Pedals turn when pushing bike

I’ve noticed recently that the crank arms / pedals keep turning when I’m pushing the bike. I don’t recall this having been the case before. Does this indicate a freewheel problem?

Curiously, however, the pedals don’t seem to turn (well, maybe there is some slight movement) when the bike is folded and I push it! This is not due to obstruction by the luggage rack, by the way.

After you’ve been using your Strida for a period of time, the freewheel becomes not as smooth as before. You can improve the situation by disassembling, cleaning and re-lubricating the freewheel component.
In case you have a Strida 3, you have to disassemble the BB of the bike as well.

It is because the crank arms with folded padels have a bigger torque than those with unfolded padels. You can experiment on an unfolded Strida by only folding the pedals and see what happens when you’re pushing the bike. :slight_smile:

Thanks Amuro, great answer! Well, luckily I have a Strida 5, so I guess I don’t have to disassemble the BB as well.

Oh, and I should add that the problem seems to have gone away for now. Maybe some debris?

My pedals also turn when I push the folded bike. Not a problem as such, however the right one keeps hitting the corner of the luggage rack, which rather annoying. I have a 5.2.
Any advice please?
Thanks
Max

My wife’s Strida 5 doesn’t have this problem. However, my Strida DS has this issue from Day 1.

The newer all alloy rear freewheel seems to have slightly more friction when it is new. I think this is due to the extra sealing it has to keep out bad weather. This is very slight and does not have any effect when pedalling. I got one of these as a replacement and now after a few months use it has freed up a lot.

When folded, if the rack is fitted, the bike can only be pushed forward (as backwards the freewheel engages, and turns the crank … solidly). Forwards the cranks can turn, but only a bit, before the freewheel kicks in an does its job.