Originally Posted by JonTheDestroyer
Hello all you lovely bike people.
I have a Trek 1200 which I have owned for three weeks today. Sadly something is up with the rear hub which I really am not keen on. Once you spin the back wheel at a certain speed, the hub makes a sort of 'singing' noise - a bit like when the brakes are off centre and one side is rubbing on the rim. Combined with this it seems to slow down more quickly (more 'rolling resisance' I think is the correct term).
I'm figuring this is pretty much A Bad Thing, as hubs aren't supposed to make a noise. I'm taking it into the shop to get it looked at, I just wondered if any of you clever people knew anything about this kind of thing. My basic kind of queries are these:
- What might the problem be?
- How bad is it?
- Should it be easy to fix?
- Is it advisable to ride the bike at all?
I don't know if it just needs some oil or grease or something. So far I've covered just over 300 miles on it commuting in the lovely British winter (lots of rain), and have been cleaning the dirt off regularly, the brake dust off the rims daily and cleaining/oiling the chain about every other day - but I don't even know whats inside the hub so I've left it well alone.
Thanks for your help!
But freewheel hubs DO normally make a noise. Pick up any bike and spin the back wheel and you'll hear a noise. I would be worried if it didn't.
Is this something that has just occurred with your bike?
You might try lying the bike on its side, chain side up and putting just a few drops of oil into the freewheel. Spin the wheel and wipe off excess oil. Don't use too much oil or it will run down the spokes later and onto the wheel rim.
Another thought: if you don't have a bike stand to hang the bike from while you work on it, turn the bike upside down and turn the wheel gently with your hand in the "free" direction, i.e. so that the pedals do not move. Does it feel tight? Do the pedals move? If you put the ty(i)re valve at the 3 o'clock position does the weight of it turn the wheel? If the wheel feels tight or the valve does not turn the wheel, the bearings might need adjustment. If the pedals move when you turn the wheel in the free direction, there's a problem with the freewheel which oil might fix.