FH-M475 freehub body worth replacing?
alomac
Posts: 189
I have an '09 model Trek hardtail with Shimano M475 hubs on Bontrager Ranger rims. While the bike is a few years old now, I've had to store it for most of that time, so it's probably only seen the equivalent of one year's use. A fair bit of that was in fairly gloopy conditions (Swedish autumn, Melbourne winter), but I don't think it would have seen as much mud as in a UK winter (disclaimer: I've never set foot in the UK so don't really know what I'm talking about).
Anyway, the freehub body seems to be knackered. It does work, but the click of the pawls sounds quite 'dry' and there's a background sound of what seems to be scraping metal. That is when I take the body off the wheel and turn it in my hands. On the bike, the cassette and/or frame seems to act as a sort of resonating chamber and the noise is appalling. By comparison, the brand-new Tourney-level RM30 freehub I have lying around is the epitome of well-oiled smoothness.
The hub's 'standard', user-serviceable cup-and-cone bearings seemed to be in pretty good shape for the level of use they've seen (and for the level of the hub) although there was some dirt ingress, mainly on the non-drive side. It seems like the problem is confined to the freehub body.
The obvious solution to this is to simply replace the freehub body, but there's a number of internet reports of M475 freehubs dying after 1000 miles or so. Some people report this happening two of three times in a row. On the other hand, there's probably millions of FH-M475s out there and for every person with a prematurely dead freehub body there's probably a hundred or more whose freehubs have gone on forever.
Anyway, I thought I'd see what better/more experiences minds than mine think. AFAIK, there's three options.
1) Replace the freehub body with another M475. Simple and cheap, but possibly only a short-term solution.
2) Replace the freehub body with a higher-spec unit. Cheap but fiddly. Would have to find a body that matches the M475's freehub-to-hub interface (there are some leads on this, including on this forum), find a matching cone, and sort out any spacing issues this might cause. Buying a higher-spec hub with a matching shell and transplanting the entire guts would be another way of achieving the same thing.
3) New rear wheel/wheelset. Expensive, but simple and should solve the problem rather definitively. I might get a bit of performance boost to boot, but whether I'd actually notice is another thing. I suppose the main issue is how much money is it worth putting into an an increasingly obsolescent bike with 9mm QRs and a non-tapered headtube.
Anyway, this has turned into quite the essay, so I'll put a lid on it now and thank you for any ideas.
Anyway, the freehub body seems to be knackered. It does work, but the click of the pawls sounds quite 'dry' and there's a background sound of what seems to be scraping metal. That is when I take the body off the wheel and turn it in my hands. On the bike, the cassette and/or frame seems to act as a sort of resonating chamber and the noise is appalling. By comparison, the brand-new Tourney-level RM30 freehub I have lying around is the epitome of well-oiled smoothness.
The hub's 'standard', user-serviceable cup-and-cone bearings seemed to be in pretty good shape for the level of use they've seen (and for the level of the hub) although there was some dirt ingress, mainly on the non-drive side. It seems like the problem is confined to the freehub body.
The obvious solution to this is to simply replace the freehub body, but there's a number of internet reports of M475 freehubs dying after 1000 miles or so. Some people report this happening two of three times in a row. On the other hand, there's probably millions of FH-M475s out there and for every person with a prematurely dead freehub body there's probably a hundred or more whose freehubs have gone on forever.
Anyway, I thought I'd see what better/more experiences minds than mine think. AFAIK, there's three options.
1) Replace the freehub body with another M475. Simple and cheap, but possibly only a short-term solution.
2) Replace the freehub body with a higher-spec unit. Cheap but fiddly. Would have to find a body that matches the M475's freehub-to-hub interface (there are some leads on this, including on this forum), find a matching cone, and sort out any spacing issues this might cause. Buying a higher-spec hub with a matching shell and transplanting the entire guts would be another way of achieving the same thing.
3) New rear wheel/wheelset. Expensive, but simple and should solve the problem rather definitively. I might get a bit of performance boost to boot, but whether I'd actually notice is another thing. I suppose the main issue is how much money is it worth putting into an an increasingly obsolescent bike with 9mm QRs and a non-tapered headtube.
Anyway, this has turned into quite the essay, so I'll put a lid on it now and thank you for any ideas.
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Comments
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change the free hub as its sort of cheap
then you have all the time you need to find the right wheels on sale
rushing out to buy expensive things like wheels is not that advisable it needs a bit of time and forethought
new wheels:
factory built (a lot better than 10 years ago) hope hoops can be a good bet, mavic, dt ect........ and have a look at industry 9 wheels very bling.....
or custom built (can vary on the wheel smith) but will be good, again hope hubs are a good start, and you can spec your choice in colours...
but good wheels that can have different adapters will be transfered to a new bike as you want to keep the bling0 -
CRC sell Shimano hubs pretty cheap, gives you a freehub and a full kit of spares.
Have you tried removing the freehub, giving it a clean and fresh grease and refitting?
Not the toughest workout, but I bought the M475 equipped wheel on my commuter used and it's done another 2,500 miles and is still perfect.Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0 -
My m475 free hub died yesterday. Ordered a replacement hub from CRC for 21.99. Got 3000 mile out of it.my stripped and polished push-iron http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=127542860
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The Beginner wrote:CRC sell Shimano hubs pretty cheap, gives you a freehub and a full kit of spares.
Yeah, this is the path I'd go down if I end up replacing the freehub like-for-like since I can transplant the cones and balls and basically give the whole thing an overhaul while I'm at it.Have you tried removing the freehub, giving it a clean and fresh grease and refitting?
I don't think it's possible. The Park Tool guide says to remove the rear (i.e. the side closest to the spokes) dust cap and use that opening to flush and relube the internals, but the M475 freehub does not have this. There is nothing on the rear side that can be removed. On the front (i.e. the side that faces outwards) the cup that the ball bearings sit in can be removed with the appropriate tool to access the freehub's internals, but I don't have the proper tool and I'm not sure if doing this is a good idea.0 -
alomac wrote:Have you tried removing the freehub, giving it a clean and fresh grease and refitting?
I don't think it's possible.
Sure is, all normal Shimano freehubs have the same servicing technique. You'll need 15mm & 17mm cone spanners IIRC, to get you the axle removed. Then the freehub just needs unscrewing with a big allen key (10mm? I forget).0 -
11mm or 7/16ths.....not sure which it is officially, but both usually fit.Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0
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http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/a84165 ... =GBP&cn=gb
Cheaper than the freehub body from most places! I'd transplant all the internals over.0 -
supersonic wrote:http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/a84165/alivio-rear-hub-disc-fh-m475-32h-black.html?lg=en&cr=GBP&cn=gb
Cheaper than the freehub body from most places! I'd transplant all the internals over.
My freehub's gone tonight and was looking at replacing it.... it's the same as in this link.
It states it's sealed so am I wrong to think I can just replace it and it's in fact a new wheel?0 -
Nope, that in the link will come off and go on yours0
