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I bought a used Kelly's Swag 10 2016 and it came with KLS (Kelly's inhouse wheels rebranding).

The rear hub was not allowing to back pedal freely. When backpedaling, or trying to set the pedals in a comfortable position to start from a stop, the cassette was not spinning backwards following the pedals, making the chain drop onto the chain stay all the time.

This is the assembly:

assmebly1 enter image description here enter image description here

I went down and disassemble it, cleaned everything, re-greased the ball bearings and put everything back together. No matter how much I tight 1 against 2, and 3 against 4, leaving no room for the hub bearings to have any play (but still 100% free to move both directions) they become loose again and the issue comes back.

Note that, as far as I know, the numbered parts should not spin once the wheel is mounted. However, when the issue does happen, the they seem to spin on the axle as well, along with the wheel.

So here are the questions:

  1. How do I tighten the assembly so the nuts don't spin with the wheel and become loose?
  2. Is the assembly missing any washers or pieces that could potentially be causing the nuts to rub onto the frame creating the extra friction to loosen them?
  3. What's the proper name for this assembly and can I get spare parts for it? can I do it without having to change the hub itself and rebuild the wheel?
  4. Is it possible to replace it with sealed bearings? that would make it a lot easier to maintain.

Thanks a lot!

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    Does the freehub have any pawls on it? if not, where are they?
    – Swifty
    Commented Jul 6, 2020 at 20:25
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    Yes, it does have all 3 of them as well as the retaining circular wire. Sorry I didn't notice they are not in the picture.
    – Robert Estivill
    Commented Jul 6, 2020 at 20:37
  • Possibly your freehub pawls were stuck in the engaged position. Make sure to lube them with a light grease or oil, not a heavy grease (the kind you would use in your hub bearings).
    – MaplePanda
    Commented Dec 21, 2020 at 1:36

1 Answer 1

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Question 1: I believe the question is how to tighten the lock nuts against the cones so that they do not loosen up.
The key to correct adjustment is a thin wrench - a cone wrench - that allows you to firmly hold the cone while tightening the lock nut against it. This question has an answer with a nice video from Park Tool showing how to work on a hub similar to yours.

Here's a picture of a mechanic holding the cone with one cone wrench while tightening the lock nut with another.
enter image description here

Question 2: What parts are missing that could be causing problems?
Swifty has identified that the pawls are missing from the picture and you have noted that you do have them along with the retaining wire. It sounds like your key problem is not having a cone wrench to get the cone/lock nut combination good and tight. It is difficult for me to know what might be missing without a diagram of what that hub should look like. Off brand hubs often don't publish diagrams. I couldn't find a diagram for the "KLS Stormer" hub (according to the linked catalog) that is on your bike.

Question 3: Is it possible to replace the cup and cone with sealed bearings?
It is possible but not easy. You would have to replace the hub with a different one (unspoke the hub, find a hub that works with your spokes or get new spokes and build the wheel) or use a different wheel.

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    Re Q3, the only way to get cartridge bearings in where loose bearings fit right now would be to mill away all the hardened metal that forms the race, accurate to tenths of a millimetre. Without fancy workshop machinery this isn't going to be possible, and even then would be a bodge. A new wheel would be cheaper.
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Dec 20, 2020 at 23:16
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    This answer is correct. I was missing the correct tools to do the job. It is also a very thin line between over tightening (and stop the wheel from freely spinning) and under tightening (and have play in the hub bearings). After a couple of tries and some on-trail frustration, I ended up replacing the hub, which is not a small task. Had to consider: axle width, cassette compatibility, number of spokes, disk brake mounting system, so it took a while. Everything is working now. Thanks for the answer.
    – Robert Estivill
    Commented Dec 21, 2020 at 13:20

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