Shimano freehub failure

[emtbPhil]

Hi all,

Got a bit of an issue with the freehub on my Cube Hybrid Reaction Pro 625 hardtail

It's only 3 months old and done 6-700 miles but yesterday I was having more and more issues with the chain jumping and my mate noticed a ton of play in the rear cassette. You can move it 3-4mm back and forth on the axle.

I was at dales bike centre so asked their shop guy to have a look and he basically said "your freehub is completely f****d, I wouldn't even ride that it's on the verge of going completely"

Quite disappointing on a 3 month old bike. I've got an email in with balfes who I bought the bike from online to see what I can do about a warranty claim but I'm keen to not be without a bike for weeks/months.

I've got the tools coming today to pull the casette and freehub body off and was going to just buy a replacement so I can get back out soon but it seems to be an absolute minefield.

My rear hub is a Shimano FH-TX505. From the exploded views I found it looks like I need part number Y31S98020.

But I can't find that part anywhere at all...
Is there really a hundred different freehub bodies? I kind of assumed I could just order a shimano HG freehub and it would fit but they seem to be unique to the hub.
I'd even buy an entire TX505 rear hub just so I could use the freehub body but I can't find them in stock anywhere either

Is there any aftermarket options or alternatives?

Thanks in advance

 

[emtbPhil]

 

[Ricky_1973]

Out of curiousity - have you checked the bearings? or is actually completely worn out?

 

[emtbPhil]

So I've put a warranty claim in with Cube but also stripped it down to investigate.
I removed the cassette which is fine, and the QR shaft and bearings (the big bearings, 9 per side) are fine - there's no play in the wheel at all

The play is in the actual freehub body (number 7 on the picture). Even though these aren't "serviceable" items I opened it up and it's been badly shimmed.
The shims are too thick which means there isn't enough pressure on the internal smaller bearing runs, so the outer casing wobbles around.

I sanded the shim down using some 1200grit wet and dry to try to get the play a bit more within tolerance, which removed about half the play but it's still not right.
Seems to be a QA issue with the shimano freehub.
I've ordered a new one from china which is going to be here in a few weeks and waiting to see what Cube say about it.

I'm quite disappointed in the use of the TX505 hubs to be honest, they are very cheap and bottom of the range quality wise. Not what I'd expect on a nearly £3k bike.

Also for anyone else who finds this in the future, trying to find a freehub body that's compatible is pretty much impossible.
It seems to use some sort of M24 thread into the hub. Although everyone tells me it's M22 (with a 12mm hex key used to remove it) but my micrometer is definitely saying the thread is 24mm. It's also a metric fine thread.
I searched all of ebay and aliexpress to no avail. I ended up ordering an entire new front+rear TX505 hub from china for £30 and will swap the freehub body off of that.

 

[Cube rider.]

Hi. did you mange to sort your freehub in the end. I have the same bike from balfes. Only done 254 miles. Going to ring them later reguarding this problem plus my derailed has play aswell I have loaded a vid of both.

 

[emtbPhil]

Balfes were really helpful with me and put a warranty claim in with Cube. They've authorised sending me a new freehub but it's on back order till end of August.

I actually managed to acquire one from China through aliexpress, swapped it over and it's night and day. Works perfectly now.
I'll be keeping the warranty one as a spare just in case.

I don't think it's an issue with Cube/Balfes - but it's definitely a quality checking issue with the cheap shimano hubs

 

[Cube rider.]

Hi. did you mange to sort your freehub in the end. I have the same bike from balfes. Only done 254 miles. Going to ring them later reguarding this problem plus my derailed has play aswell I have loaded a vid of both.

 

[Cube rider.]

Thts great. Plus thts what I was afraid of getting parts for it. Do you have the link please to order one please.
I have to take my bike to our local bike shop to verify the fault to balfes. This id's before they will do anything for me.

 

[RickBullotta]

This is very common on eMTBs because the Shimano freehub bodies tend to be soft aluminum and the splines get torn up by the cassette under eMTB power. The only real option (unless your freehub can accomodate an aftermarket stainless steel freehub body) is to swap out to an XD driver and use a SRAM cassette (or go Microspline, but I think you'd need to convert to 12 speed). I've chewed up two Industry Nine freehub bodies this way.

 

[Cube rider.]

It is a 12 speed only done 254miles rick. Spoken to balfes now have to wait till tues for our local bike mechanic to verify fault and go from there.

 

[emtbPhil]

This is very common on eMTBs because the Shimano freehub bodies tend to be soft aluminum and the splines get torn up by the cassette under eMTB power. The only real option (unless your freehub can accomodate an aftermarket stainless steel freehub body) is to swap out to an XD driver and use a SRAM cassette (or go Microspline, but I think you'd need to convert to 12 speed). I've chewed up two Industry Nine freehub bodies this way.

It's not what you think - I know what you're referring to but mine did it from new
It's a quality control issue with Shimano - I took mine apart and they had shimmed it badly so there wasn't enough pressure on the ball bearings and the outer casing had a ton of play in it.

@Cube rider. should be this one SHIMANO ALTUS DEORE ALIVIO TOURNEY TX505 FH HB CENTER Disc Brake Quick Release 28H 32H 36H 8/9/10/11SpeedOriginal parts|Bicycle Hubs| - AliExpress

The rear hub is a TX505 with 32 spokes. It cost me about £25, took about a week to arrive, the front hub basically just goes in the bin lol

Swapping them is "fun" - you need a 10mm hex tool, with a long breaker bar (I used an old seat post) and the wheel up against the wall.
Getting the freehub off the new hub is a nightmare because it's torque'd up but not fitted to a wheel - I ended up putting the hub in a vice which then means it's completely ruined but as I only wanted the freehub anyway it is what it is.

 

[emtbPhil]

This video I took for my warranty claim better shows the problem (with the casette removed)
As you can see the hex bolt is fully tight and there's no play in the centre, but the outer casing is loose as hell!


Worrying that I'm not the only one to have the issue. I wonder if Shimano had a bad batch of freehubs.

 

[Cube rider.]

It's not what you think - I know what you're referring to but mine did it from new
It's a quality control issue with Shimano - I took mine apart and they had shimmed it badly so there wasn't enough pressure on the ball bearings and the outer casing had a ton of play in it.

@Cube rider. should be this one SHIMANO ALTUS DEORE ALIVIO TOURNEY TX505 FH HB CENTER Disc Brake Quick Release 28H 32H 36H 8/9/10/11SpeedOriginal parts|Bicycle Hubs| - AliExpress

The rear hub is a TX505 with 32 spokes. It cost me about £25, took about a week to arrive, the front hub basically just goes in the bin lol

Swapping them is "fun" - you need a 10mm hex tool, with a long breaker bar (I used an old seat post) and the wheel up against the wall.
Getting the freehub off the new hub is a nightmare because it's torque'd up but not fitted to a wheel - I ended up putting the hub in a vice which then means it's completely ruined but as I only wanted the freehub anyway it is what it is.

Thank you Rick il get one ordered now. Have my bike going into local bike shop tues to be assessed.

 

[Gary]

You're using a really cheap shimano tourney hub on a bike with far higher loads than the hubs (original) intended use. They have loose ball bearings, minimal grease and fairly poor sealing, so any misadjustment in the bearings or play in the freehub is going to result in faster wear. (not that those freehubs last long for proper mtb use anyway)
The freehub body is a cheap disposible/consumable easily replacable part. - undo the locknuts, remove the axle, remove the freehub body with a big ass allen key, fit the new one and rebuild with fresh grease.
But TBH I'd just budget for a higher quality rear wheel.
There's good reason budget bikes are able to be sold at lower price points. you've just uncovered one of them*.



*Shimano Tourney components are generally found on mountain bike hardtails costing £250-500. That's basically what you've bought but with the addition of a motor and battery system.

 

[emtbPhil]

Agreed it's absolute crap. The hubs and the front fork are garbage.

Might be upgrading the whole bike this week though, so we'll see.

 

[Freestyle]

Hey guys,


I got the same problem with the Shimano FH-TX505 rear hub failing. Bought my Cube Reaction Hybrid Pro 500 Allroad 2020 last year and after 1000 km it’s completely broken. The only way to get a replacement part is through Aliexpress, as the market here has no offers for it.

But reading that the part is of low quality and not really suited for e-bikes makes me want to upgrade to something more lasting. I’m new to E-MTBs in general , so I have no clue what parts are compatible and my local bike shop is busy and did not reply to my request about it.

I did some quick research for the XD Driver stuff but got lost quickly. Can somebody recommend compatible higher quality parts to me that I need to swap to fix the issue? The current specs on my bike include Rear Derailleur Sram SX Eagle 12-Speed and Sram PG-1210 Eagle 11-50T Casette. I hope there is a cost effective solution for this, without having to buy too many expensive replacement parts.


Thanks for any tips on this matter.

 

[emtbPhil]

The problem with going "up" to XD is you then need to completely rebuild the wheel, new spokes and etc... then you need a new casette because the SX/NX sram stuff uses old shimano freehub, the GX and above uses XD

So you'll need hub, a LBS to rebuild the entire wheel, and a casette
Easily looking at £300+

You're right though it's cheap and shit.
I just found out my warranty replacement freehub is coming on Monday but I sold the bike and went to a full suspension version instead.
If you need the freehub for a quick repair just cover postage costs and I'll send it on to you

 

[Freestyle]

Yeah, I guessed that the upgrade might be quite expensive. Don't think I want to invest another 400-500€ into the bike. I thought about going full suspension as well, so this might be the time to sell it and move on. But need the repair first.

Would be really generous of you sending the part over! Thing is, I tried claiming warranty as well, but I bought the bike from an online-shop as my size was not available in my region. Altough I had proof from my local bike shop that the part needed replacement, they wanted me to disassemble the entire rear wheel and send it in to Shimano....So i was stuck with the problem for a few months. I'll send you a PM regarding the Hub!

Looked at the Cube Stereo Hybrid 140 Line. I'm sceptical about carbon frames though, as Cube offers even less warranty time for them than aluminium. So I thought about going for the new 2022 Stereo Hybrid 120 TM line. Interestingly they don't even list the kind of hubs anymore that they build in...coincidence ? What's your impression on the bike so far?

 

[MrPeaski]

@Freestyle Looking at the spec page of the 2022 14 TM it lists the complete wheelset instead of individual components.

They're listed as Newmen Performance 30, which as far I can tell are strong and reliable.

Certainly the rims are as I have their 35 Evolution SL's on my 2020 160 AT and so far in 12 months of (fairly robust) riding havent had a single problem with them. The XT rear hub however was a different matter, but that's in another thread

 

[Oldebiker]

Hi all,

Got a bit of an issue with the freehub on my Cube Hybrid Reaction Pro 625 hardtail

It's only 3 months old and done 6-700 miles but yesterday I was having more and more issues with the chain jumping and my mate noticed a ton of play in the rear cassette. You can move it 3-4mm back and forth on the axle.

I was at dales bike centre so asked their shop guy to have a look and he basically said "your freehub is completely f****d, I wouldn't even ride that it's on the verge of going completely"

Quite disappointing on a 3 month old bike. I've got an email in with balfes who I bought the bike from online to see what I can do about a warranty claim but I'm keen to not be without a bike for weeks/months.

I've got the tools coming today to pull the casette and freehub body off and was going to just buy a replacement so I can get back out soon but it seems to be an absolute minefield.

My rear hub is a Shimano FH-TX505. From the exploded views I found it looks like I need part number Y31S98020.
View attachment 64727

But I can't find that part anywhere at all...
Is there really a hundred different freehub bodies? I kind of assumed I could just order a shimano HG freehub and it would fit but they seem to be unique to the hub.
I'd even buy an entire TX505 rear hub just so I could use the freehub body but I can't find them in stock anywhere either

Is there any aftermarket options or alternatives?

Thanks in advance

I know this is very late after the OP asked the question, but the issue has just surfaced on my bike too. Mine is a Cube Kathmandu Hybrid Pro 625 2022 MY. I got a replacement freehub from the online supplier of the bike but it has a different Shimano part number.

The freehub for the FH TX-505 hub is Y31S98020 as shown in the OP above.
The freehub for the FH TX-500 hub is Y3E698040. This is what I was sent.

Shimano lists this as an “A” replacement/alternative to the old freehub which I believe is no longer available anyway.

I swapped them over; straight forward job but you will need a 12mm hex wrench to remove and install the freehub body. Be aware that it will be very tight - torque setting from the manual is 147 - 200NM. (See image below).

Posted for the benefit of any members who suffer this issue.

 

[Whiteco]

Hi All,

I've just stumbled across this thread, as I've developed the same issue. I've got a CUBE Cross Hybrid 625, had it since 2020, and done 6500km now. Weird mechanical sound on the bike in the week and when I got home I found a few mm of play in the rear hub. I took the wheel off, and the play is in the hub and the cassette. I've booked it in to get it replaced, I would have had a go myself but I don't think I've got the right tools. Thanks for the posting and advice.

 

[I2ichie]

This video I took for my warranty claim better shows the problem (with the casette removed)
As you can see the hex bolt is fully tight and there's no play in the centre, but the outer casing is loose as hell!


Worrying that I'm not the only one to have the issue. I wonder if Shimano had a bad batch of freehubs.

I managed to find a freewheel body on Amazon with next day delivery £12 for anybody that’s still needing one of these!

SHIMANO FH-TX500, freewell body unit , cycling hub https://amzn.eu/d/8R74yCG

@emtbPhil do I need to remove the disc brake in order to remove the locking nuts? Gonna attempt this job tomorrow! I’ve ordered a new axel and ball bearings too. Just unsure how to remove the locking nuts!

 

[I2ichie]

I know this is very late after the OP asked the question, but the issue has just surfaced on my bike too. Mine is a Cube Kathmandu Hybrid Pro 625 2022 MY. I got a replacement freehub from the online supplier of the bike but it has a different Shimano part number.

The freehub for the FH TX-505 hub is Y31S98020 as shown in the OP above.
The freehub for the FH TX-500 hub is Y3E698040. This is what I was sent.

Shimano lists this as an “A” replacement/alternative to the old freehub which I believe is no longer available anyway.

I swapped them over; straight forward job but you will need a 12mm hex wrench to remove and install the freehub body. Be aware that it will be very tight - torque setting from the manual is 147 - 200NM. (See image below).

View attachment 89035

Posted for the benefit of any members who suffer this issue.

Did you have to remove the disc brake in order to remove the locking nuts? Thanks.

 

[Oldebiker]

Did you have to remove the disc brake in order to remove the locking nuts? Thanks.

No. you have to take the cassette off to gain access to the lock nut for the freehub and to remove the freehub itself. nothing needs to be touched on the brake disc side of the wheel.

 

[I2ichie]

No. you have to take the cassette off to gain access to the lock nut for the freehub and to remove the freehub itself. nothing needs to be touched on the brake disc side of the wheel.

Yes I know I have the wheel and cassette removed but can’t remove the locking nut as the disc brake assembly sticks out limiting access to the locking nut. I want to remove the axel from the disc side and then Just pull through and remove the 12mm hex inside the freewheel assembly.

 

[I2ichie]

As I am aware the nut on the freewheel side should be left alone if possible so the spacing stays correct after refitting. …

 

[Oldebiker]

Yes I know I have the wheel and cassette removed but can’t remove the locking nut as the disc brake assembly sticks out limiting access to the locking nut. I want to remove the axel from the disc side and then Just pull through and remove the 12mm hex inside the freewheel assembly.

View attachment 118458

I didnt have to touch the disc rotor assembly. there was enough clearance between the rotor lock ring and the axle bearing and lock nut pair for me to use a cone spanner on the bearing and a regular spanner on the lock nut. If there isn’t on yours, and I can see that it is pretty tight, then the rotor lock ring will have to come off. It requires a special tool but there are lots widely available.

 

[I2ichie]

I didnt have to touch the disc rotor assembly. there was enough clearance between the rotor lock ring and the axle bearing and lock nut pair for me to use a cone spanner on the bearing and a regular spanner on the lock nut. If there isn’t on yours, and I can see that it is pretty tight, then the rotor lock ring will have to come off. It requires a special tool but there are lots widely available.

Thanks for your help. I have a lock ring tool arriving tomorrow

 

[Oldebiker]

Thanks for your help. I have a lock ring tool arriving tomorrow

No worries. hope it all goes smoothly. The freehub is really tight on the wheel. 147-200NM according to the manual (strange number for the lower end of the range; why not just 150NM?). I had to use a handy piece of steel tubing to extend the leverage on the 12mm Allen key to get the freehub off rather than trying with just brute force and the Allen key alone.

 

[I2ichie]

No worries. hope it all goes smoothly. The freehub is really tight on the wheel. 147-200NM according to the manual (strange number for the lower end of the range; why not just 150NM?). I had to use a handy piece of steel tubing to extend the leverage on the 12mm Allen key to get the freehub off rather than trying with just brute force and the Allen key alone.

Yea I have a 12mm socket hex which I can attach to a breaker bar if the wrench isn’t giving enough power! Failing that I have a very powerful dewalt impact wrench! This is last resort though!