chainring and/or cassette. If you can see your cassette move clockwise and there's no drive, or if you take off the wheel and your cassette spins both ways, obviously it's the freehub......

FYI: not all freehub bodies are the same quality with Shimano. It may be worth replacing the freehub body with a good quality one (e.g. I replaced a Shimano Deore freehub body with an XT freehub body I had as a spare -it's not difficult, see
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0ph4zIC3-Q
-and saves you having to relace an entirely new hub). Sometimes the cost of a replacement hub makes it worthwhile just to use the freehub body as the replacement part you need.

Hi
When I turn the crank, there is no drive (Specialized Allez). Then (if I'm lucky) it starts working again, then stop again, then works again.

 

[slowmotion]

At the risk of stating the obvious, the manufacturer of the freehub on your bike might well not be Shimano even if the rest of the drive chain is. My Specialized Secteur Elite has Shimano 105 components throughout but the rear hub is a "no-name" one. Even Specialized admitted that they used five different hub suppliers for the 2010 model Secteur.

 

[Maz]

I'm with the others in that the freehub body should certainly last longer than that -or else you are really unlucky. But I have a question: when you say there is no drive, is the cassette spinning freely clockwise when you are trying to pedal, or is there a suspicious ratchety noise? Reason I ask is that it could be your front chainring or chain is worn and its the chain skipping over the chainring and/or cassette. If you can see your cassette move clockwise and there's no drive, or if you take off the wheel and your cassette spins both ways, obviously it's the freehub......

FYI: not all freehub bodies are the same quality with Shimano. It may be worth replacing the freehub body with a good quality one (e.g. I replaced a Shimano Deore freehub body with an XT freehub body I had as a spare -it's not difficult, see
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0ph4zIC3-Q
-and saves you having to relace an entirely new hub). Sometimes the cost of a replacement hub makes it worthwhile just to use the freehub body as the replacement part you need.

Hi
From past experience, I know exactly what you mean by the ratchety noise, but this time there is no ratchety noise to report of.
I applied some thin oil (3-in-1 spray) to the hub and (for now) the cassette/hub is working as expected. Thanks

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

FYI: not all freehub bodies are the same quality with Shimano. It may be worth replacing the freehub body with a good quality one (e.g. I replaced a Shimano Deore freehub body with an XT freehub body I had as a spare -it's not difficult, see ... -and saves you having to relace an entirely new hub).

Is the quality difference a verifiable fact or a wish?

First off I am pretty sure none of the recent XT freehubs can replace the current Deore freehubs, because they have different axle dimension and hub shell interface. The last XT freehub that is compatible is the M760, a ten year old technology. If you look up the technical spec of the M760, you will find, e.g., that it has exactly the same bearings as that on the current Deore hubs. From what I can see, the only meaningful difference between such older XT freehubs and e.g. the current Deore freehub is that the splines of the M760, M750 e.g. have ridged cutouts, to save a couple of grams, presumably.

 

[Nigeyy]

According to a web sites reviews (mtbr) there is a noticeable difference between a deore and xt disc hub body quality (fyi: it was the 9 speed jobbie). As I had a spare XT hub body, the tools and ten minutes of time, I think it was a no brainer and the thought of being stranded wasn't appealing. As a general rule of thumb, XT bearings and parts are usually higher quality than Deore (and I can confirm that from my own personal experience -the minimum weight loss doesn't do much for me though). Anyway, you could certainly argue it's not a fact, but after reading it, I reckoned there were enough people who stated it to make it worth my while. It could be the most recent models aren't compatible, but certainly the older 9 speed hub bodies are, and they are still widely sold (at least in the States on this side of the pond). As with any bike parts of any age, I'd advise you to do your due diligence to ensure replacement parts will fit.

Is the quality difference a verifiable fact or a wish?

First off I am pretty sure none of the recent XT freehubs can replace the current Deore freehubs, because they have different axle dimension and hub shell interface. The last XT freehub that is compatible is the M760, a ten year old technology. If you look up the technical spec of the M760, you will find, e.g., that it has exactly the same bearings as that on the current Deore hubs. From what I can see, the only meaningful difference between such older XT freehubs and e.g. the current Deore freehub is that the splines of the M760, M750 e.g. have ridged cutouts, to save a couple of grams, presumably.

 

[Nigeyy]

Maz, sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but I really recommend you get that issue sorted out. That freehub will fail when you're stoking up that hill with potentially nasty consequences!

Hi
From past experience, I know exactly what you mean by the ratchety noise, but this time there is no ratchety noise to report of.
I applied some thin oil (3-in-1 spray) to the hub and (for now) the cassette/hub is working as expected. Thanks

 

[mrandmrspoves]

I think Nigeyy is being pessimistic. ...it sounds like the pawls were sticking rather than wear so when you are pedaling I see no reason why you should suddenly lose drive. Just keep it well oiled and I believe you will be fine.