Wonky freewheel issues

[minor_LEGEND]

I have a repair job in at the moment. It's a budget Apollo hybrid bike with a 6 speed freewheel setup on the rear. When I spin up the back wheel it is evident the freewheel oscillates as the wheel turns. The owner complains of poor indexing/gear selection which I think is related to the freewheel wandering from side to side & not maintaining a position relative to the rear mech.
My inclination is that the threads on the hub for the freewheel are not square, causing the swivelling oscillations of the cogs. Has anyone encountered this?
It could be the freewheel also, not had a really good look yet but overall I think this is cheap parts in effect. (Twistgrip shifter also not helping the customers experience with indexed gears either)

 

[novocaine]

they all do that don't they? it's because the threads in the free wheel, mated to the threads in the hub with the wobble in the bearing and the wobble in the cogs.

suggest you look at B tension and condition of the teeth rather than running down this rabbit hole that is unlikely to the issue. there is enough slack in the derailleur to allow for this movement.

 

[minor_LEGEND]

Yes I've seen the wobble on many bikes in the past, this one is quite bad & the bike is more or less new in terms of condition/drive train wear etc.
I've had it in for a check over in the past which is why it has come back for further attention as the gear indexing will not play ball. I am going to throw on a decent quality replacement chain to see if that helps but otherwise I fear better quality wheel/freewheel is what is necessary.

 

[bikeworkshop]

Cheap wheels have poor freewheel thread alignment.
Cheap freewheels have poor axial alignment.
The cheapest parts, like halfords use for apollo, will be right on the boundary of usable.

If you use the pedals to turn the wheel forward, the wobble visible is the thread on the hub.

If you back-pedal with the wheel stationary, the wobble is the freewheel assembly.

If you spin the wheel and let it freewheel, youre looking at both.

One might be ok.

You can't buy parts this low quality trade.

 

[minor_LEGEND]

/\ As I thought @bikeworkshop
Might be best just to bung a cassette on it, though that means going 7sp, possibly a spacer, maybe a new shift lever..........

Cheap tat! I used to work in the trade, kinda forgotten all this.

 

[bikeworkshop]

It's not cheap to fix a cheap bike, contrary to the owner's (frequent) expectation

 

[Mace4130]

It’s unfortunately a common thing with cheap freewheels.
I always use genuine Shimano ones as replacements, but if the hub threads are not perfect, you still get the movement, although it will help a huge amount, as long as the rest of the drivetrain is not worn, or non-Shimano parts.

 

[minor_LEGEND]

It's not cheap to fix a cheap bike, contrary to the owner's (frequent) expectation

A great quote I can imagine I will use in the future!