Bicycle Fault...Please help

fender

A mountain bike I was goven has a fault whereby the pedals still rotate when you push it. They should just stay still.

Any idea what needs doing?

Thanks.

:money::money::money:

big_gay_kirk

put some oil on the freewheel assembly.....thats on the back wheel, in the middle of the cogs..... its possibly sticking..... however, remmeber that some bikes (notably bmxs and older bikes) may have a fixed sprocket on the rear wheel, enabling them to be pedalled in reverse... doubt if yours would have this set up though... if the oil doesn't work, disassemble the freewheel, give it a good clean in petrol or parafin, regrease, re assemble, and it should work.....

goldspanners

the sprockets on the rear wheel i think.

fender

I think you are right. It is a Raleigh, probably about 6 yrs old.

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

The pawls inside the freehub aren't springing back into position. They're what make the 'clickclickclick' sound you normally get as you're freewheeling.

Take the rear wheel to a local bike shop and have them install a new freehub. Probably cost you no more than £30. If its a Mavic hub it'll just want servicing, no more than a tenner.

big_gay_kirk

even cheaper to do it yourself.....

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

Only if you have the tools and experience, which most people do not.

big_gay_kirk

true.. but best way to get experience is to try..... but then i fixed my first freewheel when i was about ten.... while building a bike from parts scavenged from the local tip... thirty years later, i still have that bike... and it still oes like a dream.....

BillScarab

You can only get experience by having a go.

Get a copy of The Bike Book by Haynes. It's an excellent guide to repairing bikes. The Park Tool website also has lots of useful info.

If you do decide to take it to a shop I'd get them to give it a full service. It could probably do with things like new cables and brake shoes and everything adjusting and lubricating anyway.

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

Considering you can't buy Shimano freehub parts (the most common hub in use), I wouldn't even try. Mud and water will have gotten to the pawls. That means the seals have gone, so you'll need new seals. As well as grease. You'll need cone spanners (and they're not cheap) as well as a large allen key.

Frankly it isn't worth the effort on a cheap bike, when a LBS can do it in an hour for a tenner.

GT60

Give the cog and bike a good spray with a jet wash or hose pipe to clean the dirt away then:
Try spraying W40 in the cog first the bit between the frame and the counter sunk bit of the cog and if this free's it of put a squirt of oil in there and let it soak it and turn the cog at the same time.