When both pedaling and coasting my back wheel sounds like loose ball bearings knocking together. Also when tugging at the wheel there is a bit of play even though the qr is tight.

There is no slip when pedaling and it still click, click, clicks when coasting like it should.

Don’t know much about this end of town, does this sound like a freehub problem?

More like the hub bearings if there is play in the rim.

Hope

Vertical play!. They are only a few hundred commuter miles old.

Buying not from a local shop can be a bugger.

In my experience, freehubs go very suddenly with no warning. Either they stop freewheeling, or the opposite, they just spin freely without turning the wheel. I’ve never noticed a sound beforehand.

Loose play sounds like a hub bearing issue.

This is exactly what happens when they need replacing:
“Either they stop freewheeling, or the opposite, they just spin freely without turning the wheel”
Tim

Last week mine was doing the odd “skip”. I thought maybe the middle ring/chain was worn, but then it just went and I was left scooting myself around Whinlatter!!

If it’s a Shimano, they often give a bit of advance warning with a rumble when freewheeling and also the kind of clicking you describe.

Last shagged freehub of mine didnt sound like anything – it just span both ways and all the bearings fell out through a crack in the case 🙂