Comments on: Winter is hell for bikes

By: Jon Grinder

Jon Grinder — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:39:57 +0000

Can you either post some close-up photos of the hub and cogs, or email them to me? (jjgrinder msn com Fill in the blanks, of course.) I can give you more specific info if I see the actual hub.

By: Apertome

Apertome — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:37:17 +0000

Thanks … yes, it did re-engage once warmed up. Since I have a spare wheel, I’m using it, and I’m not too worried about this one at the moment. I will have to figure out what to do long-term, though.

By: Jon Grinder

Jon Grinder — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:26:50 +0000

Atually, it sounds more like a lubrication problem (pawls really don’t wear out, very often). The oil inside the freewheeling mechanism is probably a little too thick, and gets even thicker in the cold. This will hold the pawls up away from the teeth, resulting in bi-directional freewheeling.

Try the wheel after it warms up, in the house, and see if it works at room temperature. If so, then this is more than likely the problem. Flushing the pawls with solvent, then dripping some very thin oil into the works will probably fix it.

Unfortunately, if you have a cassette hub, the cassette body has to be removed from the hub to do this (The pawls are at the inboard edge of the freehub). This entails removing the axle and bearings, then removing the hollow fixing bolt with a 10mm Allen wrench in order to separate the freehub from the hub body.

Not too much trouble if you have the tools and the ability to adjust axle bearings. But, if you have to pay a shop to do it, it will probably cost you more than a replacement wheel.

By: Redbike

Redbike — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:52:37 +0000

I gave up with gears this year and decided to ride a single speed speed bike through winter. I’ve ended up going fixed wheel after the salt destroyed my freewheel too. It just rusted it solid in days.

The salt has also destroyed the bearings in my front wheel and seized the quick release in place. I’m starting to think that next year I should ride a uni-cycle. No gears and no chain.

By: mike

mike — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:44:04 +0000

frozen pawls! old pawls! pawls that won’t engage!

does not sound like fun.
maybe a single speed or fixed gear is in your future?

By: Bill Lambert

Bill Lambert — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:49:08 +0000

Bummer about your gears. Wish I could provide some insight, but I’ve never heard of that problem. We’ve just gotten a dusting of snow here. The wind finally stopped blowing.

Be safe.

By: Apertome

Apertome — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 06:09:57 +0000

I really don’t know, they said something about the pawls wearing out, at the shop. Since I bought the bike used and I’m sure these weren’t the original wheels, all bets are off. Apparently it is a cassette, though, again according to the LBS guys. I don’t know enough about all of this to really understand the finer details.

By: Steve A

Steve A — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:59:23 +0000

Is this some sort of freewheel that predates freehubs? The only way I’ve ever had those fail is the freewheel froze, making it a “fixie” until things broke loose again.

Glad to hear the wax is helping. It’s also helping slow down the attack of the salt.

By: Apertome

Apertome — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:39:23 +0000

Truly bizarre, this is a first for me as well. Still trying to figure out how I’m going to handle it, I don’t want to spend much fixing up my beater.

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:07:26 +0000

So funny! I just took my bike to the bike shop today for the exact same problem, which I have never before experienced. Strange coincidence.