Cassette biting notches into Aluminium Freehub

rabk
rabk Posts: 182
edited June 2007 in Workshop
Bought some wheels recently and fitted the cassette. The freehub body was a 10 speed shimano Aluminium body.

The Cassette was a 105 (5600) 12-27 model. I also ensured the appropriate 1mm spacer was fitted

After 100-150 miles I took the cassette off and noticed that the cassette had bitten notches into Freehub.

I returned the wheel and now have a replacement. I am concerned this might happen again.

Is there anything I can do to mitigate before I fit new wheel?

Comments

  • Down the Road
    Down the Road Posts: 949
    No problems with that. The tolerences are never perfect and it will do no long term harm to your freehub. Many do this and last for years.
    Racing is life - everything else is just waiting
  • rabk
    rabk Posts: 182
    That's good to hear. [:)]

    The reason I returned the wheel was there was a clunking sound. I wasn't sure if that was as a result of the notches or an unrelated issue.
  • Tim Bennet
    Tim Bennet Posts: 1,143
    The recesses on the Shimano free hub are very shallow as this is the way they get room to fit the wheel bearings further outboard than with Campag. As a result, I think Shimano themselves only make steel bodied freehubs which have suficient hardness to cope with the pedalling torque. The wear you mention is common to all other makes of alu freebody including expensive ones like Tune. In fact I've seen a big and powerful mountainbiker strip his Tune freehub.

    Ironically the cheaper cassettes that are 'bolted' together into one unit are better able to spread their loads over a greater area and cause less wear, but using them rather negates the weight saving of an aluminium freehub.

    We use Tune hubs for some womens' Mtb race bikes and I lightly oil the surfaces of the freehub and then assemble the clean individual components of the cassette using loctite between their mating faces as a way of trying to get neighbouring cogs to share more of the torque loads. Also putting the lockring on as tight as allowed (without loctite!) helps keep wear to acceptable limits.
  • monty_dogcp
    monty_dogcp Posts: 382
    Firstly, make sure the lockring is done up tight to prevent the sprockets moving on the freehub - there should be no lateral play. A small amount of indentation is fairly normal, but obviously depends on how deep the notches are and whether there's a risk that the sprockets will strip the splines - highly likely if assembled correctly. Better quality cassettes have the sprockets mounted in clusters on carriers which spread the load more evenly.
  • rabk
    rabk Posts: 182
    Lockring was very tight and there appeared to be no play whatsoever on the cogs.

    I presume a different cassette (i.e ultegra/dura ace) would make no difference - or perhaps it would?

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