Sticky freehub with thru axle

nibnob21
nibnob21 Posts: 207
edited May 2021 in Workshop
Bought a CX bike with Mavic Aksium Disc wheels and an 11spd 11-42t PG-1130 SRAM cassette. This was fitted with a freehub spacer (SRAM website specifies a 1.85mm spacer for the 11-42t cassette).

I replaced this with an 11spd 11-28t PG-1130 cassette and from what I can gather off the SRAM website and the various service pdfs on there, a spacer shouldn't be needed for the 11-28t cassette. However when the thru axle is tightened when no spacer is fitted the wheel and freehub don't spin freely. Tried with the spacer fitted and the smallest cog doesn't engage with the freehub splines.

Any suggestions?

Comments

  • nibnob21
    nibnob21 Posts: 207
    Scratch that, just refitted the old larger cassette and that's sticky when the thru axle is tightened up too.

    So not a compatibility question between cassettes, it's a question about what might be causing the sticky freehub/bearings when the wheel is fitted.

    Bike is new by the way, about 100 miles on it.
  • nibnob21
    nibnob21 Posts: 207
    Had another look at this and it appears that the freehub body sits just a smidge too far into the wheel hub, such that the cassette (or the spacer in the case of the original larger cassette) fouls the wheel hub. Not an issue when pedalling along as the cassette and wheel move together, but when free-wheeling they rub against each other as the cassette is static relative to the wheel hub.

    You can see the very obvious shiny ring of wear on the inner face of the cassette.



  • nibnob21
    nibnob21 Posts: 207
    All sorted, no thanks to you useless lot :p

    Turns out despite being a brand new bike, the bearings in the freehub body weren't pressed in properly! Fashioned a press using my MTB pivot bearing tool and got them wound in properly. All reassembled and working as it should. Luckily only slight superficial damage to the outer face of the wheel hub which is hidden anyway.

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