Freewheel Broken and Questions
 

Hi bike is a 2012 Rocky Mountain Element

Just recently today my freewheel went.

I know its the freewheel as i can no longer pedal, and everything spins forward and no connection to rear wheel.

Anyhow in replacement of freewheel? do i also need to get a whole new hub? wheel rebuild too?
or can i just keep the existing hub attached and just replace freewheel directly.

also what type ? size of freewheel should i be looking for?
older 24 speed

Carbon fiber frame. thanks

From the literature/website, your bike is recent enough to have a cassette that mounts onto a freehub that is
part of the wheel hub. These are usually a replaceable item. You will need to identify the hub manufacturer
and check their website for options. Freehubs are in the $25-75 range. However it is quite possible that the
free hub can be fixed by dissassembly, clean and lube. They are not particularly complicated internally.
The freehub comes off the wheel hub without taking the entire hub out of the wheel.

Worst case scenario is that the gear like ratchets inside the wheel hub that the freehub pawls bear
against have broken or come loose, this would be obvious once the freehub is removed and would
necessitate a wheel rebuild with a new hub.

As sch ststed you have a freehub with a cassette. Your bike is 10 speed with a Shimano drive train. You will need a new Shimano 10 speed freehub. To replace the freehub, first you remove the cassette gear cluster from the free hub then take off the lock ring on the freehub and simply slide it off. I would check the teeth on the cassette and replace it along with the freehub while you are at it if it shows wear. Now having said that, it is a good idea to get a new chain too. It is not that hard to replace these items. I replaced these items recently on my Trek mountain bike. For the price it is not worth trying to overhaul the freehub, sounds like it is broken anyway.

should i try that first? just take it out and clean and lube it , and it might work again?

Yes, What do you have to lose?

Are you able to do this work? If you think you can, then go for it. My advice is to buy a replacement freehub body to have on hand in case you need to replace it one day or yours doesn’t get all the way back after you flush and lube.

If you can’t do the work, take the bike in to a bike shop and have a new one installed. He the older one back and then see if you can get them t to work again.

John

here is my progress 3 pics
 

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7991fcae2d.jpg
pics of hub when off
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8f6d2c877d.jpg
on the hub
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1238b97997.jpg
parts of the hub off
Hi there attached are 3 pics. i was able to get part of the free hub off, does this mean i should replace, what part should i just buy? the round metal part?

From the specs that I find you have a shimano freehub. You are going to need to overhaul the hub and flush out the freehub body and hope that it frees up. If not they are easy to find.

3 pictures above yes i should be able to do this job for sure, just i think i should just order a part as things are quite used
what would i be buying though for this fix? what else do i need to take off and replace from these photos? Thanks

this is recent pics
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...57198656f0.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4a562023cb.jpg

ok help here
i did clean the free hub
still spins forward

so must be done

now
can i remove the parts shown without buy a whole new hub?
suggestions please

Where is the spring for the pawl ?

spring broke off

No pawl springs will cause those issues , buy a new driver assembly..


maybe do more cleaning and service next time..

Maybe find a discarded freehub body (not necessary for it to be the same number of "speeds"/ sprockets/gears but must be same brand and preferably same year/vintage), and remove the pawls spring to reuse on yours.

No wonder it doesn't work.

i do have some older rear wheels hanging around, i might see if i can get them off

freehub parts generally do not transfer from one hub model to another. there are dozens hundreds of freehub designs. you might be able to rebuild the existing freehub with new parts to make it work again, but you'll need the parts made specifically for that hub model. if you need to replace the whole freehub, you'll need to find one that is made specifically for that DT Swiss hub. is that a X1800 hub? I can't read that sticker.

also: holy smokes, that is the dirtiest hub insides I have ever seen! preventative maintenance would have helped, but now you've hopefully learned that lesson.

yes this one i been using since 2012 the time i bought it, i think this could be first time i took the freehub off.

yes the hub is a DT Swiss Hub 1800

ok so what is my best course of action
should i just buy a whole new DT Swiss Hub 1800
or can i get the insides of it

or what do you all recommend
just get a whole new DT Swiss Hub 1800 and do the wheel rebuild?
thanks

just a question would
getting the DT 3 Pawl kit work
https://www.amazon.ca/Kit-cliquet-a%...=sports&sr=1-1

if i just got this and put it on the hub, would i be able it all to work again? from the photo i have, would it be possible for me to fix?

If you value your teeth and your testicles I would replace that freehub. I had a freewheel let loose on power stroke and ended up on the side of the road. I had no idea what happened. Two weeks later it let loose a second time when I tried to pull out in traffic. I trashed the entire wheel after that.

All that residue in your first picture was metal particles that ground away from the inside of the hub. There appears to be a good bit of rust as well. Seals must have failed and the lube washed out over time. Or maybe it has been underwater more than once? At any rate I would break out the jam cause that is completely toast

DT swiss replacement free hubs are available on line.
https://www.jensonusa.com/Freehub-Bodies?brand=DT+Swiss

Contact DT swiss product support and figure out what model you need for your particular hub. They have an excellent reputation, they will help.

Not sure what sort of preventative maintenance people are talking about. I have some pretty old freehubs that have never been apart. At the same time none of them have ever been submerged. That thing had to have been making some noise before it failed.

thanks a lot, actually the rear wheel was totally silent, before it went, use to make a healthy noise, in last few months it was silent.

maybe... can you post a picture of where the pawls engage? You'll need to first determine how much wear is there; the kit will be no good if there is excessive wear as to not allow the pawls full engagement (remember that only the tip of the pawls engage, so the "steps" of the ratchet must not be rounded). IMHHO, if it is rust what I see in the picture then that freehub had been abused; I'd get a new one.