Which freehub body?

There should be a model number on the hub, between the two rowa of spokes. Quote that to your bike shop for an axle kit and freehub body. 😉

What town are you in? I have an 8 speed MTB body here.

gclark8 said:

There should be a model number on the hub, between the two rowa of spokes. Quote that to your bike shop for an axle kit and freehub body. 😉

What town are you in? I have an 8 speed MTB body here.

I'm in Scandinavia, BTW. I ride in snow, ice and salty roads through the winter, and this is probably what's done for my freehub...Ah yes, it says 6061 T5. Does that mean anything in a wider sense, or is that specific to that manufacturer? (It says Ridgeback on the hub shell, too). I've ordered a set of bearings, cups and cones from Ebay, but I won't be plunging ahead with doing what I planned until i've got everything together, freehub body, cone wrenches, and anything else I might need. I don't want to replace the whole hub because i'm really quite new to this sort of thing, and this is the most involved sort of maintenance i've done, and I reckon changing the freehub body will be easier and cheaper. 🙂

6061-T5 is an aluminum material specification, not the model number.

I can feel a new back wheel commin on... :eek:

Sounds as if you have a non-standard aluminum (cheap) "Ridgeback" hub. As is hinted above, a complete new (or used) back wheel is the easiest way to go.

Huldra said:

Hi, My first post!
I have a Ridgeback MX35, which I use mostly for commuting. A couple of weeks ago, I found I couldn't back pedal without the chain falling slack, i.e. I couldn't backpedal! As soon as I got chance, I took off the back wheel and it turns out the freehub body was all seized up. I poured plenty of light oil through it, through the gaps in the lock ring on the cassette, and I got it turning again. The oil that came out the other end was very rust stained, and although it turns pretty well, it still sounds gritty and not very smooth in there (I took off the cassette). After reading around a bit, (thankyou Sheldon Brown and some other threads on this site!) and reading how freehub bodies are better replaced than serviced, I thought i'd probably get a new one. I emailed Ridgeback to get some more info on this, but they haven't got back to me (yet). My bike's about three years old. The only information i've got on the hub is that it's a formula double sealed. It's got a Shimano 8 speed cassette, which I think is an Acera (not quite sure on that, but I can find out when I can get my paws on the handbook again...). My plan is: replace the freehub body, and while i'm at it, change the bearings in the axle, since i've not done that before. My question is, which freehub body? Will any Shimano 8 speed freehub body do, or do I need something more specific? Does my repair plan sound okay? Any advice?
Thanks, Huldra.

Is the hub a Shimano hub or a "Formula" hub?

If it is a Shimano hub, then ALMOST any Shimano freehub body can be interchanged -- there are some differences ... some of the hubs (Acera?/others?) use a "7-speed" (?) freehub body which is about 5mm shorter.

Is it the axle turning in the hub that "sounds gritty" or the freehub body when you are turning it counter-clockwise? If it is the former AND if the hub is a Shimano, then you should clean & regrease the bearings.

Replacing a Shimano freehub body requires a 10mm Allen Wrench ... you need A LOT OF LEVERAGE ... I have used a 24" piece of copper pipe as a cheater bar (it's what I had/have that was/is handy -- the hub has to be laced to a rim to offset the leverage used in removing the "bolt" that holds the freehub body to the hub shell).

If it is NOT a Shimano hub, then there is as much chance as not that the freehub will simply slide away from hub body when you "remove" the axle OR axle's "stops" ... ALTERNATIVELY, the retaining bolt is accessed from the non-drive side on some hubs.

I think that ONLY Campagnolo's pawls are not "restrained" by a wire band, but without knowing, I recommend that you have the wheel above a large box/container just in case stuff (including, bearings) unexpectedly drops off the wheel/hub.

In addition to rebuilding the hub OR considering a new rear wheel, I would give consideration to using this moment in time to consider learning wheel building -- and, use this occasion to lace a new hub onto the rim -- a replacement freehub body generally costs the SAME as (or, more than !?!) a new hub. That is, it's actually cheaper to cannibalize a NEW hub for the components to rebuild an already laced hub rather than buy the freehub & bearings, separately. AGAIN, a Shimano hub has to be laced (it does NOT have to be a "complete" lacing) to remove the freehub body from the hub.

Well thanks for all the replies everybody. It's really helpful, sincerely, thanks for taking the time to respond. I had no idea that number was an aluminium spec, that's saved me from looking like a div in a bike shop! 🙄

I'm saying it's a formula hub, because people selling the same model give that as a spec. The bike itself came with a handbook that wasn't overly effusive on tech specs. Just about everything else on the bike seems to be Shimano, so I had hoped just to able to take off the body, pop a new one on....I'm pretty confident it's the freehub body that's making the gritty sound, rather than the axle, when I turn it.

Woah, wheel building, or relacing.... ooh, now i'm getting scared! Almost as scary as thinking about buying anew back wheel! But maybe learning wheelbuilding is the less scary option as far as my wallet is concerned :eek: !That's a whole new ball game to me, but I must say I had noticed the price of whole hubs, and it did make me think. I am also in favour of learning new things when the opportunity arises, so I'll definitely consider it. I really need to hear back from Ridgeback to get a definitive answer as to what sort of hub it is, I guess. I'll try them again, but in the meantime, if anyone raeding this happens to know what sort of hubs Ridgeback use on an MX 35, please do post! I really like my bike apart from this, missing riding it at the mo.🙁
Thanks everybody!

gclark8 said:

I can feel a new back wheel commin on... :eek:

Oh dear, so can I. 🙁

Still can't get any information on what hub it is, and the only advice i've got from a parts supplier is change the whole hub. Looking at the wheel, it's getting worn on the rims so i'm minded to get a new wheel. In the meantime I want to keep my bike rolling, so I have just poured oil through the freehub body, and what came out the other side was very silty indeed:p . It's quite loose, so i'm going to try and tighten it up - i'll need to take the axle off to do that, right?

One more thing...does anyone have any recommendations for a new back wheel around the £50/$100 range? Should I put my old cassette on the new wheel, it's got a few burrs on some of the teeth, or should I replace that too (plus the chain of course).
Cheers, Huldra

I suspect that you've just discovered why I like Shimano hubs. If it was my bike, I'd replace the back wheel with something that has a Shimano hub. You can keep your existing cassette. Most likely what you percieve as "burrs" actually shifting aids that are designed into the cogs.

Yes, i'm looking closely at wheels with shimano hubs...🙄
Upgrade time!
That's interesting about the 'burrs'. I'd read that there are shifting aids built into the design of some of the teeth, but I didn't know what they looked like. They look like very small areas of flattening and slightly splayed metal at the tip of some of the teeth, on my cassette, if that's them.

I've just got a reply from my bike's manufacturer. The freehub body I need is a WE0010. That's all the information I have. I've googled for it, and checked a couple of online stores, but so far i'm drawing a blank! I had hoped I wouldn't have to replace the back wheel, if I could get the part name/number, but now i've got the number, where do I get one? Does anyone have any ideas? It's either this or a new back wheel! :p Thanks, Huldra.