Wheels click because the spokes are unwinding after the wheel has been made and not properly de-stressed.
I don't know how the builders do it but what I have done in the past is with a tyre on bash it on the ground at an angle. Or, put the rim on three blocks so the axle is off the ground and then somehow put pressure on the axle.
The idea is to reduce the tension on the spoke nipples so they are allowed to move.
I always do this after building a wheel and in one case where I bought a pair of wheels from a 'good' builder I had to de-stress them and they where bl..dy useless afterwards.
So, make sure you have a spoke key handy.
Wheels click because the spokes are unwinding after the wheel has been made and not properly de-stressed.
I don't know how the builders do it but what I have done in the past is with a tyre on bash it on the ground at an angle. Or, put the rim on three blocks so the axle is off the ground and then somehow put pressure on the axle.
The idea is to reduce the tension on the spoke nipples so they are allowed to move.
I always do this after building a wheel and in one case where I bought a pair of wheels from a 'good' builder I had to de-stress them and they where bl..dy useless afterwards.
So, make sure you have a spoke key handy
That is "relieving spoke twist" and there is no good way of doing it, apart from building the wheel well in the first place without residually twisted spokes. In the past, misguided wheelbuilders have conducted all kinds of voodoo in response to it: bending the wheel in a partially open drawer, walking over the spokes in socks... etc.
"Stress-relieving" is a different procedure, and is best done by squeezing pairs of spokes together hard (after understanding what you're doing and why). The procedures you describe could result in a destroyed rim.
In any case, I think the OP is referring to the ratchet pawls in the freewheel, which depending on the design are anywhere between silent and very noisy. There is no need for the noise, as Shimano have shown with their well-proven and superior design. The agricultural-sounding ones are popular, however (I guess, because they advertise an expensive purchase loudly).
If you're fed up with having a loud freehub then put more grease in it, that'll make it quiet.
Personally I like the sound of my Zipp 404's on my road bike, and my Chris King hub on my trials bike, but maybe that's because they "advertise an expensive purchase loudly".
ytteb
Posts: 6
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I don't know how the builders do it but what I have done in the past is with a tyre on bash it on the ground at an angle. Or, put the rim on three blocks so the axle is off the ground and then somehow put pressure on the axle.
The idea is to reduce the tension on the spoke nipples so they are allowed to move.
I always do this after building a wheel and in one case where I bought a pair of wheels from a 'good' builder I had to de-stress them and they where bl..dy useless afterwards.
So, make sure you have a spoke key handy.
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If you want to be a strong rider you have to do strong things.
However if you train like a cart horse you'll race like one.
"Stress-relieving" is a different procedure, and is best done by squeezing pairs of spokes together hard (after understanding what you're doing and why). The procedures you describe could result in a destroyed rim.
In any case, I think the OP is referring to the ratchet pawls in the freewheel, which depending on the design are anywhere between silent and very noisy. There is no need for the noise, as Shimano have shown with their well-proven and superior design. The agricultural-sounding ones are popular, however (I guess, because they advertise an expensive purchase loudly).
Personally I like the sound of my Zipp 404's on my road bike, and my Chris King hub on my trials bike, but maybe that's because they "advertise an expensive purchase loudly".
Not worth feeding the troll buddy
Hope the rest of your bike matches the quality of your wheels though - sweet
Summer Bike: Colnago C60
Winter Bike: Vitus Alios
MTB: 1997 GT Karakorum
I've never been called a troll before. Does that mean I've lost my internet L plates?!
Shimano are quiet in comparison to Campag.
Best, if you can, going look at a few if you want quiet hubs.
Peter