Discovered a trick for stubborn freehub bodies at a group ride in Portland

I was out on a group ride last summer in Portland and someone's rear wheel started skipping bad. We pulled over and this older guy just sprayed WD-40 into the freehub body and worked it in. I'd always thought you had to pull the whole thing apart, but that quick fix got it spinning smooth again. Has anyone else tried that or is there a better way to deal with sticky pawls?

2 comments

2 Comments

margaretj403d ago

Yeah that's a pretty standard trailside trick, I've done it more times than I can count. Just grab some WD-40 or even Tri-Flow, shoot it into where the cassette meets the hub body, then spin the wheel backwards and forwards to work it in. The gunk and old grease gets flushed out. It's not a permanent fix though, eventually you'll want to pull the freehub off and actually clean the pawls and springs with degreaser then regrease them lightly. The lube will attract dirt if you just keep spraying it.

emmam672d ago

Tri-Flow worked best for me, lasted months before I had to pull it apart.