Deore lx rear hub problem

[Russ43]

Hi , I’ve recently converted a khs Montana pro to electric, unfortunately it’s finding all sorts of problems with the age of the bike , the rear hub is a deore lx , I’ve been out today and there is a random clunk from the hub when freewheeling, is it an easy job to rebuild the hub or am I better off buying a new rear wheel? Many thanks

 

[frkl]

While I can't condone the electric conversion , I have LX 563, i think, rear hubs on two wheel sets. On one of them, there is a stuck pawl, and instead of a consistent click click click while coasting, there is a click click clunk, something along those lines.

it is a relatively easy thing to replace the free hub part--axle out, 10mm hex into the free hub. Interchangeability is not 100% between Shimano hubs, nothing is with Shimano.

But you can swap in a used or new one and this will probably solve the problem.

I hate hub maintenance, so I have just lived with it. But eventually i will get around to fixing mine.

 

[Russ43]

While I can't condone the electric conversion , I have LX 563, i think, rear hubs on two wheel sets. On one of them, there is a stuck pawl, and instead of a consistent click click click while coasting, there is a click click clunk, something along those lines.

it is a relatively easy thing to replace the free hub part--axle out, 10mm hex into the free hub. Interchangeability is not 100% between Shimano hubs, nothing is with Shimano.

But you can swap in a used or new one and this will probably solve the problem.

I hate hub maintenance, so I have just lived with it. But eventually i will get around to fixing mine.

Thanks for your reply , what’s the worst thing that could happen if I don’t replace it ?

 

[frkl]

I'm honestly not sure. i don't perceive it as a safety critical problem in the state it currently is, unlike say a sketchy brake setup, but I might be missing something.

I suppose eventually the hub might slip because not all the pawls are engaging correctly, and if you are pedaling hard out of the saddle this could hurt.

However, if you are subjecting your hub to an electric motor level of strain (if you have installed a mid motor), this might be causing the freehub mech to fail. If this happens at speed, the bike would suddenly slow down, and you might keep going...

I don't like mid motors for this reason. Bike hubs were not originally designed for this sort of stress ...

 

[Russ43]

I'm honestly not sure. i don't perceive it as a safety critical problem in the state it currently is, unlike say a sketchy brake setup, but I might be missing something.

I suppose eventually the hub might slip because not all the pawls are engaging correctly, and if you are pedaling hard out of the saddle this could hurt.

However, if you are subjecting your hub to an electric motor level of strain (if you have installed a mid motor), this might be causing the freehub mech to fail. If this happens at speed, the bike would suddenly slow down, and you might keep going...

I don't like mid motors for this reason. Bike hubs were not originally designed for this sort of stress ...

Thanks

 

[CassidyAce]

Hi , I’ve recently converted a khs Montana pro to electric, unfortunately it’s finding all sorts of problems with the age of the bike , the rear hub is a deore lx , I’ve been out today and there is a random clunk from the hub when freewheeling, is it an easy job to rebuild the hub or am I better off buying a new rear wheel? Many thanks

Rebuilding the hub is not especially difficult. There are bound to be some good YouTube videos on how to do it. Just make sure that you don't lose any of the bearings. While you're doing it, perhaps try to get a little WD40 into the freehub: the grease can harden over time, causing the pawls to stick. If the bike is limited to 15.5mph, i.e. the legal limit for an e-bike, I'm not sure why it should matter that it's now an e-bike: 15.5mph is not an outstanding speed for bicycle. But I don't know how, exactly, it's all set up.

 

[frkl]

Rebuilding the hub is not especially difficult. There are bound to be some good YouTube videos on how to do it. Just make sure that you don't lose any of the bearings. While you're doing it, perhaps try to get a little WD40 into the freehub: the grease can harden over time, causing the pawls to stick. If the bike is limited to 15.5mph, i.e. the legal limit for an e-bike, I'm not sure why it should matter that it's now an e-bike: 15.5mph is not an outstanding speed for bicycle. But I don't know how, exactly, it's all set up.

It's not so much the speed but the strain on the hub from, eg, acceleration from standstill. With an electric assistant, this is far more than pedal power alone. Maintaining 25kmh is not the issue, it's going from 0 to 25.

But again, this is only an issue with mid motors. Hub motors, front of rear, avoid this issue. Although i'm sure they have quirks of their own...

 

[d8mok]

A good used rear wheel will be 20 quid. I wouldn’t mess about personally and I’d just hit FB classifieds and buy a wheel.

 

[CassidyAce]

A good used rear wheel will be 20 quid. I wouldn’t mess about personally and I’d just hit FB classifieds and buy a wheel.

And just bin what might be a perfectly good wheel that just needs servicing? If the problem is that ordinary hubs are unsuitable for the extra force, and accompanying acceleration, generated by the motor then what's to stop the problem reoccurring?

 

[Russ43]

And just bin what might be a perfectly good wheel that just needs servicing? If the problem is that ordinary hubs are unsuitable for the extra force, and accompanying acceleration, generated by the motor then what's to stop the problem reoccurring?

I was wondering exactly the same but there are so many conversions around I can’t believe that it would really cause that much damage !