XT freehub wear

[graham bowers]

I was giving my touring a bike a good clean today, its done 1800 road miles since I got it new in early Feb so 3 1/2 months. I noticed the cassette is a bit wobbly and wondered if this was normal after the work it has done. It has hardly been out in the wet and I'm a sit and spin sort of bloke.

Opinions sought please?

View: https://youtu.be/DTLfSNIbqGY

 

[I like Skol]

What model is it (I know XT but which series)? It doesn't look too worrying to me, or like the lockring is loose (but always worth checking). Give me a couple of minutes, I have a couple of XT rears with varying mileage on them, I will just run down to the shed and check......

 

[psmiffy]

I had that when I put mine back on after cleaning it last week - solved by finding a spacer on the floor that had somehow become separated - the whole cassette is like a handful of meccano

 

[I like Skol]

Hmmmm.... Maybe yours have a bit more play than mine but difficult to tell because mine had a chain on. Is it smooth and working ok? Definitely try nipping up the lock ring as first port of call.

Possible causes are;

• faulty/worn freehub.
• cassette loose on freehub (loose lockring or wrong spacing/compatibility issue).
• freehub loose on hub. This is a hub stripdown job to correct and requires the axle out to fix/check.

Alternatively, there is just a lot of play in the freehub and it will continue to run like that for years to come? How was it when new? As this is under warranty? I would get in touch with the supplier and see what they say.

 

[bikingdad90]

Looks like too much play to me left to right. If you have taken the cassette off, did you remember to put the spacer if it has one back on or tighten the lock ring.

If it also move up and down, I would be concerned about a worn hub.

 

[Salty seadog]

I've read a post on here, I think @Yellow Saddle explaining that rear cassettes do have an amount of lateral play as part of their operation.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I've read a post on here, I think @Yellow Saddle explaining that rear cassettes do have an amount of lateral play as part of their operation.

Something like that but not quite.

I probably said that freehubs (cassette hubs) and particularly freewheels do display a bit of wobble when freewheeling.
However, this looks like a real problem. My guess is that the axle is broken. I hope that my superficial diagnostic is wrong, for the OP's sake.
OP - what is the model number on the hub? You'll find a FH-7XXX type number printed on the hub between the two spoke flanges.

Edit: My broken axle hypothesis was a brainfart. Ignore it. The video clearly show a wobbly freehub, not a wobbly axle, which was a problem with some of the fat aluminium axles. You will need, I think a 14mm allan key, to remove that freehub and that is not found on the average multi-tool or even well-equipped garaged.

 

[graham bowers]

Great responses, thanks.

Replies:

Series marking is FH T780, I hadn't moved the garmin speed sensor enough.

It is smooth and working OK, I discovered the characteristic as I was cleaning the bike with the back wheel off and not as part as a fault investigation.

When I took the original video I hadn't got any tools out. I have since checked the lockring and it was tight. I got my chainwhip out, removed the lockring and pulled the cassette off.

The freehub is tight on the hub, the play is taking place across the bearings of the freehub as can be seen in the second video below. Whether this is excessive of not is what I'm seeking opinions on. My brother has the same bike and same age so I'll get him to check as well. I'm more interested in reliability than chasing warranty to be honest.

Axle seems fine, there is no play on the wheel bearings and everything is smooth. Just the play on the freehub to bother me.

View: https://youtu.be/FQUd7s4Q6K0


Its a long time since I replaced a freehub but the ones I have changed were all on mtb's that had been caned in sandy conditions.

Oh, and I'll check some of my clubmates bikes on Thursday - they are mostly on tourers too.

 

[graham bowers]

Well, my brother's is similarly wobbly and checking at my club today, I found better, similar and worse. Because the freehub rotates smoothly I'm going to monitor it over time and see how it goes. Generally, I've found once sealed bearings wear to the point the seal can no longer keep muck out, things tend to go downhill very quickly.