Zonda freehub sound?

garyk72

I've had a pair of Zonda's for around a year now and recently had my bike services at my LBS. After the service my free hub was making a lovely clicking sound which began to get progressively quieter after 2 or 3 rides. I then degreased my chain and cassette and washed everything off with a low pressure hose as per my usual cleaning and basic maintenance regime. On the next ride the free hub was back to making the same loud clicking sound which again became quieter over time. Since then every time I degrease and clean the chain and cassette my free hub sound is louder for a coupe of rides. The wheels run beautifully smoothly with no issues whatsoever so I guess I'm asking if anyone has any ideas why this is happening and if there could be potential problem with the free hub?

Cheers

ror3h

You're robably getting some degreaser into the freehub, washing away some grease/lube and in turn making the pawls sound louder. Long term this is probably not a good idea, as it will accelerate wear on the freehub and bearings. It'd be better for the wheels if you removed the cassette before cleaning it (it's also a lot easier to clean that way).

ugo.santalucia

Freehubs are very simple creatures and don't "bite"... my advice is to familiarise with how to service one, as they can cause a lot of grief if you don't.

Pawls design aside, the noise is a function of the type of lubrication and can go from a sharp click in the absence of lubricant to a very quiet ticking if you use thick grease. The recommended type of lubricant is a function of the pawls design. Campagnolo ones are pretty simple creatures that use a retainer ring, so any runny grease will do the job