Panasonic Villager II Front freewheel crank wobbling
09-03-21, 09:28 AM
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Panasonic Villager II Front freewheel crank wobbling
Hi, I have an old Panasonic Villager II and the front freewheel crank started wobbling suddenly when freewheeling a few days ago. I looked very carefully but was not able to identify the cause of the problem. Any idea of what I shouls do? Thank you.
09-03-21, 10:05 AM
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1 piece crank on that or 3 piece? FFS came in both types. Being a Panasonic I'd guess 3 piece.
https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-m...-crankset.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-m...-crankset.html
09-03-21, 10:34 AM
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You need to separate the chainring rotation, on the crank axle from that of the crank axle in the frame shell as you look at the system. It's very possible that the BB axle/shell bearings only need servicing (clean, lube and adjust.) (Which, BTW, should be done every few years or few thousand miles). It's possible that the rings' bearings WRT the rest of the crankset, are wearing and need work. Do understand that these parts have not been made for many years and if need replacement might prove to be hard to find (and buying an old bike with the same parts for spares is not wrong). Should it become needed to replace the entire crankset/rings with a more common Non FFS version you can but also replace the freewheel (and thus chain too) so you can retain the ability to coast. Andy
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09-03-21, 04:56 PM
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09-03-21, 05:47 PM
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No...Oh it's a joke
Really the FFS freewheel has a high threshold of "reverse chain tension" before it's individual cogs will, sort of, freewheel on the core. This is Shimano's safety as a default design so no one who is tor clipped in will break an ankle. But the amount of chain wrap up before this cog slippage happens is quite high and can be disconcerting for the unaware. If one removes the freely (pun) coasting FFS crank then one really should also replace the FFS (non)freewheeling cog set. Andy (who has done this more then a few times on repairs over the decades)
Really the FFS freewheel has a high threshold of "reverse chain tension" before it's individual cogs will, sort of, freewheel on the core. This is Shimano's safety as a default design so no one who is tor clipped in will break an ankle. But the amount of chain wrap up before this cog slippage happens is quite high and can be disconcerting for the unaware. If one removes the freely (pun) coasting FFS crank then one really should also replace the FFS (non)freewheeling cog set. Andy (who has done this more then a few times on repairs over the decades)
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09-03-21, 06:16 PM
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I've worked on a couple, but until your post it didn't occur to me about losing the ability to "coast" if you changed the crank. Granted if you keep your feet on the pedals my experience was the resistance of the FW wasn't that strong but the backup of the chain until it overcomes the friction could cause a WTF moment.
