seizing crankset

[brucemg51]

On my Kulana Moon Dog, the pedals alternate between freewheeling when coasting, like they should, and engaging the chain, forcing me to pedal, then releasing again. I can stop the locking up by applying pressure to hold the pedals in place, but hear, and feel, something locking up, which seems to be inside the crankset. Should I take apart the crankset and see what the problem is? I was hoping it would work itself out during the break-in period, but it only seems to be getting worse.

[HoughMade]

There is nothing in the crank itself or the bottom bracket that determines whether you freewheel or not (absent specialized parts). That is completely a function of the rear hub which is where it sounds like your trouble is. As the two are connected with the chain, it would make sense that you hear and feel something from the crank.

[Pablo]

Yes I agree, the problem is in your freewheel hub (rear).

[brucemg51]

Then I guess I'll have to dismantle the rear hub to find the problem?

[azbill]

I have seen a freewheel seize at 30mph on my son-in-law's occ chopper
azvinnie's legs were a blur

[LordMaximo]

Thicker grease might help the bearings, or another hub design made for faster speeds.

[brucemg51]

Originally Posted by HoughMade

There is nothing in the crank itself or the bottom bracket that determines whether you freewheel or not (absent specialized parts). That is completely a function of the rear hub which is where it sounds like your trouble is. As the two are connected with the chain, it would make sense that you hear and feel something from the crank.

Yes, it seems to be coming from the rear hub. When I did the build, I removed the shifter and converted it to a single speed, just to make everything simpler. But, I've had to keep the chain very tight in order to prevent it from jumping across gears. I'm wondering if the chain being to tight could have caused some damage to the bearings in the hub.