Bicycle Mechanics - Just got new wheel. Is it freewheel or cassette? And I feel friction on the hub. Help

I just got a new wheel to replace my old (broken spoke, badly out of true and round rim without any tension applied). I got it replaced under warranty at Sports Authority (I know. Buy it at a real bike shop :rolleyes:) My old wheel had a no-name hub and rim. The new wheel has an Alex rim and a no-name hub. I feel a lot of friction on the hub when I spin the rear wheel without the gears (not sure if they're a cassette or freewheel). I assume this means the hub needs to be repacked?

Also, are the sprockets from the old wheel compatible with the new wheel (ie are they of the same type; freewheel or cassette)?

New rim:

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx1/igesundheit/IMG_1128.jpg

Old sprockets:

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx1/igesundheit/IMG_1130.jpg

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx1/igesundheit/IMG_1132.jpg

New axle:

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx1/igesundheit/IMG_1131.jpg

Edit: and yes in the last picture, that shiny part of the hub is threaded.

Edit 2: Oh and my old wheel is 7spd with a 3x7 drivetrain.

I found the page from the vendor's tag that came on the wheel about the wheel.

Let's see if this works.

https://secure.actionbicycle.com/sagro/storefront/store.php?mode=showproductdetail&product=10493

that is a freewheel hub. here is the difference between the two. If your old wheel had a freewheel and was the same speed, it should work, so long as your derailleur also supports the freewheel/cassettes max and min number of cogs (which they usually do unless running a megarange or 11T cog)


http://www.sheldonbrown.com/images/freewheel-vs-k7.jpg



Edit: you made your second post as I was making my post :lol:. The link you put up is kinda confusing, it shows a pic of a freewheel, yet says it has a cassette. Just refer to my pic and you should be able to find out. For telling on your old wheel, take a close look at the 2 different Hubs. The freewheel hub you can see deep into even when the freewheel is attached.

That's a freewheel hub.

A lot of cheap wheels come with the over-tightened hubs, so I recommend you take to a bike shop for adjustment. They'll also see if it's properly lubricated, too.

It will probably cost less if you leave the freewheel off until the work's done.

I remember when I was at the local performance bike shop and I bought a new wheel on impulse (when I knew I could get a free one at Sports Authority). I think the guy working there said it was a freewheel. When he was transferring the gears to the new wheel, he put it in a vice and twisted the wheel around the vice (with the gears held in place by the vice). I ended up returning the wheel because it was 126mm spaced rather than 135mm that I needed.x

Oh and I did a comparison between both hubs. They are both no-name Quando hubs. They have the same amount of friction. I don't feel like paying the LBS to repack/loosen the hub, when if the bearings get damaged, it will likely be around the start of the next cycling season, so it won't be a big deal to be off the bike.

I am also going to Israel for 6 weeks. I leave November 22, and come back around New Year's. Any maintenance I need to do when I get back. I may or may not disassemble (take off wheels, handlebars, and pedals) the bike and pack it to take with me to Israel. I will probably just end up renting a bike in Israel.

I remember when I was at the local performance bike shop and I bought a new wheel on impulse (when I knew I could get a free one at Sports Authority). I think the guy working there said it was a freewheel. When he was transferring the gears to the new wheel, he put it in a vice and twisted the wheel around the vice (with the gears held in place by the vice). I ended up returning the wheel because it was 126mm spaced rather than 135mm that I needed.x

The way a freewheel works, you can put it on with either a chain whip, a splined tool, or even the way that mechanic did (even though I wouldn't recommend doing it that way). However, the issue comes in with removing your old one if you want to use it, and if that is your plan you will have to have a splined freewheel remover tool. As oldbobcat said, you are better off just taking it to a bike shop. Even though I do all my own bike work, i know my LBS only charges $10-15 to move a freewheel from one wheel to another.

That's what I'm planning on doing. I am taking it to the local Performance Bike Shop (about 2mi away). I called them and they said it would be $10 to transfer it. No big deal. I didn't want to wait 2 days for Sports Authority to do it because the guy who was in the shop when I picked up the wheel didn't know how to transfer the freewheel, and they would probably **** it up.

I'm gonna guess the mechanic actually had a freewheel tool in the freewheel and had that tool in between the vise jaws.

And I don't know if this got covered yet, but yes, your old wheel is freewheel also. You just need a Park FR-1 and one of these : a big enough crescent wrench, a 24mm or 1" socket (I forget which for this one) or a vise. Put a QR skewer in to hold the FR-1 in place, but not tightly cuz you'll need room to unscrew the freewheel a bit, then remove the QR and unscrew the rest by hand.

I didn't want to wait 2 days for Sports Authority to do it because the guy who was in the shop when I picked up the wheel didn't know how to transfer the freewheel, and they would probably **** it up.

WOW. He was working in a bike shop and didn't know how to transfer a freewheel? Thats like working at a car shop and now knowing how to do an oil change.

The way a freewheel works, you can put it on with either a chain whip, a splined tool, or even the way that mechanic did (even though I wouldn't recommend doing it that way).

No tools are needed to install a thread-on freewheel.

WOW. He was working in a bike shop and didn't know how to transfer a freewheel? Thats like working at a car shop and now knowing how to do an oil change.

HAHAHAHAHA. I think he's more of a sales associate. He was just in (what they call) the tech shop. It was later at night and was just there to have someone in the shop who could accept bikes for repairs to be done in the future.

No tools are needed to install a thread-on freewheel.

I guess you can just thread it on and trust riding on it to keep/make it tight. However, I prefer to make sure mine is tight right off the bat.

I guess you can just thread it on and trust riding on it to keep/make it tight. However, I prefer to make sure mine is tight right off the bat.
There is no trust involved, the direction that you pedal tightens it way beyond what your feeble cyclist arms can do with a wrench. the first couple of pedals you will feel the slippage as it tightens on and then you are good to go. This is also why freewheels are a ***** to get off

OP, both your wheels (and probably your bike too) are cheap pieces of crap but thats okay. your riding a bike. do yourself a favor. don't put the freewheel on yet and take it to a shop and let them check the wheels. have them adjust the bearings at that time. they shouldn't charge you more than 10-15 bucks for that. they will probably recommend you ride it a little bit first before adjusting tension but honestly, slip the wheel in the dropouts without the freewheel and just sit on the bike and coast on it for a bit. if the wheel is really cheapo, that will be enough to make you start hearing spokes start pinging. that whole wheel will crap out fast if it doesn't have some tlc done to it.

I guess you can just thread it on and trust riding on it to keep/make it tight. However, I prefer to make sure mine is tight right off the bat.

Riding on it will make it tight, they're designed that way. What you are doing to tighten it off the bike is the exact same thing your chain is doing when you ride.

WOW. He was working in a bike shop and didn't know how to transfer a freewheel? Thats like working at a car shop and now knowing how to do an oil change.

Maybe a little more like gapping points than changing oil.

EDIT: No, that's not quite it either. Bike/car analogies NEVER work.

Maybe a little more like gapping points than changing oil.

EDIT: No, that's not quite it either. Bike/car analogies NEVER work.

:lol: haven't heard someone talk about points in forever. Your right, they never really do work out, but looking back on it, I would change my statement to "being unable to rotate tires."

I was just trying to think of something that's not found on new cars. But then I thought that there are quite a few new bikes in the low end that have 7-speed freewheels, so it would have to be something that was once ubiquitous on cars, fairly rare now but hasn't completely disappeared.

I think you went a bit to far back lol. Newer cars don't even have distributors cause they use computer contolled coil packs.

Remember the first freehubs came out in 1978.

You guys are speaking a foreign language to me. I only know about bikes and computers.

Computers... Let's see.. You got your mother/logic board, your HDD/SSD, PSU, CPU, GPU, RAM, ODD, SATA drive, IDE/PATA/ATA drive, heatsink. The list goes on and on. I didn't list bike parts because this is a bike forum and you all should know what they are.

I guess you can just thread it on and trust riding on it to keep/make it tight. However, I prefer to make sure mine is tight right off the bat.

No. Climbing the first big hill will make it tighter than any tool you use, unless you do something really stupid like rotafix it on.

To repeat: no tools are needed to install a thread-on freewheel.

You guys are speaking a foreign language to me. I only know about bikes and computers.

OK then a kid not knowing much about freewheels is like a kid not knowing how to set thee olde IDE master/slave jumpers and which position on the IDE cable to put the master drive.

Maybe a little more like gapping points than changing oil.

EDIT: No, that's not quite it either. Bike/car analogies NEVER work.


You're OLD....:lol:

Mind you I knew right off what you were talking about and took it in stride until I noticed dsprehe89's reply.... So I guess I fit right in with my OLD comment too... :D

OK then a kid not knowing much about freewheels is like a kid not knowing how to set thee olde IDE master/slave jumpers and which position on the IDE cable to put the master drive.

Sorry, you just proved again how old you are.... :D

Do you know how long ago that stuff was in COMPUTER YEARS ! ? ! ? !

you have a standard cheap freewheel, loose bearing replacement wheel here, my advice, if you spend a little more on a set of sealed bearing wheels you will have a trouble free ride!

Sorry, you just proved again how old you are.... :D

Do you know how long ago that stuff was in COMPUTER YEARS ! ? ! ? !

Ouch. That's just not right.

I'd pay for a bearing adjustment, but would it make any sense to ride the bike a little bit to see if the bearings loosen up?

OK then a kid not knowing much about freewheels is like a kid not knowing how to set thee olde IDE master/slave jumpers and which position on the IDE cable to put the master drive.

I was referring to your talk about cars....

But I have a few old iMac G3's that only take IDE drives, so I had to learn that by trial and error.

I'd pay for a bearing adjustment, but would it make any sense to ride the bike a little bit to see if the bearings loosen up?

No. If they are loose bearing hubs as they seem to be, they should be adjusted correctly as soon as possible. When the axle is spun by hand, it should feel smooth. Many factory axles are too tight and you can feel the roughness when turning them. If they "loosen up", it will be due to them getting prematurely worn & damaged. Although I'm sure millions of bikes are being used with tight bearings, so it's not the end of the world.
With sealed bearing hubs, the seals can loosen a bit, but all axles should feel smooth from day 1.

The wheel (along with the old wheel) is sitting in the local Performance Bike Shop waiting for the mechanic to transfer the freewheel and adjust the bearings. They are very busy, which is why it's sitting in the shop. It should be ready by Monday, which is when I have to give back my friend's CX bike that I'm borrowing, and have to commute.

Sorry, you just proved again how old you are.... :D

Do you know how long ago that stuff was in COMPUTER YEARS ! ? ! ? !

I was thinking the same thing. Ever heard of SATA? How about "a kid not knowing much about freewheels, is like a kid not knowing how to switch out RAM sticks."

I was thinking the same thing. Ever heard of SATA? How about "a kid not knowing much about freewheels, is like a kid not knowing how to switch out RAM sticks."

I was trying to convey the olde-tech that freewheels are. Just saying "switch out RAM" doesn't convey that olde-tech comparo to freewheels in the same way that dealing with IDE cables and jumpers does.

But whatever. Still think the OP shoulda bought a FR-1.