Swapped the freehub from a Shimano to an XD driver on a Hope pro4 hub. Everything has been cleaned, greased and the little green plastic cack guard for the free hub seal is pressed fully into the hub body but the wheel doesn’t spin freely. I’ve had it apart a couple of times now and it’s doing my head in. It’s binding to the point where if the bike is upside down and you turn the cranks it doesn’t freewheel,the cranks just keep turning. It’s a new ish wheel so the bearings are fine. would be appreciated!

I’ve no real idea, but some drivers, cassettes and hubs need spacers behind them – is there one and have you missed putting it in?

Not that I can tell. My only thought is the little green cack guard needs a bit of a shove to slot in so whether that is slightly out of tolerance and is binding on the XD driver.

Is the cack guard definitely in the right way around? I’ve done that one as well!

Did you put the round spacer that sits between the freehub bearing and the hub shell bearing on the axle before putting the freehub back?

Might be stuck to the bottom of the shimano freehub if that makes no sense.

In my experience it’s one of two things –

1) The crack seal isn’t fitted/seated properly

2) The 1mm barrel spacer between the freehub and hub bearing is missing

HTH

Carlos

Hmmm, no, didn’t notice said spacer which means it could be the answer. I’m pretty sure I could see the hub shell bearing race which would imply it wasnt there.

Spacer is indeed stuck to the Shimano freehub. Thanks very much.

Hehe, I’ve fallen foul of the missing spacer before – and using grease that is too thick.

That’s a rarity for me – getting the diagnosis of a mechanical problem right first time!

Yep – spacer being stuck to a component that has been removed is something I’ve been befuddled by as well. But if you add in the special ‘keep it stuck until he picks it up to look, then release’ consistency of grease that my bike parts seem to be coated in, then you really are in for a treat.

See also parts that can defy the laws of physics and gain momentum from nothing when dropped – the number of things I have dropped from about eighteen inches up that then shoot off under things on the floor like a bullet never ceases to amaze me.

Also, with Hope Hubs I would err on the side of using lubricants/greases etc purely with a view to corrosion prevention rather than anything else. In my experience, hub wear is more often caused by gunked-up pawls and springs leading to poor engagement than lack of lubrication of the parts themselves. Run it as dry as you dare.

I don’t touch Hope stuff now but grease on the inside of the end caps used to have a dramatic effect on them.