- Feedback
- View
The last few months I've been doing a lot of miles, but that seems to be taking its toll on the poor little Sbike.
Last month the original Exage BB started to feel and sound rough, so that was replaced with a NOS UN-72. As much as I prefer originality on this bike, this was one area where upgrading was really necessary to prevent future problems.
(rule of thumb : BB code's number x 100 = the number of miles it will probably last on my bikes)
However now I'm facing a combination of problems. The bike is ghost-shifting between 5th and 6th, the previously very quiet freewheel will now beat any CK or Hope hub during a decibel contest, at speed the wheels appear to be rattling over the slightest ripple in the tarmac and are constantly making dry mechanical sounds even though I'm sure there's plenty of grease in the bearings.
- I've replaced the (well-worn) jockey wheels with fancy new Tack ones, but that didn't make a difference apart from making the gear setup more finicky.
- While I was at it, I checked the mech for play and tension. No problems there.
- According to my chain checking tool the chain is okay. I also don't see anything out of the ordinary on the cassette. All tooth are nice and straight.
- I don't notice any play in the axles either and in the work stand the wheels sound and feel perfectly fine. I overhauled the bearings myself in October 2011 with Shimano's own grease. That should last a lot longer than the 5000-ish miles I've put on the bike since.
Unless I'm missing something, that basically leaves only the freewheel itself or the freewheel-cassette interface as a possible cause for all these problems.
So here's my question : can you just take any 7-speed freewheel and put it on any hub? I'd like to keep the original Exage (FH-HG50) hub, but a freewheel upgrade might be a good idea. I found an interchangeability pdf through Google, but all those part numbers are Chinese to me.
Also, how difficult it it to do this yourself? I'm familiar with regular maintenance and rebuilds, but never had to take a hub apart this far.
Normally in these cases I'd simply drop the bike off at my LBS, but lately he's been on such a roll that I wouldn't be surprised if it takes a month to repair it and the bike only goes backwards by the time he is done with it.
Last month the original Exage BB started to feel and sound rough, so that was replaced with a NOS UN-72. As much as I prefer originality on this bike, this was one area where upgrading was really necessary to prevent future problems.
(rule of thumb : BB code's number x 100 = the number of miles it will probably last on my bikes)
However now I'm facing a combination of problems. The bike is ghost-shifting between 5th and 6th, the previously very quiet freewheel will now beat any CK or Hope hub during a decibel contest, at speed the wheels appear to be rattling over the slightest ripple in the tarmac and are constantly making dry mechanical sounds even though I'm sure there's plenty of grease in the bearings.
- I've replaced the (well-worn) jockey wheels with fancy new Tack ones, but that didn't make a difference apart from making the gear setup more finicky.
- While I was at it, I checked the mech for play and tension. No problems there.
- According to my chain checking tool the chain is okay. I also don't see anything out of the ordinary on the cassette. All tooth are nice and straight.
- I don't notice any play in the axles either and in the work stand the wheels sound and feel perfectly fine. I overhauled the bearings myself in October 2011 with Shimano's own grease. That should last a lot longer than the 5000-ish miles I've put on the bike since.
Unless I'm missing something, that basically leaves only the freewheel itself or the freewheel-cassette interface as a possible cause for all these problems.
So here's my question : can you just take any 7-speed freewheel and put it on any hub? I'd like to keep the original Exage (FH-HG50) hub, but a freewheel upgrade might be a good idea. I found an interchangeability pdf through Google, but all those part numbers are Chinese to me.
Also, how difficult it it to do this yourself? I'm familiar with regular maintenance and rebuilds, but never had to take a hub apart this far.
Normally in these cases I'd simply drop the bike off at my LBS, but lately he's been on such a roll that I wouldn't be surprised if it takes a month to repair it and the bike only goes backwards by the time he is done with it.