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Free wheel spinning issue on bike. Help needed.

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Free wheel spinning issue on bike. Help needed.

Old 08-02-10, 09:13 AM
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Free wheel spinning issue on bike. Help needed.

Hi,

I have had my mother complain to me that she is finding she is having difficulty riding her bike. Now, apart from firness, I tried to see if I could see what is wrong by riding it myself.

I have come to the conclusion that her wheel doesn't spin very freely.

Mine, I put in minimal force to spin the wheel by hand and both the back and front wheel spin for an age. Also, my back wheel doesn't "tick" so loud when it's spinning.

Her's only spin for a while before stopping. She also has a much louder "ticking" on her back wheel when it's spun.

Finally, I have checked, and no brakes are rubbing at all when slack.

I don't know much about bikes, so any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks
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Old 08-02-10, 09:27 AM
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Some hubs and freewheels are smoother than others but the hub could also be tight. No one can make definitive diag. based on the information provided. Some freewheels/freehubs (I don't know what you have) are louder than others so you cannot base a problem off of that.

Also you say she has difficulty riding her bike but you do not state what that difficulty is. Is it in fact hard to pedal? Or is hard to shift? or steer? or sit on? What exactly is her problem, try using her words, not what you think it is.
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Old 08-02-10, 10:03 AM
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Provide the model and manufacturer of the bike, this may help. Photographs.
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Old 08-02-10, 10:22 AM
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Re lubricated the moving parts lately? if not the grease may have hardened, rust and dust from long disuse
has entered the moving parts ..

Would you like to buy the tools to do it yourself , or just hire the services of a neighborhood Bike shop
to do the cleaning and re lubricating?
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Old 08-02-10, 03:43 PM
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Remove the wheel and spin it independent of the freewheel/chain. If it spins slowly, adjust the cones until it spins freely but doesn't wobble side to side. If the wheel spins good, you may need to replace the freewheel. Overhauling a freewheel is not cost effective as the cost of a replacement is low enough.

The ticking sound is more relevant to its quality and method of manufacture and not a reliable source of mechanical soundness. A Regina may be quiet while a Campagnolo will scream at you and a Shimano purr.

Last edited by DieselDan; 08-02-10 at 03:47 PM.
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