Pedal turns 1/4 turn before catching
10-07-08 | 02:28 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Pedal turns 1/4 turn before catching
Hi, I have a 1967 J.C. Higgins 3 speed. While you are pedaling, no problem but when you coast, then start to pedal again, the pedal travels about 1/4 turn before it catches. What might be the trouble and how to fix. Thank you.
10-07-08 | 03:07 PM
#2
Mad bike riding scientist
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 29,183
Likes: 6,261
From: Denver, CO
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
I don't anything about 3 speed hubs but this sounds like a broken pawl on what ever freewheel mechanism this hub has.
__________________
Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
10-07-08 | 05:38 PM
#6
cab horn
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 28,353
Likes: 31
From: Toronto
Bikes: 1987 Bianchi Campione
You can't fix it as it isn't a problem to begin with.
10-09-08 | 11:06 AM
#8
mechanically sound
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,610
Likes: 87
From: Dover, NH
Bikes: Indy Fab steel deluxe, Aventon cordoba, S-works stumpy fsr, Masi vincere, Dahon mu uno, Outcast 29 commuter
The engagement mechanism in the hub is probably sluggish from the 41 year old grease inside. If you are confident in your skills, you could disassemble, clean, regrease, and reassemble.
10-09-08 | 12:22 PM
#9
multimodal commuter
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 19,810
Likes: 597
From: NJ, NYC, LI
Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...
I think that's right. Do you squirt some oil into your hub every now and then? If not, that'll help. If so, you might want to try putting a little solvent of some kind in there, such as mineral spirits, to thin the old oil... though if it dissolves the grease on the ball bearings, you'll need to replace it.
