Rear Wheel Slow Ticking noise - Fulcrum Racing 1s

The Greg

A quick diagnostic question.

I am currently riding with Fulcrum Racing 1 wheels and a Dura Ace 9-Speed cassette. When I'm pedalling (i.e. not wheel free-wheeling when there would obviously be one) my rear wheel emits a constant slow ticking noise. The ticking is at a constant rate and does not relate to the speed I'm pedalling.

Typically there is no noise for the first 500 yards of so when I first get on the bike in the morning but then it starts - and then remains constant and 'from the off' after each stop/start for lights, cake stop etc.

I've inspected all the mechanisms, spokes, chainset, cassette etc and nothing appears to be rubbing on anything.

Any thoughts? It's like chinese water torture when out riding.

Thanks in anticipation.

Monty Dog

Is it your valve stem tapping against the rim hole on every revolution? - a piece of tape around the valve stem can prevent this

The Greg

Thanks for the suggestion Monty Dog. That may well be the cause as the ticking noise only occurs when I'm riding the bike (i.e. not when I've got it on the stand turning the cranks) so it may be that my body weight is causing the valve to compress against the rim hole (ooh, err missus :oops: ) when at the bottom of the wheel revolution.

I'll check tonight when I get home.

HungryCol

The Greg wrote:

The ticking is at a constant rate and does not relate to the speed I'm pedalling.

Does this mean that no matter how fast you're pedalling the ticking remains a consistent, tick, tick, tick, tick? If so is it definitely your wheels? If it was the valve the ticking would be getting quicker the faster the wheel revolution, no? Assuming of course your faster pedalling would mean quicker speed in the same gear. Could it be your seat, handlebars or even your helmet strap? Just trying to think of things that would tick consistently regardless of the speed.

richa

HungryCol wrote:

Just trying to think of things that would tick consistently regardless of the speed.

I can't think of any...

The Greg

Yep, definitely the rear wheel - confirmed by my chain gang mates who have started to tell me that its cheesing them off.

The ticking rate appears to be at a slower cadence than I would have thought my wheel was spinning at (and, as i said, has no correlation to my pedal speed) - about every half second when travelling at 30 kph - but perhaps that's about right. There may be a slightly slower rate when steep climbing but generally the pain wringing in my ears drowns it out.

It's not the cranks, stem, seat (still ticks when climbing out of the saddle), the spokes or the handle bars - the usual suspects when it comes to annoying noises.

Perhaps the hub bearings?

andyp

It's not the cable from the front mech hitting the crank on each pedal stroke is it?

The Greg

Andyp,

No, there's no correlation between pedal stroke speed and the rate of the ticking noise. It also occurs when freewheeling - you can still hear it, albeit softer and slower, against the far more rapid clicking of the freewheel.

andyp

Fair enough.

My boss has a pair of Racing Zeros and from what he's said they have a similar noise that is slowly driving him insane. He thinks it has something to do with the tension of the spokes because if he 'pings' a pair of spokes the sound is the same.

I wonder if you've got the same problem? (Racing Zeros are, I think, a lightened version of the Racing 1s).

The Greg

And the Racing Zeros are red, which makes them go faster.

It sounds like it could be the same problem - and I can fully appreciate his pain, it's driving me nuckin' futs.

The ticking sound is very 'tinny', which I would imagine would correlate with the sound that might come from the aluminium blade spokes.

Rich Hcp

andyp wrote:

Fair enough.

My boss has a pair of Racing Zeros and from what he's said they have a similar noise that is slowly driving him insane. He thinks it has something to do with the tension of the spokes because if he 'pings' a pair of spokes the sound is the same.

I wonder if you've got the same problem? (Racing Zeros are, I think, a lightened version of the Racing 1s).

I thought it was the spokes on mine.

Was the valve ticking....

The Greg

Thanks Rich Hcp. I'll wrap some electrical tape around the valve before I head out this weekend (having been assured by the good people at the BBC that we're going to get some fine weather - I trust them implicitly of course) and see how it goes.

Thanks all for your help. Greatly appreciated.

HungryCol

Oh Oh I know what it is. There's a spoke nipple rolling around loose in the inside of the rim. Oh no hang on that wouldn't be it either given centrifugal force the loose nipple wouldn't move at high speeds.... hummm.

PhilofCas

applying a certain amount of logic, a deflating tyre could have a constant seepage of air, might take 500 yards to warm up thereby increasing pressure and the start of emmitance of air, i can't think of anything else that isn't speed related, other than perhaps a battery in your watch or trip computer !!!