Slowing down hill!!!

[lex_achter]

I'm pretty new to cycling and am getting prepared to go on my second RAGBRAI. I noticed that I seem to slow down as I go down hill. I know I'm over exerting myself by having to pedal down hill to keep up pace but I'm not sure what is causing it. I checked my brakes and they don't seem to be holding me back but I'm not sure what else to look for.

Any idea or remedies?

[Cataboo]

what are you riding?

I tend to pick up speed going down hill whether or not I'm pedaling or not.

IF you stop pedaling and cost down the hill do you still slow down?

Try making yourself more aerodynamic & bend forward... I'm pretty upright on my commuter with thick tires (700x28's) and that's the only bike that I don't really gain much speed on downhill.

[wildeny]

lex_achter, I like your avatar. :)

I cannot understand why you'd slow down when going downhills. :confused: Without pedaling & on a long slope, I could go up 50+ if I don't apply the brakes. And you said the problem wasn't because of the brakes against the rims, so ... that's really strange.

You may need to give us more details about your position and bike (tires) so that we can know what's wrong.

[Grog]

Maybe gravity works the other way in Kentucky?

Have you noticed going faster-than-expected up hills?

p.s. Just kidding.

[aicabsolut]

This only happens to me when I have a horrible headwind (strong enough to beat gravity).

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Maybe gravity works the other way in Kentucky?

Have you noticed going faster-than-expected up hills?

p.s. Just kidding.

Yeah, like maybe you are sitting backwards on your bike and you're really going uphill? :confused: :cool:

I just don't get it!

[madscot13]

like really slowing down or not going as fast as others going down hill around you?

[lex_achter]

Yeah, I'm totaly not gaining or keeping my speed as I coast down hill. Its really strange and is confusing the hell out of me.

I've got a light weight Trek 7.2FX "hybrid" with 700x35 tires. I'm not normally upright unless I'm just cruising around town with friends.

It wouldn't be so bad if I just maintained speed but I get to the bottom of the hill and I might as well be stopped.

I'm starting to think my gears are rubbing my back tire, but I'm as ignorant as they come when talking about gear maintnence. So I'm not sure what to do.

[lex_achter]

Maybe gravity works the other way in Kentucky?

Have you noticed going faster-than-expected up hills?

p.s. Just kidding.

Nope but that would be crazy cool!

[DebW]

Does your cassette freewheel easily? If not, the bike would perform perfectly while pedaling but slow when you coast. Try lifting the rear wheel and spinning the wheel forward. Do the pedals turn when you do this?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Are your brake pads dragging on the wheel rims?? :confused:

[Cataboo]

Do you hear or feel anything rubbing? Is it hard for you to pick up speed while you're pedaling on a flat?

[Grog]

Does your cassette freewheel easily? If not, the bike would perform perfectly while pedaling but slow when you coast. Try lifting the rear wheel and spinning the wheel forward. Do the pedals turn when you do this?

That seems like the most likely culprit to me so far, although I still think anti-gravity is an option.

I have that same bike and do not experience the problem, but there could be a problem with how it was built.

[SadieKate]

I think we need more info about these hills. Some hills are so shallow that combined with any kind of headwind, I'd slow to the point of toppling if I didn't drop into the lowest tuck possible.

[madscot13]

there is a supposed hill in Minnesota that will make you go against gravity. I think it has something to do with a sattellite or so.

Is this a straight shot hill or a curved hill? I noticed that on turns my brakes rub on the wheel/

[OakLeaf]

on turns my brakes rub on the wheel/

:eek::eek: That sounds like loose spokes. Dangerous. Get it checked out.

[Cataboo]

That or she uses old spinergy rev x carbon wheels and corners so fast that the wheels warp.

[Tuckervill]

I'm dying to know the answer to this question. I hope she comes back.

Karen

[DebW]

Maybe it's the spoke protector. Sometimes they rub on the cassette and that could do it. Last week I replaced a broken spoke protector, and when I was done, the cassette didn't turn at all. Had to take the new spoke protector off because that wheel didn't have enough clearance for it. You'd probably get a swishing noise while coasting from a bad spoke protector, and sometimes they break and flop around and make noise all the time.

[lex_achter]

Does your cassette freewheel easily? If not, the bike would perform perfectly while pedaling but slow when you coast. Try lifting the rear wheel and spinning the wheel forward. Do the pedals turn when you do this?

The pedals do turn when I spin the tire and the cassette seems stiff but I don't know how loose it should be or how it should spin.

I think this is probably it because it feels fine when I'm pedaling on a flat surface. It's just when I try to coast, I may as well be holding the break.

[madscot13]

No my spokes are fine. I say I have flexy wheels.

[aicabsolut]

If you hold the rear off the ground (by putting the bike on a stand, for example) and pedal fast, what happens when you stop pedaling? Does the wheel keep on spinning fast for a good amount of time, or is there immediate slowing? Any grinding or rubbing sounds? It could be the freehub is on its way out if not a more obvious problem. You may not notice this much on the road except the wheels won't spin up quite as well as they used to.

[DebW]

The pedals do turn when I spin the tire and the cassette seems stiff but I don't know how loose it should be or how it should spin.

I think this is probably it because it feels fine when I'm pedaling on a flat surface. It's just when I try to coast, I may as well be holding the break.

Have a bike shop look at your rear wheel. Either the spoke protector (do you have a spoke protector?) is rubbing the cassette or the freehub is not functioning properly or is almost shot. Or maybe there's debris jammed behind the cassette. If you took the rear wheel off your bike and gave the cassette a hard spin, it should keep spinning for at least 30 seconds.

[lex_achter]

If removing the plastic protector doesn't help then I'm off to the bike shop. Right now the cassette doesn't even get close to spinning for 30 seconds, it maybe makes its two revolutions before stopping.

If worst comes to worse and it is shot to hell, I would love some good suggestions or favorite brands of what I should replace it with.

[Grog]

If worst comes to worse and it is shot to hell, I would love some good suggestions or favorite brands of what I should replace it with.

I am afraid that at WORST this would resolve itself with a new rear wheel or a few new parts at the bike. Not a whole new bike!

You've got a great bike there, you'll be able to enjoy it once that's fixed.

[lex_achter]

I am afraid that at WORST this would resolve itself with a new rear wheel or a few new parts at the bike. Not a whole new bike!

You've got a great bike there, you'll be able to enjoy it once that's fixed.

Oh I mean the part not the whole bike. I don't have the money for a new bike. I'm just not sure what to look for when it come to part.

[Grog]

Oh I mean the part not the whole bike. I don't have the money for a new bike. I'm just not sure what to look for when it come to part.

Oh!

I think it should be a pretty straightforward fix. Wait until you know what the problem is and your bike shop will surely have good advice about the replacement part if needed.

Keep us posted!

[DebW]

If the freehub mechanism is shot, that part is replaceable on good quality hubs.

[aicabsolut]

The cassette shouldn't keep spinning after you start freewheeling. It's the whole wheel that should keep going for a while after you stop pedaling with the rear wheel off the ground.

If it still comes to a stop quickly, then get your freehub serviced and/or replaced asap.

Worst case scenario is rebuilding or replacing the wheel. Continuing to ride with a dead freehub could cause some damage that will make a new one not mesh properly with the rest of the hub, so get that checked out!

Oh, and I recently found this out the hard way: If you get a freehub overhaul, check to make sure the wheel is dished properly afterwards. This means that the wheel still sits centered between the chainstays. Sometimes, a freehub replacement will mean that the wheel needs to be redished. My LBS didn't catch this, and I came close to trashing my frame with a wheel that would rub a chainstay. I had to pay to get it redished. Then I read on SheldonBrown that it probably needed redished when they worked on the freehub to begin with. :(