Loud tick sound when pedaling, difficult to find source

Even if freewheel and the inner ring (also held in place by six phillips bolts) is removed the pawls are still not reachable - only bearing balls could be seen:

I guess a pin wrench is required for further disassembly.

You will be right.
Interesting that half of the teeth tips are gone :open_mouth:
How much kms (approximately) was this wheel in use?

~4000 km.

Here is a better photo:

New freewheel for comparison:

I also wanted to lubricate it (my strida looks like fixed gear bicycle when I walk it =)). I’ll post images of disassembled freewheel when I find a correct wrench.

Thank you, one_half_3544, the pics are really good, the difference between the worn out freewheel and the new one is clearly visible!

Hello one_half_3544

I guess it’s time for you to replace the freewheel because the belt might start popping up as seen in this post: [url]Photos of Stridas in Hong Kong]

In what kind of road conditions have you been riding your Strida to get so much wear: dust, salt, rain, mud? Or was the belt tension maybe too high?

An update, I tried to use some fine oil to get rid of the noise but it didn’t help.
I also started to notice a rythmical ticking, much faster than one freewheel turn.
I really think something is broken inside the freewheel.
I now also start to notice that when I set off the freewheel skips multiple times. I think the teeth inside the freewheel are worn out or even broken, so under high force it needs to ‘find’ the still good teeth (that can handle the force) to get going.

My explanation is maybe not clear, maybe somebody that understands it and has the proper technical terms can translate it.

I’m using my Strida SX now for 11 months (so still in warranty). Isn’t that a bit quick to wear out a freewheel?

My freewheel also looks like this, but I am quite certain the problem of the ticking and skipping is inside the freewheel, anyways it clearly needs replacing.

Supposedly there is no Strida shop near you where the freewheel could be changed (by way of trial, to have clarity)?

May I ask for how many kms your freewheel was used?

No no shop near. I have done approx 3000km.

Oh, f… :confused:

Would you be able to change the freewheel by yourself?

Hmm, 3000 km are not really much, I mean.

Picture of my freewheel I just took:
dl.dropbox.com/u/71046440/strida/IMAG0128.jpg

It doesn’t need any special tools no? Then I should be able to change it myself.

Thank you, good pic!

And yes, it does need a special tool:

Jump to tool T Strida workshop tool guide

or use this one:
http://www.parktool.com/product/freewheel-remover-FR-6

Usually the freewheel is tightened very hard!
(I’m going to write a small post for an easy removal procedure asap.)

Be careful when ordering/purchasing these tools, I’ve seen the Shimano tool in USA for over 78 $, while in Spain it was available for just 9,50 Euro (without shipping).
If you’re unable to find it for an acceptable price you might consider to pm me.

Please note also:

Well, it looks like even the aluminium freewheels don’t last long when the weather conditions are not good (the weather can be bad in Belgium):

  • The so called ‘improved sealing’ is inefficient: water and mud very soon penetrate the system and ruin the ratchet mechanism
  • The pulley surface quickly wears out with the abrasion effect: when riding in the rain, grit sticks to the belt and scours off the pulley surface

Blackstridaaustria, there are 2 items you could add to the list of suggestions to Ming:

  1. Improve the sealing of the freewheel mechanism (taking ‘dirt friendly’ MTB or BMX freewheels as a reference).

  2. Increase the surface hardness of the rear pulley to improve its wear resistance. It should last at least 10.000 km

It does not pop yet, but I have a spare freewheel ready. Belt does not seem to be affected by wear, so I guess there is no point in early replacement of freewheel.

Not salt - I have another bike for winter. Road dirt+rain is a perfect abrasive =(

I try to keep tension low, so it is unlikely.

I’m really thinking about attaching a used toothbrush head on the bottom tube where there’s a gap between the tube and the belt. This brush will sweep off grit in the belt teeth.

There are mild abrasions in the freewheel already and I’m seeing aluminum particles in the belt.

Good idea, but I think it would be better to tackle the problem at its source, namely prevent the grit to reach the belt.

The BMW F800S/ST does have a belt drive but with a quite big belt guard:

My proposal would be to put a mudguard extension on the front wheel (like the one available as Strida accessory) and to make a side extension on the rear mudguard to prevent muddy water to seep from the mudguard onto the belt.

But hell, this would make our beloved Strida very ugly :frowning:

That’s a better idea. I think the belt gets wet and gritty because of the drip and splash from the fenders.

This will be a definetely useful piece of accessory :slight_smile:

Bietrume is right.

I have put about 10K on my Strida 5.0 (with Schlumpf 2 speed added) riding daily to work. Always run the belt slack and adjust the snubber gap as Mark suggests.

HOWEVER - I have gone through the OEM plastic pulley in 0.8K, and 3 aluminium pulleys lasting only about 3K each. This renders the Strida into the toy category for the daily commute. Belts always fail about the same time, due to the knife-edged pulley chewing them up.

Contrast that with my previous belt experience on a Japanese Bridgestone Lacrosse full size bike. After 10K, driving to work on exactly the same route, the belt was original and the rear pulley original and no perceptible wear on either. The 3 main differences from the Strida were:

-Automatic belt tensioner (patented) inside the crank wheel. No snubbers here. Belt as slack as you like.
-Steel rear pulley, not plastic (!) or aluminum.
-12" height for pulley above road dirt, vs. 6" for Strida.