A customer left me a Bontrager Rolf lookalike wheel for service.

The DT (DT Swiss) star ratchet freehub was acting up.
When coasting downhill with feet off the pedals, it would behave like a fixed gear,
and the chain would sag over the chainstay.


Fine sand and dust mixed with grease were packed between the ratchet teeth.
No wonder it was behaving like a fixed gear.


I cleaned it thoroughly and applied fresh grease,
but the ratchet teeth were heavily worn. After flushing out the debris,
the wheel started slipping forward instead—the ratchet wouldn't engage properly.

Once I replaced the ratchet pawl assembly with new ones,
the engagement improved noticeably and the slipping stopped.
So the worn ratchet was the culprit all along.

While there's no such thing as a truly non-consumable part,
this is the first time I've had to replace this particular component.