Noise from spokes

Peddle Up!
Peddle Up! Posts: 2,040
edited March 2014 in Road beginners
On a longer ride yesterday I noticed a noise coming from my wheels at certain times. It sounded like someone was "pinging" my spokes and my first thought was that my Crud Catchers were touching at some point, but they were clear. A second thought was that stones flung up from the road were bouncing off the wheels, but no other bikes seemed to suffer from it.

I've checked the spokes over carefully and they're all at a good even tension, so I'm at a loss to explain it. Any ideas? :?:
Purveyor of "up" :)

Comments

  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    I told you last year to take that spokey dokey off but would you listen!!!
  • bill_gates
    bill_gates Posts: 469
    edited February 2014
    I had this on my brand new bike last year and done some research. It happened when I was applying more pressure to them, i.e out of the saddle accelerating or when on a climb.

    It might be the spokes losing there original build tension. I found a small amount of light lube in-between the cross overs on the rear wheel made a difference and also about 200-300 miles of letting them be 'run in'.


    "I like riding in my car, it's not quite a Jaguar."
  • Peddle Up!
    Peddle Up! Posts: 2,040
    Bobbinogs wrote:
    I told you last year to take that spokey dokey off but would you listen!!!

    :D

    Actually that's exactly what it sounds like!
    Purveyor of "up" :)
  • Take your wheel(s) off. Find a piece of wood and put a drill hole in it such that it will take an axle up to the over lock nut. Place the wheel on the wood with the axle in the drill hole and push down quite firmly on opposite sides of the rim.

    If you hear a “tinkling” then the spoke “wind-up” that can occur during spoke tensioning was not fully taken out by the wheel builder. Continue pushing down on the rim at four or five places around the wheel until you can’t hear any more tinkling. The flip the wheel over and do the other side.

    If there was significant tinkling your wheel will likely now be slightly out of true and will need tweaking and further rounds of the above.

    If you go through the this exercise and you don’t hear any tinkling then I’m going to shut up as I’m out of ideas.

    … although you could just check your rim(s) around the spoke holes to make sure there are no cracks appearing (just had that on a pair of Bontrager wheels). Or maybe your hubs need a service. Now I really am out of ideas.
    I may be a minority of one but that doesn't prevent me from being right.
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  • crikey
    crikey Posts: 362
    Put a drop of oil on each spoke hole at the rim.
    The sound you are hearing is a highly tensioned wheel with dry spoke/rim connection.

    I suspect you have recently washed your bike?
  • Peddle Up!
    Peddle Up! Posts: 2,040
    crikey wrote:
    Put a drop of oil on each spoke hole at the rim.
    The sound you are hearing is a highly tensioned wheel with dry spoke/rim connection.

    I suspect you have recently washed your bike?

    Crikey, er, Crikey. I have! I'll give it a go. :)
    Purveyor of "up" :)
  • just be careful the oil doesn't find it's way onto your rims.
    --
    Burls Ti Tourer for Tarmac, Saracen aluminium full suss for trails
  • MrGrumpy
    MrGrumpy Posts: 288
    Peddle Up! wrote:
    crikey wrote:
    Put a drop of oil on each spoke hole at the rim.
    The sound you are hearing is a highly tensioned wheel with dry spoke/rim connection.

    I suspect you have recently washed your bike?

    Crikey, er, Crikey. I have! I'll give it a go. :)


    I had tinkling from my front wheel, and all it needed was some tensioning of the spokes I also put some oil on the nipples ohh err and the spoke heads at the hub, no more tinkling. Now I have extreme creaking from the BB and stretched chain on my fixed. :D
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    Last time I had this it turned out to be cracks developing at the spoke holes in the rim.
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  • racingcondor
    racingcondor Posts: 1,434
    If it's only happening on the granny gear it could be the rear derailleur catching on the spokes. Otherwise, good advice above.
  • eddiefiola
    eddiefiola Posts: 344
    I had this the last days on my rear wheel, would tick even when freewheeling, couldn't for the life of my figure it out, tried some tape around where spokes cross, oil on nipples ;-O, checked spoke tension, was it the garmin mount or speed/cadence thing? brakes?

    I hadnt put that locking ring thing on the inner tube valve, i put one on and the clicking stopped, must have been the valve thread clicking against the inside of the rim hole.