Q&A: Freewheel/cassette not working/frozen

Q: Hi Jim,
This happened over the weekend (it was cold): When I tried to ride my bike on Monday the freewheel would not engage with the wheel (it just spun). I moved the bike inside (it was stored in the garage) and adjusted the quick release, laid it flat on the floor and it worked again. I am not sure whether I fixed the problem or not. I have no confidence to ride it until I really understand the problem or issue(s) (it’s a 12-mile commute). Could you give me some tips?
Thanks,
Thomas

Q: Hi Thomas,
The freewheel (also called a cassette sometimes, though the two are different things) has little pawls and springs inside that work together to drive your bike. There's usually lubricant inside, too. My best guess is that the cold weather made the pawls stick and stop catching and driving your bike. When you brought your bike inside the heat warmed up the lubricant and the springs were then able to push the pawls back in place and drive your bike again. So, I think it'll work fine for your ride.

It won't hurt to add a little lubricant. To do this, lay your bike on its side with the freewheel facing up. Then turn the crank backwards and watch the freewheel move. You'll see that the part with the sprockets moves and the part it's turning on stays still because it's attached to the wheel. There is a small crack between these two parts of the freewheel and that's where you put the lube. A light spray lube like Triflow works fine. Or you can drip car motor oil on while turning the crank slowly to draw the lube into the crack and into the freewheel mechanism. You won't get all the oil in there but you just need to get some in there to refresh any lube that's in there and keep the freewheel working.

Note that if what you have is a cassette, it's harder to get lube inside it because there are pieces that block access to places to add lube. Click here to see a nice picture on Sheldon Brown's awesome bicycle website that shows the difference between freewheels and cassettes. Luckily, cassettes usually don't freeze or fail as often as freewheels and don't need relubing very often. If you want to relube your cassette you can remove the cogs (you'll need a cassette lockring tool and a chainwhip tool) to gain access to the body and drip some lube in. Or, if you want to do a professional job, consider purchasing Morningstar Tools' Freehub Buddy tools and lube that let you flush and fully relube it!
Jim

Q&A: Drag

QUESTION:
Dear Mr. Langley,

I have had a problem with my Seven Alaris ti frame of late. It has a Shimano Ultegra triple. The wheelset is Mavic K's ssl. My weight is 240 lbs. I ride 100-150 miles/week. I feel a drag in the rear of the bike and its not my rear. It occurs in certain gears, when I apply moderate to heavy pedal force. It is intermittent, but can be duplicated on a hill with the front middle chainring, and middle of rear cassette. The bike has been checked and wheel hubs have been replaced or adjusted, brake calipers have been checked and centered. The freebody hub has been changed, I have tried different wheelsets and skewers. Although my gut feeling is that it is not the frame I have run out of troubleshooting ideas and may have the frame checked by Seven. I would really appreciate your feedback on this issue.

Regards,
Nicholas

ANSWER:
Hi Nicholas,
Sorry to hear about the problem. I wonder if you have checked your chain, cassette and chainring for wear? If any of the 3 are worn out or nearly worn out, that can make the pedaling feel terrible. I wouldn't call it a "drag" feeling, but it's kind of like that because there's more resistance and you feel like you're working too hard to pedal the bike. Another consideration is the derailleur pulleys. These wear and can bind and they can make it considerably harder to pedal. Ditto for the bottom bracket bearings. You can check either by lifting the chain off and turning slowly by hand. There should be little resistance in the pulleys and the crankarms.

I know you meant drag as in overall bicycle drag, but my experience has been than sometimes riders sense or feel drag from other parts of the bike and think it's the wheels or brakes when it's other things. The fact that you mentioned pedaling and what gear it's in made me think of these possibilities.

Of course there is also the sobering possibility that the frame has cracked or broken where it's hard to see. For example, you might closely inspect the rear dropouts and see if one is cracked. It might be almost impossible to see. Get down close with a flashlight and have a friend push sideways on the wheel to put some stress on the dropout. If it's cracked it just might open up and you'd see it. If that's the problem, the wheel would be able to shift when you're riding and strike the brake causing the drag. A broken chainstay or seatstay might do something like this, too. You can usually find cracks by flexing the bike various ways and watching the tube junctures closely to see if they move, shift, or open up.

I hope this helps you solve the problem and that if it is a broken frame Seven get it's fixed up for you soon. If you find out what it is, I'd enjoy hearing about it.
Jim