Rear Bearing Help

[alfa145uk]

Can anyone explain how the rear bearing / freewheel mechanism works or provide a cut away diagram, etc?

I've got a nasty clicking/cracking that started happening when I pedal hard, now it's almost all the time I pedal. I found that with the rear wheel off there is some play in the rear cassette and when spun it makes that usual knackered bearing sound (familiar with it from skateboard days).

I started to strip it down, thinking I could just replace the bearing in it somehow. This is how far I've got:



So I've got ball bearings all over the place; I think I've got them all after they rolled down the drive but how is the bearing for the freewheel bit done? A mate has the tool to remove the lock ring which I'll be picking up in the week, but what do I replace then? Is there another roller bearing which needs replacing, or do I have to replace the whole rear cassette?

[GHW]

Once you've undone the lockring and got the cassette off, I think a big allen key down the middle will undo the freehub. If it's dying then you're probably best off replacing the complete unit rather than trying to disassemble it: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?Mod...

[alfa145uk]

Thanks for your help. I've got it apart now, although the hub bearing looks like the one pictured it is not marked with any mfr/part no, other than 'I 0 J' which doesn't mean much to me. A quick google on the bike (Mongoose Tyax Elite 2007) reveals it has a Joy Tech rear hub (there are no identifying marks on the bike). But I don't know which free hub I need? I guess it relates to the hub and the cassette? Which leads on to the next one..

The cassette is a Shimano HG-CS40 8 speed 11-32. I've just cleaned and inspected it and the smallest sprocket (marked aw-11T) has quite damaged teeth. This and the next size up are both seperate to the main 6 sprockets which are riveted together. Can I just get the smallest sprocket seperately even though this is the one the lock ring locks onto, as I can't find seperate sprockets on CRC?

[mk1fan]

Don't want to dismiss the work you've done but the noise may well be coming from the bottom bracket. If the noise is still there once it's all back together then wipe out the BB and grease the cup threads.