Cassette Biting into freehub?? PICS (Planet X Carbon wheels)

ellesse

Hello,
I have bought two pair of wheels from plant X, and now own two Ultregra Cassettes which are very loose when i put them on the free hubs, after only 30 mins they have eaten well into the freehub and were really hard to take off, i've read about the metal in the freehub needing to give a bit before it stops but is this excessive ?
P.S my other freehubs are all snug when i attach their cassettes.
Any help is greatly appreciated.

tubby531

That's a mismatch.The cassette should slide onto the freehub snugly without excessive play.
There should not be gaps between the splines and the recesses like in your photo.

gkerr4

looks like cheap alloy freehub bodies to me - perhaps made of some sort of cheese?

ellesse

Cheers guys for the responses,

gkerr, i think its a mix of 46% port salut and 54% k**b cheese.

In case anyone is thinking about Planet X model B or Pro Carbon 50 wheels let this be a lesson to you.

I'm not going to go into what other problems i've had with that company as my expirences "could" be a one off.

giant_man

\Would be nice to hear of any shortcomings of any LBS, and indeed any praise as well

System_1

Exactly the same thing has happened on my Planet X handbuilts (A57 SP pro). The freehub is indeed cheap crap.

The wheels have been back twice now, each time they were returned to me out of true straight from the box and kept going out after only a few miles. Only now that I have had them re-tensioned by my LBS are they staying straight. They perform okay but all the hassle and extra expense means I won't be back to them in a hurry.

reyserf

The height of the splines on the freehub seem very low compared to those on the cassette i think you need to check with PlantX regarding compatibility. You may also be missing a spacer which should be fitted into the freehub before the cassette.

Rey

aracer

reyserf wrote:

The height of the splines on the freehub seem very low compared to those on the cassette

That's because they're 8/9/10 compatible freehubs which have low splines and a 10-speed cassette which has high splines to allow it to fit on a 10-only freehub (the theory of which is to avoid exactly the problem we're seeing here). You get this sort of issue on all alloy 8/9/10 freehub bodies, but not normally anything like so bad.

ellesse

Can i (or my LBS) change the freehub body so that its 10 speed only compatitble?
or is that to much time and money?

Like system, i think this is the last time i'm going to be ordering anything from them..

tubby531

Ellesse - If that freehub/sprocket combination was supplied like that you should have it exchanged free of charge.It is clearly not fit for purpose.
What brand is the freehub?
If you're using an Ultegra block then you need a Shimano freehub.

meagain

Unless an error in compatabilty, then surely that freehub is plain shoddy? And I rather assume not a 50 quid pair of wheels? If did cost more than that should be wrapped carefully around seller's neck.

richardjallen

This has happend to my Reynolds Alta Race. I suspect it happens on a lot of freehubs. The material used would probably be fine if the splines were the right size.

Looking at the photo, the splines are the very shallowest they could be. The rounded corner of the cassette sprocket is against the rounded corner of the spline and there is very little material there to take the load.

daveplanetx

Sorry for the troubles .

Ill have a word with our head mechanic Mike Jenner and wheelbuilder Mark Minting to see if we can find out the issue , its a bit puzzling .

We sell an awful lot of carbon 50s , and really get extremely few problems , and the likes of top uk mile monsters Mark Lovatt and Wayne Randle have raced these wheels for the past few seasons , not to mention Spencer Smith , Julie Dibens , and weve not had any problems .

Also this year the entire Pearl Izumi - planet x team are riding planet x carbon 50s - and thats 8 riders racing week in week out - and absolutely no problems reported to date , and a good sprinkling of victories already .

This isnt a problem we see very often , we saw it on a few of the Reynolds wheels last year , but not on our model Bs and definitely not on the carbon 50s , I write more later when have a cause .

ellesse

Thanks for all the advice guys its nice to know that i'm not being a drama queen about the situation.
Thank you also dave for looking into the matter for me, i look forward to your reply.

sps137

I have had the same problems on my kaffenback supplied with an ultegra cassette on planet x c's, The wheels are really nice to ride on but the cassete is chewing straight through the hub. 400 odd miles of riding has eaten through between 1 and 2 mm's on the smaller cogs (i've now retired the wheels for cyclocross use only). It's a shame because as i said the ride really nicely and unlike the previous poster I had no problems with them going out of true. The hubs do just seem to be a combination of incredibly shallow splines and the strength of papier mache.

ellesse

I received the following from Planet X

"The freehubs we use are 8/9/10 speed compatible. Because of this the splines are of the low profile type. Shimano 10 speed uses a very similar set up to Campag (deep splines). These do work on our freehubs. The marking you are getting is normal for any alloy hub where the middle sprockets are single as opposed to on a carrier. For instance, you don't get this marking with a DuraAce cassette as the middle cogs are on a carrier not single"

As the bike i purchased was a 10speed from PX i would have preferred a lower group cassette on a carrier rather then an Ultregra cassette which eats away my cassette.

Understandably if you are selling wheels alone (like my pro carbons) then you would want to target as wide a market as possible so wheels which are compatible with 8,9 and 10 speed would be ideal.

aarw

so what.... this is your fault for using an ultegra cassette??!! :roll:

come on...

richardjallen

Can you change the freehub body? A 10spd Ultegra must work ok with a 10spd Ultegra cassette.

Pooter

For instance, you don't get this marking with a DuraAce cassette as the middle cogs are on a carrier not single

Not entirely true, only the largest 4 or 5 sprockets are on a carrier so you will still get this problem with DA on half of the freehub body. But he's right it is normal. As people have said this is the reason the 10 speed freehub was redesigned with higher splines.

As the bike i purchased was a 10speed from PX i would have preferred a lower group cassette on a carrier rather then an Ultregra cassette which eats away my cassette.

The 10 spd lower cassettes aren't on carriers either, and as they're tougher and heavier, they'd do even more damage to a lightweight aluminum freehub than an Ultegra cas.

One solution: American classic sell something called clips which cover and protect the freehub. Otherwise I suggest use your freehub for the remainder of its life, and then have it changed for a 10 speed freehub, or a lower-grade tougher 9 spd one.

ellesse

Thanks for that info Pooter, i have just checked American classic's website, to find info about the clips, apparently they come as standard with all wheels, but as PX probably buys OEM stock they are unlikely to receive them.

The clips are available for $14.99 inc delivery, (hope that includes UK)

stoobydale

The problem is not specific to Planet X hubs. I have some Spinergy Stealth wheels with the same problem.

andy_wrx

Mmm, interesting about the American Classics

From their website http://www.amclassic.com/faq.html

After removing my cassette I have noticed that my cassette body splines are damaged from the individual cogs indenting the splines. This has made it hard to remove and remount the cassette. Do I need a new cassette body?
Many times you can save your cassette body by using a file to smooth-off the tops of the scuffed splines making the cogs easier to mount. We use aluminum free hub bodies on all our wheels to save weight. Aluminum is softer than steel and will naturally display marks from the splines over time. To limit this from happening, make sure your cassette lock ring is tight and that there is not play in your cogs (see next two questions). When loosening the lock ring always place the chain whip on the smallest cog. Failure to do so may result in stripping the cassette body which is not covered by the warranty.

I have noticed a lot of play in my Shimano 10 speed cogs when mounting them loosely on the free hub body, is this normal?
Yes, shimano changed the shape of the inside of their 10 speed cassettes by removing contact points. We have designed special clips or pins which fix the play and protect the body and these come standard as a kit with our shimano style road wheels. You do not need clips/pins for Shimano 9 speed, SRAM 9 or 10 speed or Campagnolo 9 or 10 speed cassettes. The kit contains 10 speed Ultegra clips, 10 speed Dura Ace clips and 10 speed 105 pins. The pin/clips are placed under the free standing cogs and will not only reduce the play but are designed to protect your free hub body from being damaged by the cogs. It is important to use these clips in conjunction with the 0.5 mm American Classic spacer (provided with wheels) and the silver Shimano cassette spacer so that you do not damage your free hub body. The 10 speed clip/pin kits are available for sale for $14.99 plus shipping.

benvickery

Ellesse and sps137,

I've got exactly the same problem as you both. I'm trying to take an Ultegra 10 spd cassette off a Planet-x model C hub and like you the cassette is clearly twisted and probably cutting into the splines. The question is how did you get your cassette off? It's so tight that it doesn't slide off, I've tried twisting it back using the chain whip etc but that didn't work. I don't want to hit it with a hammer in case I do more damage. I was forced into a ditch by a lorry and my rim was damaged beyond repair but I'd like to reuse the hub though if possible.

Thanks for your comments

gkerr4

by the sounds of this thread it doesn't sound like the hub is of a quality worth salvaging!