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Newbie: Rear wheel not moving. Only Chain moves.
#1
Hi,

I am newbie. Recently I switched to bicycle and bought Cannondale MTB trail 6. Since I rode bicycle first time in my life, I instantly hooked to it. I rode it on dirt roads, hills etc. Learnt things a lot. I have faced lot of maintenance/repair problems in my last 8 months of riding. I was able to solve them with online videos. Now, I am facing a problem for which it seems there is no video on net.

Problem
--------
Even after spinning pedal, my rear wheel not move. Pedal moves. Gear-shifting and all everything works. It seems there is problem with Shimanao Acera Cassette freehub assembly. I tried to open it and tried a to find the problem.

I am from Pune, India. There are only two shops who sell high-end bikes. They seems not good in repair. I need to know at least what exactly the problem is.

Help needed.
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#2
It could be that the pawls in the freehub have stuck. Sometimes they can gum up and stick "closed" so that they don't spring out and engage with the teeth. Try flushing out the freehub with some very light oil, like WD40. If that solves the problem, you can then stand the wheel/hub so that the WD40 drains out and then put in some slightly heavier, general bike lube.

Take a look at this: http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/workshop-how-to-overhaul-your-freehub-23757/
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#3
(08-13-2012, 06:05 AM)xerxes Wrote:  It could be that the pawls in the freehub have stuck. Sometimes they can gum up and stick "closed" so that they don't spring out and engage with the teeth. Try flushing out the freehub with some very light oil, like WD40. If that solves the problem, you can then stand the wheel/hub so that the WD40 drains out and then put in some slightly heavier, general bike lube.

Take a look at this: http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/workshop-how-to-overhaul-your-freehub-23757/

Do NOT use WD40 - WD40 is not an oil or lubricant and leaves gummy residue behind which will make the situation worse.

Use a clean solvent to flush the freehub - like alcohol or acetone, then follow with a light oil like 5W motor oil.
Nigel
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#4
If people would post location it would be easier to recommend service items. In the old country kerosene was used a solvent, acetone is great as a final flush, especially before assembly. I like to use spray automotive brake or carburetor cleaner. Be careful with some products around paint. As per oils I like Teflon spray lubricant.
Never Give Up!!!
  Reply
#5
(08-13-2012, 06:43 PM)GeorgeET Wrote:  If people would post location it would be easier to recommend service items. In the old country kerosene was used a solvent, acetone is great as a final flush, especially before assembly. I like to use spray automotive brake or carburetor cleaner. Be careful with some products around paint. As per oils I like Teflon spray lubricant.
Hi George:

Pune, India in the OP. Smile
Nigel
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#6
Oh ye, I thought I saw that before. I meant in the bio so it shows under your name. Kerosene it is. :-)
Never Give Up!!!
  Reply
#7
Thanks Xerxes, nfmisso, GeorgeET.

As I didn't have right kind of tools, I gave bike to dealer for repair. It seems they messed up with bike. FreeHub seems to be working. They have created new problem: Chain is now not shifting while changing the gear. Sad

Right now, I am not expert in bike-related technical terms.
  Reply
#8
Take it back to dealer and tell them to fix what they messed up!
Good maintenance to your Bike, can make it like the wheels are, true and smooth!
  Reply
#9
Sad affair: Sad

What was supposed to be a minor issue, mechanic ended up damaging the complete cassette/freehub assembly. This seems to be a deliberate work as I saw visibly big slashes on cassette.

Dealer now says repair/change of part will take more than 15 days.

I am really sad that I am missing my rides.

I made a mistake of buying bike from this shop.

Very bad support and rude behavior from dealer.
  Reply
#10
I have worked as a bicycle mechanic and was told by my employer that any new bikes brought back with a fault unless caused by the owner trying to sort the problem and making it worse before returning the bike were free of charge repairs as were parts unless the part was damaged through misuse which wasnt covered by the warranty.
If the bike dealer isnt providing post sale warranty service properly and isnt being curteous to you may i suggest that you email cannondale and explain to them the problem with this bike dealer especially as you say they deliberately caused a further fault on the bike and are claiming that it will take more than 15 days to repair somehow i think he is telling porkies about this at most it would take half a morning if that to remove the rear wheel take off the cassette change the freehub and refit the cassette and refit the wheel any competent mechanic could do that job in about an hour and a half though replacing the whole wheel and cassette would make it a 25 minute job which under warranty is the easiest option as the bike dealer returns the wheel to cannondale to get a replacement or credit on his account with them(covering the cost of the wheel and cassette value)

Cannondale may take your complaint seriously and contact the bike dealer about your problem and tell them to repair your bike asap the bike dealer if he refuses to comply could be told by cannondale that he is at risk of losing his cannondale dealership as cannondale have the right to do this.
(08-13-2012, 04:17 PM)nfmisso Wrote:  
(08-13-2012, 06:05 AM)xerxes Wrote:  It could be that the pawls in the freehub have stuck. Sometimes they can gum up and stick "closed" so that they don't spring out and engage with the teeth. Try flushing out the freehub with some very light oil, like WD40. If that solves the problem, you can then stand the wheel/hub so that the WD40 drains out and then put in some slightly heavier, general bike lube.

Take a look at this: http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/workshop-how-to-overhaul-your-freehub-23757/

Do NOT use WD40 - WD40 is not an oil or lubricant and leaves gummy residue behind which will make the situation worse.

Use a clean solvent to flush the freehub - like alcohol or acetone, then follow with a light oil like 5W motor oil.
Ive used WD40 to flush out the internals of freewheels for years and have never had any problems whatsoever with using it and find its the best spray lube to flush out dirt from the internals which comes out as a brown liquid.

After doing this i then soak the freewheel body(having removed the sprockets first) in used engine oil for about an hour or so then hang it up to allow the excess to drain off doing this silences the pawls inside the freewheel body.
THE FLYING SCOT MADE BY RATTRAYS IN GLASGOW ONE OF THE FINEST BICYCLES EVER MADE

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#11
First...let me thank you all for your replies.

Here is the rest of the saga.

Following issues propped up after repair:
1. I felt more strain on my legs while climbing the uphill route. Earlier, I used to complete the same route comfortably. On further check, I found that rear wheel is not freely moving.

2. I found real wheel is not aligned and is almost touching on one side.

This time, I took my bike to cyclist pro. He found that spokes are not tuned and disc brake pads are touching the disc. He then took about an hour to correct those problems.

BTW, I am lean, 48 Kg, 5' 2". He sold me medum (M) size bike. Later I found that this bike is way too big for me. I am supposed to ride S or XS size!

Anyway, thanks again for your time.
  Reply
#12
Sorry to hear about the wannabe screwing up the bike. Sad but true there are some people who think they can fix anything. However I'm glad all turned out for a happy ending Smile.
Good maintenance to your Bike, can make it like the wheels are, true and smooth!
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