Originally Posted by
dellwilson
Mystery solved. When I removed the retaining bolt, the "innards" of the freehub fell out as shards and bearings. The freehub body itself took a lot of coaxing to let go of the cassette. When I did get it off, it was in two pieces. I'm not sure if it was in two pieces before my "coaxing" or not. Doesn't matter though because it was toast anyway.
So. Can someone recommend an inexpensive freehub that will fit my 7-speed cassette?
I would just put a WTB 7 speed MTB wheel on your local Craigs List. You should be able to find a good used wheel for less than the cost of replacing that hub. I bought good branded MTB wheelsets a couple of weeks ago off C/L for $10 a set ($5 per wheel), better wheels than what came on that Giant. That was a deal, but I bet you could get a good one for $25 or less (probably less) for the rear wheel.