Regular clicking from back wheel when pedalling

riddon
riddon Posts: 21
edited April 2017 in Workshop
I have a steel Genesis with Ultegra groupset. Recently it has developed a regular clicking noise from the region of the rear hub / freewheel / derailleur area. The clicks are too fast for it to be pedal or bottom bracket / chainset related, they seem to be at about the cadence of the wheel rotation. It only happens when I am pedalling so I guess that rules out hub bearings. I have replaced the jockey wheels thinking that might help but the clicking is still there. It is worse when under load and disappears when the drivetrain is lightly loaded so I can't make it happen when the bike is on a stand in the workshop. I have dismantled the freewheel (Mavic) and lubricated that. Still clicks.

Any other idea's?

Comments

  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,803
    riddon wrote:
    I have a steel Genesis with Ultegra groupset. Recently it has developed a regular clicking noise from the region of the rear hub / freewheel / derailleur area. The clicks are too fast for it to be pedal or bottom bracket / chainset related, they seem to be at about the cadence of the wheel rotation. It only happens when I am pedalling so I guess that rules out hub bearings. I have replaced the jockey wheels thinking that might help but the clicking is still there. It is worse when under load and disappears when the drivetrain is lightly loaded so I can't make it happen when the bike is on a stand in the workshop. I have dismantled the freewheel (Mavic) and lubricated that. Still clicks.

    Any other idea's?

    Try taking the wheel out, give the drop outs a really good greasing - both sides and in the arch - and then tighten the skewer down big time.
  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,803
    Oh and I recently had a clicking on my Genesis Equilibrium. Gave the whole drive train a sorting out and it still clicked. It was the seatpost collar! Re greased, tightened and it hasn't clicked since.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,243
    Could be the inner tube valve if it's rotation dependant. Try taping it and see if it disappears

    I have never heard of greasing the dropouts... not even in the 1980s when grease was smeared on everything
    left the forum March 2023
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    Check the chain ? Stiff link or link working loose maybe ?
  • riddon
    riddon Posts: 21
    Tried greasing dropouts without improvement. Finally managed to replicate the problem in the workshop. The clicking happens twice every wheel revolution but only when pedalling. I guess it may be related to the freehub but would welcome any further idea's.
  • bondurant
    bondurant Posts: 858
    Chain brushing your front mech or chain catcher?
  • waltdinghy
    waltdinghy Posts: 38
    I have recently had the same problem and virtually completely stripped the bike ,a Vitus venon vrs. Eventually I discovered
    that the rear wheel spokes of the Easton ea 70 wheels crossed on the drive side of the wheel and where they crossed they
    touched . I eased them apart and applied a little Copra Slip and hey presto no more clicking . I hope this may help.
    Good luck. Waltdinghy
  • riddon
    riddon Posts: 21
    Update:- I have taken the Mavic freehub apart today. It has a nylon bushing on the inboard end and a small roller bearing on the outboard end. The bearing was gunged up and feels quite worn and loose so I guess that is where my problem may lie. I have ordered a new bearing and in the meantime have cleaned up and repacked the old bearing with grease. This seems to have stopped the clicking for now. Hopefully a new bearing will fix the problem.
    Thanks for all the suggestions

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