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My bike no longer “goes” when I pedal, happened while shifting gears…how to fix?
I bought a used mountain bike not that long ago, and today while riding I went to shift gears and all of a sudden pedaling had no resistance and the bike would no longer move forward when pedaled.
For reference, the bike is a Mt. Fury Roadmaster. Here’s a link to the wal-mart ad for it. I’m aware it’s not a great bike, but it’s what I was able to get on my poor college student budget.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=1977659
I’m open to fixing it myself, but if anyone could give me advice on what is wrong, how to fix it, or some good cycling resources online that could help me out, I’d appreciate it. I’m willing to get my hands dirty to keep my wheels working.
Thanks all!
Your bike has a 5-sp freewheel, something that hasn’t been a modern standard for 30 yrs. That’s not a knock at you or your bike, it’s just a fact that might be helpful when you consider your final solution.
The freewheel has “pawls” inside it which allow the wheel to coast when you’re not pedalling. When you pedal, the pawls engage the wheel’s hub and allow forward movement.
The pawls on your bike are either shot or malfunctioning. If they’re shot, there’s nothing you can do other than replace the freewheel. To do so, you’ll need to locate an acceptable freewheel (not exactly easy–remember this is old technology) and you’ll need a freewheel removal tool to remove it, and you’ll need a chainwhip to tighten the new freewheel onto the hub’s threads.
More likely, the pawls are gunked up with dried lubricant and dirt. You can sometimes work a bit of light oil into the freewheel innards, or you might need to get some wd40 in there first to loosen up and flush out some of the dried lube. Finicky guys will pull the freewheel, clean it well with solvent, then relube. Of course, this requires those tools, which you probably don’t have.
You’ll have to decide your best course of action. If you know of anyone that works on bikes, ask for their assistance with tools or actual help. Otherwise, you’re up against a wall here. The price of the tools and new freewheel (if necessary) is probably equal to the bike’s current market value.
Dalby Forest UCI MTB World Cup 2010
