Potential Bike Crippler
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Potential Bike Crippler
While working on my BB and cranks, I noticed the chain oscillating a teensy bit and followed it down to the freewheel. I watched it cheerfully bounce along ever so slightly and I thought "this could be bad , or this could be good (new parts!), at a bad time ($$$), or I could just make a note of it and continue with my daily routine."
I've searched around and read a bit of Zinn, but no word on this sympton.
Any info/comment/suggestions?
If I do need to replace the wheel(set), I guess i'll just go all out and invest in a much nicer set. Again, any suggestions?
I've searched around and read a bit of Zinn, but no word on this sympton.
Any info/comment/suggestions?
If I do need to replace the wheel(set), I guess i'll just go all out and invest in a much nicer set. Again, any suggestions?
Last edited by i_b_pip; 10-30-08 at 08:12 PM.
#2
Call me The Breeze
You need a new crossover pulley
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I'm not sure what a cheerfully ever so slightly bouncing freewheel even means. Probably replace the whole bike just to be sure. You could luck out and the problem is just a missing LBD.
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I think the problem might just be a bent skewer. I'm not really prepared to take the freewheel off, so I'll probaby just replace the skewer and and see if that fixes it.
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I was being tongue in cheek above, but I still can't quite tell from your description what the problem exactly is. Is the freewheel wobbling as though it's on crooked? Can you make the freewheel wobble on the wheel by hand? It will probably have some play, like 1mm side to side. 5mm would be a problem.
In any case, skewers don't turn when the wheel turns, so even if it was bent it wouldn't make a wobble on the stand.
In any case, skewers don't turn when the wheel turns, so even if it was bent it wouldn't make a wobble on the stand.
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So how does it ride?
Freewheels typically have a tiny bit of wobble relative to the rest of the hub. It the bike rides fine I wouldn't worry about it. This might even be a good place to add "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Freewheels typically have a tiny bit of wobble relative to the rest of the hub. It the bike rides fine I wouldn't worry about it. This might even be a good place to add "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
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I picked up a thrift store bike where the wobble in the freewheel was so bad it made the pedals twitch. I discarded that wheel -- it was a steel rim anyway -- but since then I have always looked closely for this and found it in a lot of wheels. There's always a tiny bit but it seems that the less expensive the hub, the more pronounced the wobble. I even swapped freewheels between a couple of hubs and the wobble followed the hub, not the freewheel.
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Most freewheels (or is this a cassette) have a bit of wobble to them. Just ride.
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This is Africa, 1943. War spits out its violence overhead and the sandy graveyard swallows it up. Her name is King Nine, B-25, medium bomber, Twelfth Air Force. On a hot, still morning she took off from Tunisia to bomb the southern tip of Italy. An errant piece of flak tore a hole in a wing tank and, like a wounded bird, this is where she landed, not to return on this day, or any other day.
This is Africa, 1943. War spits out its violence overhead and the sandy graveyard swallows it up. Her name is King Nine, B-25, medium bomber, Twelfth Air Force. On a hot, still morning she took off from Tunisia to bomb the southern tip of Italy. An errant piece of flak tore a hole in a wing tank and, like a wounded bird, this is where she landed, not to return on this day, or any other day.
#9
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Maybe it's due to the Halloween season, but now other problems seem to be creeping up and scaring the hell out of my pocketbook!
For a quick description of the problem: basically the freewheel will move veeery slightly, like maybe 1mm, in circular motion when coasting.
I haven't had time to look at it any closer or take it apart, but I may just buy a new wheel(set) anyway, the braking surface on this one ain't lookin' too good.
I'm not too worried about it, but I've had a freewheel fail on me before, and it wasn't pretty
For a quick description of the problem: basically the freewheel will move veeery slightly, like maybe 1mm, in circular motion when coasting.
I haven't had time to look at it any closer or take it apart, but I may just buy a new wheel(set) anyway, the braking surface on this one ain't lookin' too good.
I'm not too worried about it, but I've had a freewheel fail on me before, and it wasn't pretty
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Maybe it's due to the Halloween season, but now other problems seem to be creeping up and scaring the hell out of my pocketbook!
For a quick description of the problem: basically the freewheel will move veeery slightly, like maybe 1mm, in circular motion when coasting.
I haven't had time to look at it any closer or take it apart, but I may just buy a new wheel(set) anyway, the braking surface on this one ain't lookin' too good.
I'm not too worried about it, but I've had a freewheel fail on me before, and it wasn't pretty
For a quick description of the problem: basically the freewheel will move veeery slightly, like maybe 1mm, in circular motion when coasting.
I haven't had time to look at it any closer or take it apart, but I may just buy a new wheel(set) anyway, the braking surface on this one ain't lookin' too good.
I'm not too worried about it, but I've had a freewheel fail on me before, and it wasn't pretty
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Your problem may be a bent axle. Freewheels are very hard on axles because of the placement of the driveside bearings.
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Thanks for all the input, I'll keep my eye on it just because, but for now I need to turn my attention to the bottom bracket, and some new tires. (among many other things)