ejism

Hello again. I just re-lubed front and rear bearings. Low mileage on bike (less than (500 miles). Bearings were a little dry, but overall in good shape. Only thing is the bike no longer clicks when coasting. Both tires spin freely and all was good on test drive, just no clicking from back hub. Grease used was ParkTool PPL--1.

1995 Trek MultiTrack 750
Original owner
Shimano Drive train

thanks

KerryIrons

The clicking comes from the pawls in the freehub. You probably got some grease on the pawls so they have become quiet. As long as you get full engagement, no worries. It's possible that you might have engagement problems in cold weather as the grease gets stiff.

ejism

Yeah, I kinda overdid it when applying the grease. Even though everything seems to be okay, I'll break it down one more time just to be on the safe side.
Thanks for the reply.

Rolla

I'd expect the freewheel click to gradually return, but perhaps not to the same volume level as before.

ejism

Just finished cleaning out excessive grease. You're right. Some clicking has returned, but still pretty quiet. No worries.
thanks

KerryIrons

For future reference, you might add a little oil to the pawls. It will mix with the grease and give you a durable lube with a lower viscosity so no worries about cold weather thickening but still pretty quiet. I've been doing this since the 1990s with great success.

BlazingPedals

I've noted that the higher-quality freewheels and freehubs always make the most noise. Shimano, OTOH, are generally the quietest. There's a lesson there somewhere.

Ironfish653

In the 6-7-8 transition era, freewheels were a lot more common on mid range bikes. Freewheels click, so Shimano made their 600 cassette hubs (and the 105, RSX, and RX-100 that followed) very quiet, so that you’d know by the sound (or lack of) that it was a cassette hub, and not a lower-level freewheel bike.

Modern era, and loud clicking, “buzzy” hubs are the “high performance” sound signature, much like the exhaust note on a sporty car.