No drive

[Pale Rider]

I came across a rider whose bike had broken yesterday, and while the moment has now passed, I'm curious to know the fix for his problem.

The bike had no drive when pedalled - the cassette was spinning freely, but the wheel was not turning.

The spinning cassette was making a gentle ticking noise and still appeared properly fixed to the wheel.

What had broken, and what's involved in the repair?

 

[Rob3rt]

Pawls in the freehub seized or broken most likely.

 

[Pale Rider]

Pawls in the freehub seized or broken most likely.

Thanks.

The rider said he had had problems intermittently for the last few weeks.

Nothing I could do to help him, but I now wonder if shocking the cassette by bouncing the wheel might have caused the pawls to drop back in.

 

[accountantpete]

The pawls are on a spring which is tensioned when they are pressed down (by pedalling backwards or coasting).

They should therefore spring back up again and engage when you pedal unless A) the spring has broken or b) the gunge in the freehub has soldified and is stronger than the spring.

 

[PpPete]

Thanks.
The rider said he had had problems intermittently for the last few weeks.

He's a muppet for not attending to it sooner then.

Nothing I could do to help him, but I now wonder if shocking the cassette by bouncing the wheel might have caused the pawls to drop back in.

It might.
The other classical roadside "repair" is to p1ss on it. The theory being that the heat softens up the sticky grease enough to let the pawls move. TBH this was more likely to work with old skool freewheels than modern freehubs, but if all else fails....