rear wheel, stiff and clicking.

Anonymous
Anonymous Posts: 79,665
edited January 2009 in Workshop
Hi.

My rear wheel seems stiff when I turn it the opposite way to when pedaling, so it's just keeping going round, but it does not seem light it is too tight, just it does not keep moving around smoothly, it stops quickly and there is allot of clicking sounds coming from the hub.

Any idea what it could be and what may need doing to it?


Thanks
Will.

Comments

  • Wappygixer
    Wappygixer Posts: 1,396
    what hub is it?
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,665
    Tiagra.
  • Take the wheel out of the frame and feel how well the bearings turn by hand. My guess is that you have water in the bearings. In my experience Tiagra hubs are not that well sealed. If so, you need to strip it down, clean it out (probably replace the bearings) and regrease. Easy to do yourself. You just need a couple of the right sized cone spanners and only undo the none freewheel side.
  • fossyant
    fossyant Posts: 2,549
    You may also need a new freehub body - about £15-£20 if the hub bearings are still smooth...otherwise a new hub...
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,665
    Will I need to take the cassette off? I have the tools for that, bearings are only like £1.50 I think?

    Is Lithium grease ok for inside the wheel too? It's this weird cream colored stuff?

    I'm abit weary of the cassette, I took the one off my old bike and it came off ok, but putting it back on tightening it the racket was so loud, all this clicking, It never stopped, was there all the way to tightening it :\.

    Also with the bike upside down, if I turn the pedals, get the wheel spinning, then stop pedaling and let it freewheel there is also a loud noise, like metal can or something rolling down a hill, just a lower sound.
    fossyant wrote:
    You may also need a new freehub body - about £15-£20 if the hub bearings are still smooth...otherwise a new hub...

    If the bearings are not smooth why would I need a new hub? I could just get new bearings?

    So it's going to cost like 40 quid I guess? For the bike shop fitting the hub as I am no way going to do the spoke myself!!!!!!!!!!!
  • You do need to take the cassette off. The clicking noise when you put it back on is normal - I would be worried if I wasn't getting a clicking sound because that would show that you were probably cross threading the locknut. I would use a water resistent grease inside the bearings. If you do need a new freehub you can replace it (I think that it's a 10mm allen key but you can check on the Shimano website) but at that point I would seriously consider scrapping the hub and getting a new wheel built with a 105/ultegra hub. These are better sealed and last longer. However I would have thought that if there is rust in the bearings then you can probably get away with just new cones (which are much cheaper - probably a fiver or so for the two). You need to strip the hub down and see whether there is an obvious problems with the bearings. Check the Park Tools website for how to do all this.
  • spadey
    spadey Posts: 54
    No you won't need a new hub, the previous poster was talking about the freehub, which is the part that the cassette spins on.

    Take the wheel off. Does the noise come when you spin the cassette, or when you spin the wheel?

    If it is the cassette then you will need to take off the cassette and either replace the freehub (not the wheel hub!) or service it yourself. You can usually get it off with a 10mm allen key and then if you carefully pick the rubber seal out with a small screwdriver, you can then flush it through with WD40, drip chain oil in and grease the bearings in the top. It is pretty simple to do and saves forking out £25 for a new freehub. If the noise comes from spinning the wheel then you will need to overhaul the hub bearings as described in this thread.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,665
    Yes the noise comes when spinning the wheel.

    I'll go buy some cone wrenches, and some new bearings and attempt to do it myself.

    Is Lithium grease ok then or will I need better stuff?

    Is it safe for me to ride on it in the mean time before I get it fixed? As if I feel better in the next couple of days I might go for a ride and I wont be fixing it until I go back to Manchester on Sunday.