Hello all
I thought some might be interested in my experience in dealing with a freehub failure on my Ribble GRE bike. The bike is 18 months old and has been great. I have quite a few bikes but its my go to especially when its windy ( as it so often is here in Dorset) or if I need to be back home from my ride by a given time.
Ribble support was not great. I first enquired as to whether they would replace the Mahle freehub as it was showing signs of imminent failure and was within warranty. The freehub looks standard but it is attached to the motor cap of the hub motor. They said it wouldn't be covered so I said fair enough what do I do then. They said wait for it to fail !!!!! & take to a LBS! There are a couple of reasons why that is not very helpful to the average owner. Firstly a nearly failing freehub could leave you in the middle of nowhere or happily keep working ( just about) for quite a few more trips.... although it will eventually fail ( pack zipties to get you home fixed gear)
Some LBSs wont work on a bike they haven't supplied especially as a lot of them have queues for their workshop. Secondly even though some of them supply bikes with the Mahle system its doubtful they have had to replace the motor cap for a customer. Luckily I have several bikes so I have good relationships with several shops and mechs. AS suspected none of them had opened up a Mahle engine. and none had the tools you need.
I emailed Mahle support who confirmed that the freehub would be covered by warranty. However they told me that the remaining warranty would be void if I took the motor apart. My online chat with Ribble was lengthy and reaching no conclusion so I'm sorry to say I gave up, bought the motor cap and tools from a shop in York and had the job done in 30 mins. Bike working great again.
If anyone has a similar issue or wants some guidance let me know. I took pics of the hub dismantle so i can send those if anyone needs them. Its an easy job for a competent home mech but don't forget the warranty will be void if you take it apart.
Best Wishes HUgh
I thought some might be interested in my experience in dealing with a freehub failure on my Ribble GRE bike. The bike is 18 months old and has been great. I have quite a few bikes but its my go to especially when its windy ( as it so often is here in Dorset) or if I need to be back home from my ride by a given time.
Ribble support was not great. I first enquired as to whether they would replace the Mahle freehub as it was showing signs of imminent failure and was within warranty. The freehub looks standard but it is attached to the motor cap of the hub motor. They said it wouldn't be covered so I said fair enough what do I do then. They said wait for it to fail !!!!! & take to a LBS! There are a couple of reasons why that is not very helpful to the average owner. Firstly a nearly failing freehub could leave you in the middle of nowhere or happily keep working ( just about) for quite a few more trips.... although it will eventually fail ( pack zipties to get you home fixed gear)
Some LBSs wont work on a bike they haven't supplied especially as a lot of them have queues for their workshop. Secondly even though some of them supply bikes with the Mahle system its doubtful they have had to replace the motor cap for a customer. Luckily I have several bikes so I have good relationships with several shops and mechs. AS suspected none of them had opened up a Mahle engine. and none had the tools you need.
I emailed Mahle support who confirmed that the freehub would be covered by warranty. However they told me that the remaining warranty would be void if I took the motor apart. My online chat with Ribble was lengthy and reaching no conclusion so I'm sorry to say I gave up, bought the motor cap and tools from a shop in York and had the job done in 30 mins. Bike working great again.
If anyone has a similar issue or wants some guidance let me know. I took pics of the hub dismantle so i can send those if anyone needs them. Its an easy job for a competent home mech but don't forget the warranty will be void if you take it apart.
Best Wishes HUgh
