excessive freewheel friction?

[broglet]

I have bought a new Trek 7.2fx whose pedals turn when I push the bike. When I'm riding the bike and keep the pedals still the freewheel makes a loud 'ticking' sound. Is this a fault or is it simply because the bike is new? The rear hub is a shimano fh rm30 8-speed.

[Si]

if the pedals are turned by the rear wheel when it' going forward then it sounds like there is a problem with the rear hub - maybe too much or the wrong kind of grease, maybe the paws in the freehub sticking, etc. If it's new then you are best off taking it back to the shop and letting them have a look.

the ticking sound then you keep the pedals still is OK (unless you've a silent clutch version) as it's just the paws clicking on the ratchet in the freehub.

[CREPELLO]

Excessive freewheel friction usually shows itself if when you are coasting you turn the pedals back a bit, in a normal fashion and the chain goes slack and bounces on the chainstay. That's what's just happened with my Cheviot, so I'll be having a go at lubing the freehub. By the way, they are not easily serviceable - occasional lubrication (with thick oil) is the best that most cyclists can do. Some brave folks with the right (expensive) tool will service them though.

[thirdcrank]

I think there's a big difference between a new bike and an old one, where it's often a sign of terminal neglect.

I'm not so sure that a bit of freewheel drag is all that uncommon on new bikes and if it freewheeled OK I'd be OK too. There are big differences in ticking between different makes. The problem here is that if you are not sure, you will never enjoy your cycling till somebody in the know offers a bit of reassurance. Unfortunately, depending on the shop, if you take it back they are likely to assure you that it will 'run itself in' or similar. Unless you are confident you will get a staright tale from the shop, you might benefit from making contact with an experienced local cyclist who would tell you if you had a duff freewheel.

[reohn2]

Broglet
As Si ays its better to take it back to the shop and inform them of the problem.

Crepello
Freehubs are easy to lubricate,if you've not done it before,after stripping and removing the axle/bearings etc,remove the freehub from the hub with an 8mm allen key then carefully remove the rubber oil seal from the back of the free hub(where it mates with the hub) and either oil it or I use squirty grease from an aerosol can,it revives freehubs very well .

[CREPELLO]

Crepello
Freehubs are easy to lubricate,if you've not done it before,after stripping and removing the axle/bearings etc,remove the freehub from the hub with an 8mm allen key then carefully remove the rubber oil seal from the back of the free hub(where it mates with the hub) and either oil it or I use squirty grease from an aerosol can,it revives freehubs very well .

Ummm, I didn't say they weren't easy to lube, but difficult to service because of the expensive tool required to disemble in order to examine and rectify any damage.

[tatanab]

This could be as simple as just the oil seals on the bearings dragging, a penalty for the modern obsession with everything being sealed. It does not matter because these bearings and seals only rotate when you are freewheeling, so there is no additional drag when pedalling. As stated above, in extreme cases the top run of the chain can run a bit slack when freewheeling. Answer is obvious - don't freewheel

[reohn2]

Crepello
Freehubs are easy to lubricate,if you've not done it before,after stripping and removing the axle/bearings etc,remove the freehub from the hub with an 8mm allen key then carefully remove the rubber oil seal from the back of the free hub(where it mates with the hub) and either oil it or I use squirty grease from an aerosol can,it revives freehubs very well .

Ummm, I didn't say they weren't easy to lube, but difficult to service because of the expensive tool required to disemble in order to examine and rectify any damage.

Just trying to help!

[broglet]

Thanks for all your answers - next stop will be to ask the shop!