Originally Posted by
Dan Burkhart
The problem may be internal, but it could also be gunk rust or build up between the cog and the dust cover.Start by taking off the cassette joint and cog and rule out the simple stuff first. If that's all clean and obstruction free, then it might be time to start looking internally.
I disassembled the wheel from the bike and removed everything upto and including the sprocket and shield just behind it. There was some gunk back there which I cleaned up.
At this point I tried spinning the wheel whilst holding the axle tight in my hands. It spun reasonably well, much better than when it was installed on the bike.
I refit everything and tried spinning it again, but now it seemed that the resistance was back to what it was before.
Could the problem be caused by the gear cassette mechanism somehow slowing down the wheel?
Before refitting I cleaned up everything with a piece of cloth. However I did not apply any oil or grease on any of the items. Would doing this make a difference?