Rattling Cause?

Longshot
Longshot Posts: 940
edited October 2019 in Workshop
I have a Planet X London Road road bike with Sram Apex 1 gearing and it's developed a severely annoying rattle. It is very much a metallic vibration rattle - i.e. it generally starts on rough road surfaces but tends to go quiet once it smooths out again. It is definitely coming from the back wheel area.

So far, I have tightened up every thing that a) I can find and b) should be tight. No joy. I've had the back wheel off several times and refitted - no change. I've picked the frame up and shaken the bike (both right way up and upside down) but can't recreate the sound so don't believe anything is rattling around inside it.

Next I'm intending to tack off the cassette and re-fit - check spacers and so on. What else are the simple steps I should try? It almost sounds like a loose chain from the noise but I can't understand what would be wrong that would suddenly make that start rattling out of nowhere.
You can fool some of the people all of the time. Concentrate on those people.

Comments

  • step83
    step83 Posts: 4,170
    Had similar on a bike, rattly and clicking, turned out to be the cassette was slightly loose. Also check the end caps on the wheel are not too lose.
    Titanium Px Spitfire
    Easty commuter
    Tripster AT
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    Inner tube lock ring ? Cable bouncing against frame ? Your mate clicking his brake levers behind you ?

    (try that one day - it's good fun)
  • Longshot
    Longshot Posts: 940
    Fenix wrote:
    Inner tube lock ring ? Cable bouncing against frame ? Your mate clicking his brake levers behind you ?

    (try that one day - it's good fun)

    :lol:

    No to all of the above - checked all of them.
    You can fool some of the people all of the time. Concentrate on those people.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Anything in a seat pack / puncture kit which might be rattling?
  • Longshot
    Longshot Posts: 940
    keef66 wrote:
    Anything in a seat pack / puncture kit which might be rattling?

    Nope. Tested all of that.
    You can fool some of the people all of the time. Concentrate on those people.
  • pilot_pete
    pilot_pete Posts: 2,120
    Inner tube valve in the wheel? Chain slap?

    PP
  • david7m
    david7m Posts: 636
    Bone dry/lose derailleur hanger. Try a smidge of grease between hanger and frame, check its tight.
  • pilot_pete
    pilot_pete Posts: 2,120
    david7m wrote:
    Bone dry/lose derailleur hanger. Try a smidge of grease between hanger and frame, check its tight.

    Bone dry wouldn’t make a difference, loose would mean shifting was all over the place...

    PP
  • david7m
    david7m Posts: 636
    Pilot Pete wrote:
    david7m wrote:
    Bone dry/lose derailleur hanger. Try a smidge of grease between hanger and frame, check its tight.

    Bone dry wouldn’t make a difference, loose would mean shifting was all over the place...

    PP

    It fixed one at LBS. Worth a try for how long it will take.
  • Longshot
    Longshot Posts: 940
    david7m wrote:
    Bone dry/lose derailleur hanger. Try a smidge of grease between hanger and frame, check its tight.

    Thanks. Added to list of jobs!
    You can fool some of the people all of the time. Concentrate on those people.
  • redvision
    redvision Posts: 2,958
    Have you tried a different wheel? That would be my first strategy if I was convinced it was coming from the rear wheel.

    Next up would be to check the chain and cassette are not worn.

    If the noise is still there then start looking at the front of the bike as well. Bike clicks and creaks are not just annoying, sometimes they sound like they are coming from one area when in fact they are actually coming from another, so check the front wheel, skewers, headset, chainset bolts etc.
  • veryslowtwitch
    veryslowtwitch Posts: 321
    ?broken rear mudguard, if fitted. SKS at bridge, drive you insane
  • manglier
    manglier Posts: 1,276
    +1 for swapping out the wheel. I had a similar situation on a front wheel. It rattled over rough ground when run tubeless but went quiet again with a tube installed. Fixed it by donating them to the girl child's first road bike running tubed.

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