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I bought a new chain and cassette for my road bike. The bike is about 10 years old from estimation (9 speed shimano). I assumed I replaced all the parts correctly, but now whenever I stop pedaling, I feel some resistance as the free wheel is not working correctly. At slow speeds, the cassette keeps spinning when I stop pedalling, albeit with less force than the wheel. The casette is then blocked by the chain which causes the chain to skip, making a lot of noise. If I put my bike upside down and turn the pedal backwards, the rear wheel starts rotating backwards as well.

I've googled and the only suggestions I've found are about servicing the freehub part in the wheel. However, I never had a single problem with this, and the first moment I rode after replacing the chain and cassette, it started happening. Therefore it would be very coincidental if it is not related to the new casette. Any pointers?

EDIT: here are two videos I made, with the first showing that the wheel and casette are connected when the cassette is not turning or turning backwards, and the second showing the range in which I can turn the cassette.

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  • Just a comment for clarity: you mean freehub, not freewheel. The latter is a complete set of cogs and a pawl mechanism. It threads on to a hub. You referenced a cassette, which is just the cogs. You slide a cassette onto your freehub body.
    – Weiwen Ng
    Commented Sep 15, 2019 at 18:51
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    You fitted a new 9 speed cassette - perhaps your freehub needs spacers? When you pulled the old cassette off, were there any spacers behind the cassette, next to the spokes?
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Sep 15, 2019 at 19:31
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    If you remove rear wheel from bike, does the cassette turn by hand freely or is it gummy-feeling?
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Sep 15, 2019 at 19:32
  • I've added two videos which may explain my situation better
    – Maarten
    Commented Sep 17, 2019 at 15:15

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You're on the right track with your Googling; the mechanism which disengages the drive when you pedal backwards (or coast) is plainly not working as it should. That is independent of the newness of the cassette or chain.

If you don't want to get into dismantling the freehub to clean and lube the pawls just yet, you could try your new parts with a known good wheel and see whether the problem goes away. If the problem disappears then you know it is worthwhile to overhaul your freehub.

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  • Thanks, I'll try that and get back
    – Maarten
    Commented Sep 16, 2019 at 10:53

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