I don’t know where the text for my post went so here it is.
Hello All. I’m somewhat new to biking, I started last summer and I really enjoy working on my bikes myself and learning all the ins and outs or bike maintenance. I’m currently running into an issue where my cranks are spinning a bit when the rear wheel is free wheeling (See video). The rear wheel also moves slightly if I reverse the cranks. Below is what I’ve done so far. I’m looking for advice as to what might be causing this.
* Cleaned and re-greased the freehub with DT Swiss special grease.
* Removed the cranks, cleaned and greased with Phil waterproof grease.
* Removed the derailleur pulleys and cleaned them extensively with isopropyl alcohol, degreaser and finally soapy water. Lubed them up real good after cleaning (made sure extra lube was cleaned off)
* Cleaned the chain immaculately (I’m a nut job and clean my chain after almost every ride anyway but figured I’d give it a deep clean) Chain does have over 3k miles on it
* Put the rear wheel on another bike and the issue does not happen on that bike.
My next step is swap in a new chain and see if this is caused by wear on my existing chain. Any ideas or things I can check/do to alleviate this? I don’t think it’s causing issues per se but it bothers me LOL. Thanks in advance for your help.
OverjoyedBanana on
That’s how all freewheels work when no feet are placed on the pedals. Why is this an issue ?
ecjecj on
doesn’t happen on other bike bc the bottom bracket is tighter than yours. it is fairly normal if ur bb spins nice and freely
gallagher9992 on
Aye I had this issue as coming from a MTB this doesn’t happen, any how don’t worry about it you won’t even notice it once your feet are on. It’s never going to be completely frictionless
kickingrocks28 on
This is common with Dt Swiss ratchet style hubs. There’s just enough friction to keep the pedals going. You see the cranks eventually stop after a little bit but the wheel keeps spinning.
You could use less grease to reduce the friction but the hub will be louder when coasting. I wouldn’t stress it to be honest.
SnollyG on
Check the axle bearings?
MariachiArchery on
You have less friction between your bottom bracket and your cranks than you do in your freewheel. So, the cranks are spinning.
If anything, this is a good sign that your BB is installed correctly. I would be shocked if anything is actually wrong with your freewheel/hub. The DT Swiss systems, while not the best, are incredibly reliable.
Teras80 on
The less friction there is in the drive train, the more the cranks will turn “by themselves” as there is no force to counteract friction inside the wheel ratchet mechanism. You want to stop the pedals? Overtighten or add sand to the derailleur pulleys/chain.
Over_Pizza_2578 on
Bro discovered friction.
Seriously, the friction in your free hub is enough to turn your cranks. That also means that you BB is in good condition, nothing grindy or notchy things happening, as well as your chain.
garciakevz on
It’s probably a good thing if your crank is on is tight and spins so free it means more watt savings yeahh
Baldovsky on
Light crank, light cassette, nice spin in the bb and the hub has more friction than the rest = cranks spinning. Totally normal.
KillerJedi85 on
You are all awesome and have alleviated my concerns. Lots of great info here, thanks everyone!
Reasonable_Loquat874 on
Excessive free hub drag can be evidenced by chain drops/chain slack when you stop rotating the crank. The cassette will want to keep rotating and will push the top of the chain down towards the chain stay. This can cause dropped chains.
Unless you’re seeing that kind of issue, a little bit of drag on the free hub is normal.
Practical_Target_874 on
Change the gear. Biggest one in the back and smallest in front. It should stop it.
You probably have a fresh BB that offers very little resistance. Otherwise, only other issue is that you have a free hub that can be seizing up, but I’m leaning towards a low resistance BB
ebw2891 on
I recently cleaned the freehub of my Zipp wheelset and after reassembling it does this. I think I put too much grease somewhere on the pawls. I tried cleaning it once but still does it. Will likely try to clean it more at some point. I use DT Special Grease.
16 Comments
I don’t know where the text for my post went so here it is.
Hello All. I’m somewhat new to biking, I started last summer and I really enjoy working on my bikes myself and learning all the ins and outs or bike maintenance. I’m currently running into an issue where my cranks are spinning a bit when the rear wheel is free wheeling (See video). The rear wheel also moves slightly if I reverse the cranks. Below is what I’ve done so far. I’m looking for advice as to what might be causing this.
* Cleaned and re-greased the freehub with DT Swiss special grease.
* Removed the cranks, cleaned and greased with Phil waterproof grease.
* Removed the derailleur pulleys and cleaned them extensively with isopropyl alcohol, degreaser and finally soapy water. Lubed them up real good after cleaning (made sure extra lube was cleaned off)
* Cleaned the chain immaculately (I’m a nut job and clean my chain after almost every ride anyway but figured I’d give it a deep clean) Chain does have over 3k miles on it
* Put the rear wheel on another bike and the issue does not happen on that bike.
My next step is swap in a new chain and see if this is caused by wear on my existing chain. Any ideas or things I can check/do to alleviate this? I don’t think it’s causing issues per se but it bothers me LOL. Thanks in advance for your help.
That’s how all freewheels work when no feet are placed on the pedals. Why is this an issue ?
doesn’t happen on other bike bc the bottom bracket is tighter than yours. it is fairly normal if ur bb spins nice and freely
Aye I had this issue as coming from a MTB this doesn’t happen, any how don’t worry about it you won’t even notice it once your feet are on. It’s never going to be completely frictionless
This is common with Dt Swiss ratchet style hubs. There’s just enough friction to keep the pedals going. You see the cranks eventually stop after a little bit but the wheel keeps spinning.
You could use less grease to reduce the friction but the hub will be louder when coasting. I wouldn’t stress it to be honest.
Check the axle bearings?
You have less friction between your bottom bracket and your cranks than you do in your freewheel. So, the cranks are spinning.
If anything, this is a good sign that your BB is installed correctly. I would be shocked if anything is actually wrong with your freewheel/hub. The DT Swiss systems, while not the best, are incredibly reliable.
The less friction there is in the drive train, the more the cranks will turn “by themselves” as there is no force to counteract friction inside the wheel ratchet mechanism. You want to stop the pedals? Overtighten or add sand to the derailleur pulleys/chain.
Bro discovered friction.
Seriously, the friction in your free hub is enough to turn your cranks. That also means that you BB is in good condition, nothing grindy or notchy things happening, as well as your chain.
It’s probably a good thing if your crank is on is tight and spins so free it means more watt savings yeahh
Light crank, light cassette, nice spin in the bb and the hub has more friction than the rest = cranks spinning. Totally normal.
You are all awesome and have alleviated my concerns. Lots of great info here, thanks everyone!
Excessive free hub drag can be evidenced by chain drops/chain slack when you stop rotating the crank. The cassette will want to keep rotating and will push the top of the chain down towards the chain stay. This can cause dropped chains.
Unless you’re seeing that kind of issue, a little bit of drag on the free hub is normal.
Change the gear. Biggest one in the back and smallest in front. It should stop it.
You probably have a fresh BB that offers very little resistance. Otherwise, only other issue is that you have a free hub that can be seizing up, but I’m leaning towards a low resistance BB
I recently cleaned the freehub of my Zipp wheelset and after reassembling it does this. I think I put too much grease somewhere on the pawls. I tried cleaning it once but still does it. Will likely try to clean it more at some point. I use DT Special Grease.
It’s because it’s a canyon.