morfeeis

I have a set of Easton EA90 SLX and after i had the bearings replaced by the local shop my wheel no longer clicks when free spinning. i was told it's normal but i miss the click, will this have any long term effects on the wheel and is there anything i can do to get the click back?

dabac

Description doesn't make sense.
The clicks come from the pawls in the ratchet mechanism that allows the wheel to both drive and coast. Although details differ depending on hub design, bearings and pawls are different parts.
Only reason why a bearing replacement should influence clicking is if the shop also added grease to the ratchet mechanism.
The way to get the click back would be to pull the freehub apart and remove excess grease.

morfeeis

OK, that makes sense, thanks for the info. so they may have packed the hub with too much grease thus not allowing the ratchet mechanism to move freely? could this cause a problem for the hub or is a lot of grease a good thing?

FBinNY 

If a thin film of grease is simply muffling the clicks by providing a "soft landing" as the pawls spring open, then it's fine. OTOH 0 excess or overly thick grease can bind pawls in the retracted position, or fill the ratchet ring and keep the pawls from opening fully. That will cause slippage, usually first noticed when starting to pedal after coasting.

You can't tell from the outside, so I'd leave it as is and ride, and as long as there were no issues save for the silence, continue enjoying the quiet because odds are it'll be gone soon enough, and most of the grease migrates out of the way.

dabac

If the pawls weren't moving freely, they wouldn't engage. The wheel wouldn't drive.
You might just have a tad too much, enough to damp out the metal-on-metal clatter you heard before.
As long as the wheel engages as it should there isn't much immediate benefit from cleaning it out.
Depending on type of grease, excess amount can cause the wheel to fail to engage when weather turns colder and grease become stiffer.

Sometimes, riding more will force the excess out/away.

I like to start with a clicking wheel. For Shimano, I know that when it goes quiet, it's time for a clean.

morfeeis

Thanks guys...

Moe Zhoost

If you miss it that much, perhaps you can get Terry Gilliam to ride behind you and make the noise.

FBinNY 

There's no reason to pay Terry G. to follow you.

BobbyG

A few years ago I repacked the bearings in the rear hub of my 1997 Niskiki mountain bike commuter. After 16 years or so the grease looked horrible. I cleaned a little in there and added new grease...probably too much. Anyway, just as with you the clicking went away. But I was happy with that. Four years later still no click, and the wheel still rolls great. No slippage, works great. My 2015 Charge Plug was silent from the get go. And my 83 Nishiki road bike clicks quietly.

Homebrew01

And if you ride with others, they'll appreciate the quiet too.

FBinNY 

It's nice to see you post. You were more active before becoming a mod, and I miss your presence here.

Moe Zhoost

Sort of a side track: One of my bikes has a Sturmey Archer 2 speed hub that you switch gears by slight backwards pedaling. In high gear, the pawl ratcheting noise is so pronounced that when I ride on MUPs it serves as a warning to those I approach from behind. I noticed that folks reacted to this noise so now I purposely shift. One time another cyclist asked me if I had a special warning system.

Also useful for determining that I am in low gear when I coast to a stop.

Homebrew01

Thanks.... Several factors. Part being a mod, part being a mod on another very busy forum.
And, by the time I'm ready to post, you and a few others have given good replies, so not much left for me to add !

scott967

I slapped some grease on my pawls when I was in my rear hub a while back, now enjoying the silent (relative) running. You can always clothespin some baseball cards to your seat stays if you miss the racket.

scott s.
.

TenSpeedV2

I am in the 0.1% that loves the sound of a loud hub, in fact, the louder the better. Currently have Chris King's on my SS mtb/commuter and they are not loud enough. Had some Hope Pro II's on my full suspension mountain bike that I sold a few years ago, now that was loud!

Scarbo

I find this to be an elegant yet cost-effective solution to your problem.

kickstart

I don't care about sound, but I do want both optimal function and protection so I use #00 spindle grease rather than #2 wheel bearing grease on serviceable units. Being significantly thinner it makes for louder clicking, you'd like it.

Scarbo

My Fulcrum hubs are loud. When I first got them they annoyed me with their volume. But there are advantages. Like when you ride on a mup, you just ease off from pedaling a bit and people can hear you coming, hence, there is no longer any need to try to modulate between a, perhaps, too feeble an on your left or a too-imperious Stand aside!