Powertap SL freehub help

964cup
964cup Posts: 1,362
edited January 2016 in Workshop
I have an ancient, but working, Powertap SL (old-school 12mm axle). I picked up a new 11-speed Shimano freehub for it, but am buggered if I can get it to work without binding. I've tried the old end-pieces, the new ones, with the seal, without the seal... as soon as I tighten up the ends, the freehub binds. If I leave them fingertight, it spins fine, but binds once the QR is tightened.

I have old endpieces, new endpieces as supplied with the freehub, two different thicknesses of NDS spacer, and no idea which combination should work.

What am I missing?

Comments

  • munkster
    munkster Posts: 819
    Have you called Paligap? I had my own Powertap query (which i also posted here) sort of answered by them when I called up the other day...

    http://powertap.paligapltd.co.uk/support.php
  • cycleclinic
    cycleclinic Posts: 6,865
    often this problem is simple. When you pull the old freehu off you leave the seal ehind. The ne freehub has a seal so now there are two rubbing together so the freehub binds.

    Remove one seal and vola it works. You may wonder how I know this.

    Use you old end caps. You may need to redish as you rim will move over by 1mm relative to the hub centre.
    http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.
  • 964cup
    964cup Posts: 1,362
    [url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19780665#p19780665]thecycleclinic[/url] wrote:
    often this problem is simple. When you pull the old freehu off you leave the seal ehind. The ne freehub has a seal so now there are two rubbing together so the freehub binds.

    Remove one seal and vola it works. You may wonder how I know this.

    Use you old end caps. You may need to redish as you rim will move over by 1mm relative to the hub centre.
    Thanks, but I have double checked. There is only the one seal. The new hub shipped without a seal. If I remove the seal from the hub, it binds more thoroughly. Am using the old end caps. Any other ideas? NB there are two spacers washers available for the NDS - thick & thin - presume I should be using the thin one? I also assume I should be able to tighten the end caps to at least finger-tight without it binding. This is not the case; I have to unwind the DS endcap a couple of turns to get the freehub to move at all when the wheel is off the bike.

    I note from your reply that you suggest that the seal is attached to the freehub. In my case, it is attached to the hub body (and there is clearly a lip on which it seats). Is that wrong?
  • 964cup
    964cup Posts: 1,362
    ETA what I'm currently doing is tightening the DS endcap until there is a little play, then clamping the wheel in the drop-outs. If you get the skewer tension right, the freehub works. This is fine for use on the turbo (after all, what's the worst that can happen?) but wouldn't IMO be acceptable for road use.
  • cycleclinic
    cycleclinic Posts: 6,865
    Try removing the seal behind the freehub. Also I had a problem once with the spacer behind the freehub being to short for the new freehub. This must have been a manufacturing defect in the new freehub I was trying to fit. Before novatec settled on an end cap design there were some issues with the end caps binding against the outer seal at the end of the freehub. However I have not had e-mails with these kind of problems so it must be something overlooked or defect with the freehub.

    Once a bit of fiddling is done removing seals and refitting then we will have a better idea of how to solve it properly. The end caps for power tap hubs are the push fit type or screw on I forget as I don't see them that often.
    http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.
  • 964cup
    964cup Posts: 1,362
    [url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19782258#p19782258]thecycleclinic[/url] wrote:
    Try removing the seal behind the freehub. Also I had a problem once with the spacer behind the freehub being to short for the new freehub. This must have been a manufacturing defect in the new freehub I was trying to fit. Before novatec settled on an end cap design there were some issues with the end caps binding against the outer seal at the end of the freehub. However I have not had e-mails with these kind of problems so it must be something overlooked or defect with the freehub.

    Once a bit of fiddling is done removing seals and refitting then we will have a better idea of how to solve it properly. The end caps for power tap hubs are the push fit type or screw on I forget as I don't see them that often.
    Tried it without the seal; it binds solid. End caps are screw fit (17mm cone spanner) on this model of PT hub. There is no spacer behind the freehub as far as I can see. Any ideas?
  • paul_onabike
    paul_onabike Posts: 194
    Powertap 11 speed freehup is not compatible with older 12mm axle - this is from their website:-


    15mm 11 speed freehub body is compatible with:
    2009 or later models of Elite+ and Pro+ hubs
    2009 or later models of SL+ or SLC hubs+
    SL+ Mountain Bike Disc hub
    2012 models of G3 and Pro hubs
    Includes an adapter to allow use of current 10, 9, and 8 speed Shimano cassettes

    Note: 15mm axles can be identified by the axle end cap configuration. Hubs equipped with 15mm axles will allow the user to simply pull off the freehub body for easy maintenance or to swap between Shimano 10 speed and Shimano 11 speed freehubs.
    Important: Older model 12mm axles that require a 5mm allen key and a 17mm cone wrench to unscrew the axle end cap for service are not compatible with the 11 Speed Shimano freehub.
  • 964cup
    964cup Posts: 1,362
    Yes, but this is the 12mm axle 11-speed freehub. So it is, in theory, compatible. I think I'm missing an axle spacer.

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