rear gear question

Sharpe2002

hi all, excuse the possible noob question

ive just got my hands on a 2012 cube attention great first mtb after riding a bmx for a fair few years, however im having an issue with it.

the rear freewheel (pretty sure its not a cassette jobby) seems to have some "play", usually when i stop pedaling or back pedal the slightest amount. i usually have to crank about an inch or so before i get drive again, which is pretty scary something pedaling down any form of hill

its not slipping, and doesnt jump teeth or anything... it just seems as if the freewheel mechanism is not working as it should. not being new to bikes i know something is wrong but being new to gears i dont know if i can fix it myself.

any ideas? ive only had it 8/9 days and its been doing it the whole time. would this fall under faulty goods?

any advise/help is much appreciated

Dan

Edit: ive had the rear wheel off to wiggle the freewheel about and it definetly doesnt feel as tight as it should

cooldad

It is a freehub/cassette - 30 speed.
Some play before take up is normal. Depends on the hub how much.

Sharpe2002

thats the one! well it hasnt stopped me riding it but didnt want to take it to a shop if not necessary, i might go into halfrauds and see what "play" other bikes have.. (pedal moves an inch or so before drive on mine)

are there any special tools needed to remove the freehub?

YeehaaMcgee

What tools depends what the hub is.
Also, how much play/slack depends on what the hub is.

Chunkers1980

But, you'll at least need a cassette tool, chain whip, cone spanners, spanner and prob a 10-12mm Allenkey to get the freehub off.

YeehaaMcgee

You may not need cone spanners if the hub is a cartridge bearing unit.

Chunkers1980

Still need cone spanners on my mavic hubs with carts.

YeehaaMcgee

oh for god's sake.
you do not need them on every hub though, DO YOU?

Chunkers1980

No idea.

YeehaaMcgee

so tell me, what purpose did your damned answer have then? You frigging spazwangle.

Chunkers1980

To point that some carts do require cone spanners. How rude.

YeehaaMcgee

Chunkers1980 wrote:

But, you'll at least need a cassette tool, chain whip, cone spanners, spanner and prob a 10-12mm Allenkey to get the freehub off.

^^WRONG.

cooldad

Er once you children have stopped bickering, it has Shimano hubs. So cone spanners would be useful.

But it's brand new and sounds about right to me.

Allowing for a little bit of exaggeration, they could move quite a bit at the tips of the cranks.
I've just had a fiddle with a Shimano and it probably has pretty close to an inch at the end of the crank. Even my Fulcrums, which have a bazillion teeth and pick up twice as quickly have a small significant movement.
Just not something you really notice when you ride.

cooldad

Sharpe2002 wrote:

Edit: ive had the rear wheel off to wiggle the freewheel about and it definetly doesnt feel as tight as it should

ps cassettes have quite a bit of wiggle in them.

I blame CRC.

YeehaaMcgee

The Rookie

You'll obviously get more crank arm movement in lower gears than the higher gears of course!

Sharpe2002

thanks for the responses guys n gals 8)

i may just grab a quick vid of the movement tonight before my venture into a forest in Bracknell tomorrow

Sharpe2002

right, so after an hour long ride last night my gears have started slipping (

it takes a bit of power to get them to slip but its certainly not right, in any gear in or out of the saddle. to say im disappointed is an understatement.

are these things usually covered under warranty? as above, its never been right from the moment i got it but was sure if its was me nitpicking or if the new parts needed to settle in first

the bike is less than month old and im emailing the company i got it from to see what they can do. ive clearly been sent a faulty part but would like to know where i stand if they say its not covered under warranty. on a bike a year old or older i can understand but not something ive done less than 300km on

cooldad

Sounds like setup but most dealers offer a free service after the first few weeks.
If it was new it would be under warranty, but is anything actually broken?

YeehaaMcgee

Sharpe2002 wrote:

right, so after an hour long ride last night my gears have started slipping (

it takes a bit of power to get them to slip but its certainly not right, in any gear in or out of the saddle. to say im disappointed is an understatement.

are these things usually covered under warranty? as above, its never been right from the moment i got it but was sure if its was me nitpicking or if the new parts needed to settle in first

the bike is less than month old and im emailing the company i got it from to see what they can do. ive clearly been sent a faulty part but would like to know where i stand if they say its not covered under warranty. on a bike a year old or older i can understand but not something ive done less than 300km on

Actually, it's most common on new bikes, or on bikes that have just had new cables fitted. The ferrules (cable end caps) slowly get pressed further and further into place with some use, so they will need adjusting after a little bit of use.

The Rookie

Ferrules, end caps, irrelevant

The cable can however stretch slightly or other settling in occur (like the nipple into the shifter which is what I think YHMG was failing to say) and that needs the cable tension (gear indexing) correctly.

Chunkers1980

eh?

You've just written a load of jibberish. Begin again perhaps.

YeehaaMcgee

The Beginner wrote:

Ferrules, end caps, irrelevant

The cable can however stretch slightly or other settling in occur (like the nipple into the shifter which is what I think YHMG was failing to say) and that needs the cable tension (gear indexing) correctly.

Er... Huh?

I'll givr you the benefit of the doubt regardig cable "stretch" - it's a very common misconception. But in reality, it's the outer cable settling into the stops and ferrules that causes the issue.
As for the nipple settling into the shifter though? I'm not convinced. Both are hard surfaces, with no give, meaning the cable is either in place, or it's not.

Sharpe2002

i guess il start by indexing the gears and assume to cable has stretched a bit. i cant be without a bike so need to explore all possibilities before sending stuff off to cube and incurring extra expense

is it generally better to start with the rear and then align the front so the chain doesnt rub? (it does slightly atm).

cooldad

Makes no difference. FWIW I do the front first.

YeehaaMcgee

It does make a bit more sense to do the rear first, since setting the front mech depends on having the rear shifted into the high or low sprocket.
Although I do sympathise with wanting to get the front one over and done with, since they're more of a pain to get right than the easily accessible rear - especially on most full suss bikes where the limit screws are obscured by the swingarm, and you can't really see if the cage is aligned with the chain from any useful angle.

cooldad

I can normally get the front 98% right by eye. Last time I built the bike up I just put it one - haven't actually set it up, it works well enough. It's easy with two rings. They are a bugger sometimes though.

YeehaaMcgee

cooldad wrote:

I can normally get the front 98% right by eye.

What's the alternative, laser guided machines?

Chunkers1980

Now that'd be useful.

cooldad

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

cooldad wrote:

I can normally get the front 98% right by eye.

What's the alternative, laser guided machines?

Obviously, I forgot you poor Welsh type people don't even have fire yet.

cooldad

We all have laser guided Audis down south.