Grinding noise from rear wheel

trickeyja

I have just given my bike a good clean, but I noticed that when the rear wheel turns, it makes a whirring, rattling, grinding sound. I took the wheel off and span it on its own but there was still the same problem. When turning the axle it doesn't feel smooth either.

What do you think the issue might be? I think it may be the bearings but I would like to eliminate any other potential causes first.

If it is a problem with the bearings, how urgently does it need to be fixed and what would this entail?

Thanks very much for any help :-)

Vivid

Try spinning the axle without touching any part of the wheel, this will be able to distinguish if it is definitely the hub that is producing the sound.

However from what you described is does sound like the bearings, strip down and inspect the hub and bearings, hopefully there wont be any damage and you can just clean, re grease and refit.

Do it sooner than later!

trickeyja

Thanks for the responses. I'm not sure how long it has been like this for, but I have only just noticed it. It has been wet though, and I was out in snow for a time yesterday evening.

How would I go about checking the cone tightness?

Vivid - I tried this and the sound's definitely coming from the hub.

Vivid

By touch, the bearings should move smoothly with no play. If its too tight whilst spinning the axle you will find it grinding.