Freewheel lifespan?

So my boyfriend has had a Novara Buzz One bike for almost 2 years and the freewheel on the flip flop hub has died. He's a fair-weather 3 season rider commuting less than 10 miles round trip, so there's around 3000 miles on it. I've never had anything like this happen on any of my bikes (10+ speeds, I think all with cassettes but not sure about my old Schwinn and Peugeot), so I don't know how long freewheels are supposed to last. Thoughts/advice?

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on June 28, 2014 at 2:19pm

That is not an uncommon life span for a cheap freewheel.

Get a nicer one and move on.

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Permalink Reply by Christopher Wallace on July 3, 2014 at 9:57am

Freewheels can "die" in a number of ways. Wear of the teeth is the most common, Then a new chains spacing will not match up correctly. Horrible noises are made and the chain climbs up on the top of some teeth then slams back down on the metal body.

The bearing can rust and bind inside the freewheel body.

The outer ring can come loose when the bearing bind inside, and all the ball bearing will fall out.

Teeth can crack off.

Outer freewheel body can crack.

How long should a freewheel last, is determined by the weight of the rider, the aggressiveness of their pedal stroke, (If multi gear) do they shift and keep a high cadence, (If single speed) did they pick a gear they can spin cranks fast or attain a high velocity with? Do they measure their chain and replace it at 0.6 mm of wear over a decimeter?

Or do what most cyclist do, ride da bike until it dies, go to bike shop or list serve and ask question.