Back cassette won't move forward, any ideas?

[maraiylander]

Hey all, I own a Quest Elevation that's getting on in years, but has worked pretty good up until a few weeks ago. I got on it to ride, and when I tried to pedal it was like trying to kick a brick wall. After a little bit of trial and error (and looking up bike parts on wikipedia), I found that the problem is the cassette, which is supposed to move clock-wise, but now is locked. The cassette can spin counter-clockwise without issue, but resists any attempt to move it clock-wise. Any ideas on what the issue might be or how I could go about figuring this out?

Thanks!

[trevgbb]

this is what the freewheel is supposed to do, your problem lies elsewhere.
Try lifting the wheel off the ground and rotating it by hand, it should spin freely for some time if everything is OK, if not check the following possibilities,
1/ the wheel is out of line and the tyre is catching on the chainstay,
2/ the wheel is buckled and ditto.
3/ the brakes are binding on.
4/ the wheel bearings are seized or overtightened.
5/ the tyre is not correctly installed and has a bulge.
6/ the chain has rusted into immobility.

[JonB]

and/or:

7/ BB bearings are gone, and the cranks won't turn without a fight.
8/ Pedal bearings are on their way out

I suspect 4, 6 and/or 7 are the most likely causes in your case, but check them all and report back, we can then help you further. 8 may be a contributing factor, but almost certainly not the main cause.