freecoaster question

All coasters should be regreased after a week or 2 of use because of the little metal shavings from the clutch as it wears in. If you don't have enough grease or just have the factory crap in there, the ball bearings that hold the clutch in place will flat-spot and/or gouge the inside of the clutch so you end up with a few full cranks of slack before engagement. Even with enough good, thick grease, it will wear the balls/clutch over time but it will be a lot longer before you have to replace them than if you leave the factory crap in there.

It should be regreased every 6 months or thereabouts if you want it to last. I'd say he just doesn't know how to take it apart without damaging it.

Everything P1 said.

I made the mistake of waiting a little too long to grease mine after I got it, and after taking the bus daily for a month in the rain and putting my bike on the front made my hub rust shut. I wasn’t able to get my coaster open for about 6 months. I was eventually able to, and to my surprise everything was perfectly fine. Grease in there was just a bit old so I greased it for the first time. Still rides smooth.

My buddy hasn’t greased his coaster in about 2 years (he has the same one as mine, primo freemix pro) and it’s pretty fucked. It feels like garbage, and sometimes won’t engage at all. So just remember to grease your coaster a couple times a season.

His main reason was that if you put the axle in even a little bit crooked, it would fuck the little ball bearings. He also talked about how you could fuck up the springs under the ball bearings. His point is you risk messing up the hub everytime you disassemble it. He has a shop and has been taking them apart for ten years. He knows what he's doing.

Anthony Loves Subrosa wrote:

His main reason was that if you put the axle in even a little bit crooked, it would fuck the little ball bearings. He also talked about how you could fuck up the springs under the ball bearings. His point is you risk messing up the hub everytime you disassemble it. He has a shop and has been taking them apart for ten years. He knows what he's doing.

If that's what he's worried about, I'd be inclined to believe that he has no idea. You would have to be deaf, blind and rebuilding it behind your back with just your pinky toes in order to fuck it up. Use good tools, be careful, take your time and you'll never damage anything. I've been dealing with coasters for about 5 years now and have yet to break one taking it apart or putting it back together.

Alright thanks guys. I'll try to take it apart to clean and grease it in about a month. Anything i should be particularly weary about when i take it apart/ put it back together?

Anthony Loves Subrosa wrote:

Alright thanks guys. I'll try to take it apart to clean and grease it in about a month. Anything i should be particularly weary about when i take it apart/ put it back together?

Take pictures of how everything goes together as you take it apart so that it goes back together in the right order. Engage the coaster before you take the axle out, I find it keeps everything going out straight. Use a rubber mallet to take the axle out so that you don't damage the ends of your axle. Use a thick grease if possible, it'll keep it running nicely for longer.

p1p1092 wrote:

Take pictures of how everything goes together as you take it apart so that it goes back together in the right order. Engage the coaster before you take the axle out, I find it keeps everything going out straight. Use a rubber mallet to take the axle out so that you don't damage the ends of your axle. Use a thick grease if possible, it'll keep it running nicely for longer.

This. I'm lucky enough to own a Blind hub, so it's crazy simple, but do indeed take extra notice to put everything back the way it was.

Engage the coaster before hitting out the axle? So keep the driver in? I thought you were supposed to remove the driver, then remove the axle.

Anthony Loves Subrosa wrote:

Engage the coaster before hitting out the axle? So keep the driver in? I thought you were supposed to remove the driver, then remove the axle.

If you remove the driver first, there's nothing to guide the axle out straight meaning that you can cock the axle off to the side and damage the non-drive bearing or the bearing seat around it.

p1p1092 wrote:

If you remove the driver first, there's nothing to guide the axle out straight meaning that you can cock the axle off to the side and damage the non-drive bearing or the bearing seat around it.

Thanks, i didn't know that. Should i worry about the little ball bearings? Like mess up the springs? How do people mess up the springs?

Anthony Loves Subrosa wrote:

Thanks, i didn't know that. Should i worry about the little ball bearings? Like mess up the springs? How do people mess up the springs?

That's got me stumped... I have no idea how anyone would do that. I normally put some grease up the inside of the ball bearing holders and leave it. Just take care as you take them out and put them back in. The head is very small and usually pretty soft so if the spanner you use to take them off doesn't grab nicely, you can round them. Remember, righty tighty, lefty loosey. Also, the threads are usually hard to start straight so start them by hand and only use a spanner when you have them finger tight. Grease the threads on them while you have them out. You'll be glad you did if you ever have to replace them.

p1p1092 wrote:

That's got me stumped... I have no idea how anyone would do that. I normally put some grease up the inside of the ball bearing holders and leave it. Just take care as you take them out and put them back in. The head is very small and usually pretty soft so if the spanner you use to take them off doesn't grab nicely, you can round them. Remember, righty tighty, lefty loosey. Also, the threads are usually hard to start straight so start them by hand and only use a spanner when you have them finger tight. Grease the threads on them while you have them out. You'll be glad you did if you ever have to replace them.

Alright, thanks for the advice. Also when should i first take it apart for the break in period? I just got the hub today. I ride about 3 days a week.

Anthony Loves Subrosa wrote:

Alright, thanks for the advice. Also when should i first take it apart for the break in period? I just got the hub today. I ride about 3 days a week.

No bother man. I'd say after 2 weeks of riding, I have found that after about 2 weeks most of the initial wear has happened and what's left isn't enough to cause a problem for quite some time.

p1p1092 wrote:

No bother man. I'd say after 2 weeks of riding, I have found that after about 2 weeks most of the initial wear has happened and what's left isn't enough to cause a problem for quite some time.

Alright thanks. You were a real help. Im sure this thread will help out quite a few freecoaster newbies.

Anthony Loves Subrosa wrote:

Alright thanks. You were a real help. Im sure this thread will help out quite a few freecoaster newbies.

Again, no bother man. If you have any more questions, just post them up and I or someone else will answer them.

one more thing, when putting the axle back in do i keep the driver in so everything goes in straight?

Anthony Loves Subrosa wrote:

one more thing, when putting the axle back in do i keep the driver in so everything goes in straight?

Yeah, it'll keep the axle going in straight and hold the clutch in place. For obvious reasons, it's not a good idea to have a big chunk of hardened steel(the clutch) just floating around in the hub as you hammer your axle in .

Anthony Loves Subrosa wrote:

Alright thanks guys. I'll try to take it apart to clean and grease it in about a month. Anything i should be particularly weary about when i take it apart/ put it back together?

Watch NeedleMedia's tutorial on youtube, he shows how to do it and explains it pretty good

readybmxer wrote:

This. I'm lucky enough to own a Blind hub, so it's crazy simple, but do indeed take extra notice to put everything back the way it was.

that hub was nice when it worked felt good and all but the springs kept snapping. Been running my clutch coaster for about a year now and I havent touched it so all good for me