Clanking

Stag on

Major clank coming from the bike this morning. Tried to fettle on the train but no obvious cause visible.

Sounds as if someone is playing the xylophone, very badly indeed.

Keeps clanking irrespective of whether I'm free wheeling or pedalling and occurs when I'm both in and out of the saddle.

Undetectable when spinning the wheels, and the cranks but very loud when I'm sitting on the bike and putting the pedals under load

Not brake rub, nothing rubbing on the tyres - checked all the way round.

I'm thinking it has to be the freewheel or freehub? Bottom bracket would not be noisy when free wheeling. Any ideas?

A trip to the LBS may be in order

The Rookie

Something loose banging the frame, nothing else seems to stack up!

slowbike

Could be wheel bearings ... last year my new front wheel came without any grease in the bearings - failed after a month ...

bobbygloss

If not the wheel bearings, maybe pedal bearings? Try one-legged pedalling and see if the noise stops.
But that doesn't fit with the free-wheeling.

Ouija

Only two possible things it could be if freewheeling but not when spinning the wheels with no one sat on the bike. Either the bearings are going or you've got loose spokes (which can give a metallic 'pinging' sound under load).

Stag on

Thanks for the replies guys. I took the rear wheel to a local wheel builder who took it apart for me and the drive side wheel bearings were in a state of collapse, literally disintegrating and the cone was also extremely pitted. Given the bike is 9 months old and has hardly been ridden on a regular basis I put this down to a manufacturers fault - were they ever greased? Unfortunately as it's a C2W machine and technically still owned by my employer, I'm unsure where I stand with regard to any recourse to them.

The wheel builder kindly replaced the bearings, greased it up and having put it back on the bike last night, silent running has been achieved.

Thanks for all the comments and advice on here.