00:22 Freehubs
01:12 Freewheels
03:13 Freewheel noise trouble shooting
Freewheels and Freehubs, they're NOT the same!
This particular page is intended to help you determine which type your bike is equipped with, because there is a great deal of confusion about which is which. The terms "freewheel" and "cassette" are often used interchangeably, an error that causes a lot of wasted time and money.
Cassette Freehubs
Over the last few years the bicycle freehub has largely replaced the conventional threaded rear hub cassette system that also rachets and lets us freewheel. It is sad to lose the brand interchangeability that formerly existed, but these hubs work so well that they have come to represent the new "standard." It allow for a great ease in changing bike cassette sproket when they wore out and where much lighter. The bearings are also set apart wider making the strengthening the hub. Remove the ring with the proper lock ring tool and the cassette cogs come off. There are no moving parts in the cogs but are left behind in the hub. Most quality bikes made since the late 1980s have used this greatly improved design.
Freewheels for Threaded Hubs:
Traditional rear hubs came with a standard set of threads to which a standard freewheel / sprocket cluster could be screwed on. This allowed any brand of freewheel to be mounted on any brand of hub. The freewheel contained the ratchet mechanism built to allow for pedaling and coast besides containing the cogs. If you wore out your sprockets, or wanted different gear ratios, you could unscrew the cluster with all it's gear mechanism and install a new one. Almost all bikes made through the late 1980s used this system and is present on some less expensive road bikes and mountain bikes as well as vintage bicycles.
You can tell if it's a freewheel or freehub by looking at the inner surface of the cog system. Free hubs have a lock ring which is notched for cassette removal. Once the cassette is remove, the cassette slides off. The ratchet mechanism is located in the hub itself. The system is lighter and more efficient then the freewheels. It also allows for easy replacement of the cassette.
The freewheel can be recognized from the both the diameter of the inner part of the hub inside the smallest cog. There is no lock ring but rather a variety of systems from groves inside the freewheel to notches for attachment of freewheel removal tools. Many systems require their own specific removal tools.
Some of the problems one can run into with a freewheel are:
1. Freewheels normally make cassette noise when coasting. An increase in this noise may mean the lubricant has dried up or been washed out due to wet weather or riding through puddles or streams. To try to do a quick lubrication. See: [ Ссылка ]
2. A clicking sound while pedaling may indicate that some of the pawls & springs inside the ratchet system of the freewheel may be gunked up and need an overhaul and lubrication.
3. The same is true if you notice some sluggishness of the freewheel when you go to pedal. Try turning the crank backward while the bike is on a bike stand. If the rear wheel also turns backward, cleaning and lubrication are indicated. See: [ Ссылка ]
4. A clunking sound with or without clicking while pedaling may indicate freewheel failure (a broken ratchet system inside the freewheel) requiring overhaul or replacement.
