iron city in oakland or thick on the south side would be my first two choices from friendship. excellent mechanics at both and neither will try to sell you things you don't need.
2012-04-26 02:46:00
8
Can't apply torque to rear wheel
My fiance just bought me a Schwinn road bike which I've been riding to work for only a few days. It's been okay, but sometimes the cranks briefly turns without any resistance. This happens most often when biking uphill. Tonight, this happened and it never stopped. When I turn the cranks, the chain and freewheel turn, but the rear wheel does not.
As far as I can tell, this sounds like it is a problem in the freewheel or hub. Is there anything I can potentially do to fix this? I don't have any bicycle specific tools yet. If not, where should I go? I live in Friendship.
Thanks!
2012-04-26 02:42:14
If it's a brand new bike I would take it back to where you bought it and they should fix it for free IMHO. If it's a used bike, cburch's recomendations are good ones. Ask questions though. Sometimes it's cheaper to buy a new wheel than to fix an old one unless it's a high-end component that you want to save. It's always a tradeoff between $ and quality.
2012-04-26 02:56:22
You most likely need a new freewheel. You could try flushing out the grease but it is only a matter of time until it needs replaced anyway.
Most likely it will need a chain as well. Unless it has never been ridden. New freewheels and worn chains do not get along.
2012-04-26 04:13:34
It could be the freewheel, if it's old tech, or the freehub, if it's newer, failing to engage. In either case, not something an inexperienced home mechanic could deal with. See recommendations above, Iron City or Thick bikes, ++.
2012-04-26 10:42:15
The pawls are not catching in the freewheel. This is likely due to grease buildup or some other damage. It's a pretty straightforward thing to replace the freewheel. You can do it for very little money at FreeRide, or go to one of the mechanics mentioned.
2012-04-26 13:06:48
You could also try Kraynick's. Aside from free ride, it's probably your cheapest option, and it's right on Penn, down from Spak just a bit.
2012-04-26 20:01:28
Yes, I love Kraynick's. Every Pittsburgh bicyclist should go there at least once, for the experience.
2012-04-26 20:11:19