wheel noise that's driving me mad...

mazule
mazule Posts: 54
edited September 2013 in Workshop
Hi folks,
There is a clicking/creeking noise coming from my rear wheel. It is slowly but surely driving me nuts.

So far I have:
Removed and greased and refitted the seat post and saddle.
Removed and greased and refitted the bottom bracket and cranks.
Ditto headset
Ditto cassette
Ditto pedals
Stem, bars, hangar etc blah blah blah.
I then stripped cleaned and reassembled the rear hub.

And yet still I have this annoying noise.

My diagnostics so far:
It is in time with the rotation of the wheels not the crank rotation
It doesn't matter of I am seated or not
It gets worse then I shift my weight back
It goes away if I move my weight as far forwards as I dare
If I lean the bike over to the far left while coasting in a straight line it gets worse
As above but to the right it stops.

Now as far as I can tell the spokes are all roughly the same tension (by ear) and the wheel is true. They don't feel massively tight, but none are obviously loose and rattling.

Does anyone have any bright ideas about what I can try now? I've run out of ideas.

Jon

Comments

  • Ber Nard
    Ber Nard Posts: 827
    If you're running deep rims it could be the valve knocking against the rim. Stick a bit of electrical tape over it to stop it moving. I've had to do that to mine.

    Rob
  • plowmar
    plowmar Posts: 1,032
    I've just learnt that the spokes on the drive side should be tighter than the non drive side, so if both sides appear to be the same- by ear and feel, don't be imprecise - then one or other is at the wrong tension and could, just could, give the creaks that you are experiencing.

    Your diagnostics should indicate which to a more experienced mech. than me but I think the non drive side is too tight. LBS to help?
  • owenlars
    owenlars Posts: 719
    It sounds like spokes, get the wheel trued.
  • mazule
    mazule Posts: 54
    Ta. Consensus that it is probably spokes. I don't think it is worth spending any money on this wheel. It is the original stock wheel on my giant scr (from the last year before it got replaced with the defy). If I can fix it myself I'll have a go otherwise I won't bother. Lbs is , from experience with wife's MTB, a bit ham fisted with wheels.

    Does anyone have any idea if it would be drive side or non-drive from my left/right leaning test?
  • mazule
    mazule Posts: 54
    From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoke
    Reaction to loadThe reaction to a radial load of a well-tensioned wire spoked wheel, such as by a rider sitting on a bicycle, is that the wheel flattens slightly near the ground contact area. The rest of the wheel remains approximately circular. The tension of all the spokes do not increase significantly. Instead, only the spokes directly under the hub decrease their tension. The issue of how best to describe this situation is debated. Some authors conclude from this that the hub "stands" on those spokes immediately below it that experience a reduction in tension. Other authors conclude that the hub "hangs" from those spokes above it that have higher tension than the ones below it.

    Is this correct? If so I can identify where in the wheel rotation the noise happens and it should narrow down the problem to either the spokes directly above or directly below (more likely from what I read above) the hub at that point.
  • owenlars
    owenlars Posts: 719
    I don't think you can deduce anything. Check where you have any misalignment and follow the procedure to correct that. If there is no out of true then just very slightly, and I mean minuscule, tweak each nipple with a spoke spanner, you will find any that are significantly loose.

    Also a drop of oil where spokes cross each other can also help eliminate noise.
  • pirnie
    pirnie Posts: 242
    I've had it where road debris has got inside the wheel rim and been rattling round causing mystery noise. (Mine was actually salt that had recrystallised in there on my winter bike) If it's not the spokes then that could be a possibility
  • theotherjake
    theotherjake Posts: 237
    I had something similar, changed the QR and all quiet now.
  • mazule
    mazule Posts: 54
    owenlars wrote:
    ...If there is no out of true then just very slightly, and I mean minuscule, tweak each nipple with a spoke spanner, you will find any that are significantly loose.

    Also a drop of oil where spokes cross each other can also help eliminate noise.

    What is minuscule? A quarter turn, half a turn?

    Yeah I had thought it might be where the spoke cross. Will try this first.
  • owenlars
    owenlars Posts: 719
    Minuscule is almost imperceptible, tiny, less than a tenth of a turn, literally just to see if the nipple is tight

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